The Lost Diggers

Description

'It's a treasure trove. It's previously unknown, candid images of our troops just out of the line. Men with the fear and experiences of battle written on their faces.' General Sir Peter Cosgrove Investigative journalist Ross Coulthart, joint winner of the Prime Minister's Prize for History 2015, brings together stunning images of Western Front diggers and the amazing stories behind them. This fully revised and expanded edition offers a wealth of fresh information including more soldiers newly identified with the aid of their families. A trove of portraits taken in the tiny French town of Vignacourt just behind the front lines was found a century later in an ancient metal chest in a French farmhouse. The collection of glass plates has been hailed as one of the most important First World War discoveries ever made. Haunting images show diggers enjoying a brief respite from the horror of the trenches: having their portraits taken for a lark, for a keepsake or to send to loved ones. For all too many, this would be their only memorial, and to gaze into the eyes of these men is to meet a lost generation. 'These stunning black and white photographs stand as mute, yet eloquent, witness to the courage of soldiers and the horror of war ... Remarkably informative, beautifully illustrated and thoroughly researched ...' - Ross Fitzgerald, Sydney Morning Herald

Ross Coulthart is an award-winning investigative journalist and writer. Previously an investigative reporter on news and current affairs program 60 Minutes on Channel Nine and chief investigations reporter for the Sunday Night news program, Coulthart has won five prestigious Walkley journalism awards, including the most coveted top award for Australian journalism, the Gold Walkley. His broadcast television investigative journalism has also won the top broadcast award, a Logie. Ross is the co-author of bestselling books Dead Man Running and Above the Law, both exposes of organised crime in Australian and international outlaw motorcycle gangs, as well as Charles Bean, Lost Diggers, The Lost Tommys and Secrecy for Sale: Inside the Global Offshore Money Maze.