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Men at War
A social history of the Australian
2/2nd Pioneer Battalion
(first formation)
Vol 1 - Australia, Syria, Java 1940-1942
OUT NOW!
“Mitchell uses interviews, letters and archives to delve into the lives of an entire battalion and, in a real sense, humanises the . . . 2/2 Pioneer battalion.”
"Men at War is beautifully produced, clearly and elegantly written . . . [and] is in the first rank of Australian military historical writing."
"An epic book . . ."
Steven Carroll
Sydney Morning Herald
Michael McKernan
Australian Book Review
Australian Defence Magazine
Vol 2 - Java, Burma Railway, Japan 1942-1945
In progress
Do you have letters, diaries, photos or family reminiscences that tell the Pioneer story?
Yes, I do!
Anchor 1
Members of D Company, 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion, Puckapunyal, 1940.
Original photo Des Martin, courtesy his son Desmond Martin.
DO YOU HAVE LETTERS, DIARIES, PHOTOS OR FAMILY REMINISCENCES THAT TELL THE PIONEER STORY?
About the Author
Dr James Mitchell is the son of Alan Mitchell, a Pioneer who saw action in Syria and Java and who was a POW on the Burma Railway.
Jim is an historian and author, formerly a lecturer in the history department of the University of Melbourne and a curator at the British Library in London.
Among several non-fiction books, Jim has edited his father's letters home as he served in the Pioneers - The moon seems upside down: letters of love and war
(Allen & Unwin, 1988).
You can email Jim here.
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