These few words stand as poor repayments for those who helped and believed in this book. Firstly to Patrick Gallagher, legendary publisher, who suggested this series, which are together a large swathe of the story of Australians in their continent and in the world, but can also each be read as a coherent tale in itself.
Then to Jo Kildea for early research on this book and for providing material of extraordinary value to the purpose of this account—to tell the story of our people in ways that will surprise the reader. Rebecca Kaiser, my editor, still endures my shortcomings, literary and otherwise, with amiable grace. With this volume, Rebecca, we are nearly there. The copyeditor, Clara Finlay, exhaustively checked the claims I make in the book and has saved me from egregious errors.
My agent, Fiona Inglis of Curtis Brown, still remains a close friend, and an activist on my behalf, and encouraged and counselled me throughout the process of this long narrative. The photo editor, Linda Brainwood, has again come up with a selection of images not often seen in other published works, and designed to add a new perspective to Australian events recounted in these pages. So far, she has done this successfully for all three volumes.
Then, I am yet again in debt to my life partner, Judy, my editor of first recourse and a very perceptive and honest one. She was the first scrutineer of this book. Her family, including her niece, Sue Martin, provided fascinating material on Australians in Bomber Command, including the logbook of Judy’s brother, a boy from Leichhardt who flew ninety missions for the RAAF.
So, once again, the help is theirs, the errors mine. But I hope the narrative has truth and vision on its side. If the force of a written history is to be defined by some picayune slip, then the failures begin with Herodotus himself, the founder of the craft. And God help the rest of us!
As for the Australian people, I thank them through their endeavours, successes, tragedies and vigour for giving a sometimes overlooked robustness and frequently neglected drama to our national record.