Customer Reviews (2)

A fair account of a WW1 soldiers experiences
While this seemed at first to be quite a substantial account, it transpired that Courtney writes about half of the text. This is in several very large slabs and is intended to provide context, especially for readers unfamiliar with World War 1. At times this was a little frustrating, breaking Kyle's story up, but it was generally an interesting addition to the book. Indeed, there were some absolute pearls of information, the Gallipoli origin of the footwear term `sneakers' for instance.

Kyle's account starts with quite a few chapters on his youth. I really enjoyed these tales of a vanished era. The life of a bush `kid', with horses, dogs, snakes and all sorts of fascinating characters was very engaging and reminded me of the stories my grandparents told. Following this he began work at a bank before joining up in 1915. He arrived on Gallipoli in August, becoming part of the 24th battalion and `celebrating' his 18th birthday there.

Kyle writes well and following his lead in, it is easy to identify with him. Interestingly he was fairly shy and had few friends on Gallipoli, he was quite lonely in fact. He wasn't involved in any of the big actions but endured the usual hazards of trench life, particularly shells and bombing. There are some intriguing details, he writes about the periscope rifle to a degree I haven't come across before and that he was actually paid twice in the time he was there.

After a time in the trenches in France, Kyle volunteers for mortars, feeling that there had to be a better life than an infantryman's. Somewhat happily, he had friends who tried to talk him out of it - mortars being seen as something of a suicide option. He persists but it is somewhat abortive as mud rendered their particular contraption fairly useless. It got him out of the line for courses and he had some nice times in England, including seeing his brother again, before the latter's death at Passchendaele. In battle he has some close escapes, as he did on Gallipoli and is finally wounded by a shell, badly enough to have him on the way back to Australia when the Armistice is signed. I have to say though, that Kyle does not write about his experiences in a gripping way. While he wasn't involved in too much trench fighting, he does not describe his experiences in a graphic manner, somewhat dimming the horror of the war. (Yet, with the impact of war on his family and his few good friends, the reader is left in no doubt of wars terrible effect.) Kyle started writing his account in his 89th year, so it is perhaps not surprising that this is a gentler story than some others of this genre.

It is an interesting read. Bryce Courtney's contribution is a useful component (though he's a bit confused about death tolls in some actions) and helps to stretch the account out, as otherwise it would've been too short - especially in the pages concerning the war. Overall, I feel this book is better suited to readers wanting a general, but not too confronting recount of a soldier's personal experiences. Others wanting more explicit accounts of battle though, which is the focus of my reviews, are advised to look elsewhere.

Flies, Lice, Stink and Disease
This book is a memoir of one man's experiences in both the pre-war years and the war from 1915. While much of the book is devoted to the pre-war years and life in country Victoria, the book presents a unique insight into a soldier's experiences and memories written in later life.

Roy Kyle began writing the notes for this book when he was 89, and then died before he had completed it. Bryce Courtney worked on the introduction and provides a chapter called "Background to the War Years". Courtney's notes provide useful background information that sets the context for Kyle's memories, without which Kyle would be hard to understand in some places unless the reader were Australian or had previous knowledge of Gallipoli. I learned a few things from reading Courtney's additions. Courtney does betray a sense of disgust at the sheer numbers of lives lost and the commanders' apparent disregard for the lives of their men. I suspect that Courtney's disgust was a heartfelt response to the research he needed to do in editing Kyle's notes.

Kyle's writing is very informal and is very much that of an ordinary person making notes about what he remembers. He also makes note of those people and events that have "faded from memory" in places, though it has to be admitted that his memory for details was amazing after so many years.

In some parts, Kyle's memories are truly harrowing, and I was pretty sickened by some of the things he saw. At least once, he just leaves the details out, and states that someone's death was "truly horrific". For someone as Kyle to say that something is "truly horrific" must be a classic in understatement.

In some parts, Kyle's memories are truly hilarious, and add something of a lighter side to the whole affair. Of particular note was when a divisional parade collapsed into chaos when a hare decided to make a run for it across the beach through the legs of the men at attention. Apparently, the General just left in disgust. The hare....well, you will just have to read the book.

The book, at times touching, at times harrowing, but always honest, direct and moving, is a fantastic read and a great memoir of a man who fought with the Anzacs. Unlike books written by the armchair historians and those commanders who were safely behind the lines, Kyle takes you right into it, and puts you smack in the middle of the sweat, flies, stench and dysentry.

Although a "sideshow" to the main war in Europe, Gallipoli is permanently burned into the Australia and New Zealander pysche. "An Anzac's Story" gives you a first hand glimpse of life and death there. An awesome and gut-wrenching book. ... Read more

Product Description
This is the story of two familiesbranches of the Solomonstransported to an alien land, both of whom eventually grow rich and powerful but who, through three generations, never for one moment relinquish their hatred for each other. It is also the story of our country from the beginning until we came of age as a nation. ... Read more