ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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Herbert Clifford (Cliff) Kadow, to whom this book is dedicated, enlisted in 1915 and was wounded during the August Offensive at Gallipoli. Kadow was discharged as medically unfit and returned to South Australia where, while convalescing, he was anonymously sent a white feather. He re-enlisted in June 1917 and sailed to Europe with reinforcements for the 43rd Battalion. He was killed by machine-gun fire on 1 September 1918 at Mont St Quentin.

Cliff Kadow was my great-uncle. What I find remarkable is the fact that I can enter his name into the search engine of the Australian War Memorial’s website and, almost immediately, see a photograph of him standing with 150 of his mates. My ability to do this is largely due to the dedication and courage of two men: C.E.W. Bean and G.H. Wilkins.

Researching this book has been made easier by the friendships I have formed, along with the assistance and the encouragement I have received from many people.

Laura Kissel, the polar curator at the Byrd Polar Research Center, Ohio State University, has always been helpful, cheerful, and quick to respond. She has gone out of her way to find photographs and records, and been a gracious host on my visits to Ohio. Peter Anderson was the original OSU librarian who, in the 1980s, drove to Pennsylvania to negotiate the sale of the Wilkins material from Winston Ross. Peter now lives in retirement in Columbus, Ohio, and I thank him for agreeing to see me and, despite his illness, answering my questions about the acquisition.

During the week I spent in Washington DC, Dave Larson opened his home to me and generously allowed me to copy his collection of Wilkins’ correspondence and records. Despite it still being a painful memory, Dave explained the circumstances of his dispute with Winston Ross.

In Michigan, Mike Ross spoke frankly and openly about his relationship with his parents. Winston Ross formally adopted Mike in the 1980s. Mike told me the circumstances under which his mother changed her will shortly before she died and the events that led him to take 15 boxes from the farmhouse in Pennsylvania in 1998. Mike was also a gracious host during my week in Michigan, and generously allowed me to copy his collection. After discussions with Laura Kissel and myself, Mike agreed to donate his material to OSU, where it will eventually be preserved with the Wilkins Papers. Mike insisted that Wilkins’ annotated copy of Volume XII of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–18 be donated to the Australian War Memorial, and charged me with the responsibility of delivering it.

I appreciate that Dave Larson and Mike Ross have no wish to ever speak to one another, but I would like to think that this book, in some way, brings a level of closure and peace to their remaining years. I assure both gentlemen that my primary motivation, like theirs, has been to preserve and promote the memory of Sir Hubert Wilkins.

Janda Gooding left her position as head of Photographs, Film and Sound at the Australian War Memorial in August 2014. While at the memorial she patiently answered my questions and explained how the official photographs were catalogued and preserved. The Wilkins family historian, Kaye Ridge, regularly updates me with her discoveries about ‘Uncle George’. Stephen Carthew in Adelaide, and Saskia Raevouri in Nevada, continue to research Wilkins’ involvement with the Urantia Foundation. I thank them for sharing their research with me. Mark Pharaoh at the South Australian Museum has always shown a keen interest in Wilkins, and offered support, guidance, and insights. Peter Wolfenden explained the workings of his early cinema cameras and projectors, along with his early glass-plate cameras. Rex Sumner, Dick Bergink, Lucy Zaluska, and the family of Lorna Maitland were helpful in recalling memories of their great aunty.

I would like to thank Dr Brendan Nelson, director of the Australian War Memorial for writing the foreword to this book.

I would also like to thank Paul Dalrymple, David Day, Patrick Dunne, Leanne Fry, David Gray, Al Greco, Charles Hambling, Mark Jurisich, Lynn Lay, Ross McMullin, William Michael, Paul Murphy, Richard Pearl, Paul Rodzianko, Chris Venema, and Jim Waldron.

Rebecca Green read and edited each draft of the manuscript, and has greatly influenced the result. The maps were drawn by Sara Brewer. I doubt any literary agent could work harder for his authors than Andrew Lownie. Henry Rosenbloom, Alex Bishop, Art Rowlands, and the team at Scribe have been enthusiastic at every stage of production.

It has taken many years to find the lost records of Sir Hubert Wilkins and then gain access to them. During those years, when there was no guarantee of success, my wife, Zoe, and my family made many sacrifices. Nevertheless, they recognised the importance of putting Wilkins’ story before the Australian public, particularly during the Anzac Centenary, and always encouraged me to continue. I owe them a debt that can never be repaid.