Before the Anzac Dawn: A military history of Australia before 1915

(Paperback)

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This book provides a comprehensive and compelling account of Australian military history before any soldier set foot on Gallipoli. It shows that this pre-1915 history has largely been forgotten. Indeed the extent to which Australians thought about war and experienced war before ANZAC existed will surprise many readers.Starting with detailed accounts of both traditional indigenous warfare and frontier wars between whites settlers and indigenous inhabitants, we learn of the setting up of colonial navies, the red coats who guarded the colonies, Australians fighting in wars against New Zealand Maori, cadet and rifle clubs as well as the overseas wars we joined up for in the Crimea and Sudan. Written by leading experts in their fields and expertly edited by Craig Stockings and John Connor, Before the Anzac Dawn is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the whole story of Australia's military history.

Author Bio

Craig Stockings is an Associate Professor of History at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, Australia. He has published a history of the army cadet movement in Australia, The Torch and the Sword (2007), and a study of the First Libyan Campaign in North Africa 1940-41: Bardia: Myth, Reality and the Heirs of Anzac (2009). He has also edited the bestselling mythbusting books Zombie Myths of Australian Military History (2010) and Anzacs Dirty Dozen: 12 Myths of Australian Military History (2012).

John Connor is a Senior Lecturer in History at the University of New South Wales, Canberra, Austalia. His books include The Australian Frontier Wars, 1788-1838 (2002), which was shortlisted for the Royal United Services Institutes Westminster Medal for Military Literature, and Anzac and Empire: George Foster Pearce and the Foundations of Australian Defence (2011).