On Active Service II |
Louise Higham |
A Biographical Dictionary of West Arthur
Residents of the district of West Arthur have a proud history of military service. They fought in the Great War at Gallipoli, in the Middle East and on the Western Front. In the Second World War they fought in North Africa and Europe, and in the South-West Pacific.
Some flew in Bomber Command while others became slave labourers on the Thai-Burma railway.
One airman dropped agents into Occupied Europe, another flew the long-distance Double Sunrise route and a soldier served behind enemy lines as a Spotter in New Guinea.
They have served in the conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Some have been decorated for outstanding bravery and awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Military Cross and the Victoria Cross.
On Active Service II is not just a record of military service, it is a social history of a small rural community in Western Australia.
About the Author
Born and educated in Tasmania, Louise Higham graduated from the University of Tasmania with Bachelor of Arts, Diploma of Education and Graduate Diploma in Librarianship. As both an historian and genealogist she has contributions in the Australian Dictionary of Biography and published articles in journals.
Louise comes from a family with several generations of service in the Armed Forces. Her father and his brother served in the British Army in the Second World War and both were awarded the Military Cross. Her paternal grandfather, who served in the British Army in the First World War, was also awarded a Military Cross. In turn his father, her great-grandfather Cyril St. Clair Cameron, fought on the North-West Frontier (Afghanistan), led the Tasmanian Contingent in the South African (Boer) War, commanded the Australian Commonwealth Corps at Edward VII’s coronation in 1902 and took part in the landing on Gallipoli.
Louise, who is married with two sons, lives in the Williams district and instigated the erection of a war memorial in Williams in 2015.
Other books by Louise Higham
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ON ACTIVE SERVICE: A Biographical Dictionary of Williams
On Active Service is about men and women who lived in the Williams district who served in war zones. Residents of Williams have served in almost every major conflict since Australia's Federation. They served in Egypt, Gallipoli and on the Western Front in the First World War. Some were killed in the great battles or died of their wounds. Others returned shell-shocked or as amputees. In the Second World War they fought in Europe and in the Pacific region. Four flew in Bomber Command; one was lost in the Nuremberg raid over Germany.
On Active Service includes excerpts from the secret diary of an airman who ditched into the Mediterranean Sea and spent four years as a prisoner of war in Poland. Read more, click here..
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From Woodanilling to War is the history of a West Australian rural community through the two World Wars of the twentieth century.
Drawn extensively from the official records of the National Archives and the Australian War Memorial, as well as from a range of state and local publications and from residents of recent times, it details the military service of men and women from Woodanilling.
There are 240 personal stories. They range from Gallipoli, Egypt and the Western Front in the First World War to the Second World War waged in Europe and the Pacific, and the defence of northern Australia.
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