Australian soldiers in Asia-Pacific in World War II

Half a million Australians encountered a new world when they entered Asia and the Pacific during World War II: different peoples, cultures, languages and religions chafing under the grip of colonial rule. Moving beyond the battlefield, this book tells the story of how mid-century experiences of troo...

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator: Grant, Lachlan, 1982- (Author)
Format: Electronic eBook
Language:English
Imprint: Sydney, NSW : NewSouth Publishing, 2014.
Subjects:
Online Access:Available in ProQuest Ebook Central - Academic Complete.
Description
Summary:Half a million Australians encountered a new world when they entered Asia and the Pacific during World War II: different peoples, cultures, languages and religions chafing under the grip of colonial rule. Moving beyond the battlefield, this book tells the story of how mid-century experiences of troops in Asia-Pacific shaped how we feel about our nation's place in the region and the world. Spanning the vast region from Guam to Sri Lanka, Lachlan Grant uncovers affecting tales of friendship, grief, spiritual awakening, rebellion, incarceration, sex and souvenir hunting. Focusing on the day-to-day interactions between soldiers on the ground and the people and cultures they encountered, this book paints a picture not only of individual lives transformed, but of dramatically shifting national perceptions, as the gaze of Australia turned from Britain to Asia.
Half a million Australians encountered a new world when they entered Asia and the Pacific during World War II: different peoples, cultures, languages, and religions chafing under the grip of colonial rule. This book paints a picture not only of individual lives transformed, but of dramatically shifting national perceptions, as the gaze of Australia turned from Britain to Asia.
Bibliography:Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-267) and index.
ISBN:9781742241845 (online)
Author Notes:Lachlan Grant is a historian at the Australian War Memorial. He is a Visiting Fellow at the school of strategic and defense Studies at the Australian National University and his writings have been published widely on the topics of the Australian prisoner-of-war experience and Australian experiences of the World War II.