“WWII IN EAST TIMOR – AN AUSTRALIAN ARMY SITE AND TRAVEL GUIDE” - NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!!

[Edward Willis]

To Doublereds members and supporters:

In the lead up to Christmas, please be aware that a limited number of copies of the Guide are now available for purchase from the Doublereds online store priced at $100 per copy (this price covers production and postage costs in Australia and includes a small donation to the Association).  Go to: https://doublereds.org.au/store/product/24-wwii-in-east-timor-by-ed-willis/

“The Guide provides an overdue addition to the history of WWII in East Timor – a history surprisingly little known and underappreciated despite its significance to Australia’s participation and contribution to that conflict.  Drawing on new information derived from sources in Portuguese, Dutch, Japanese and Tetum it provides a fresh site-based perspective on a war that had devastating consequences for the Timorese people and yet, through Australia’s involvement, established the special and close relationship that exists between the two nations today.  Australia’s Army, Navy and Air Force played significant roles in the campaign between December 1941 and the end of the War in August 1945.  The guide content, for example, enables travellers to locate and find their way to the sites where battles were fought, ambushes laid and gives an insight into the extensive Japanese defensive infrastructure built by them using Timorese forced labour in the eastern districts in anticipation of an Allied attempt to retake the island.  The extensive use of maps and images enhances the descriptive and narrative content of the text and enables a well-informed appreciation of each site described that have not been readily accessible before, in contrast, for example, to the extensive battlefield guide information available for the Kokoda campaign”.

Please consider buying a copy of the book and spreading the word to family, friends and other interested parties that it is available.

Thank you and regards

Ed Willis

Committee member, 2/2 Commando Association of Australia