For Love of Country

Description

His heart was in the land and he thought of nothing else.' At the close of the First World War, and after surviving a gas attack on the Western Front, Captain Walter Eddison moved his family from war-ravaged Britain to start a new life in Australia. The Eddisons were offered 'land fit for heroes' under the Australian government's soldier-settlement scheme, but the grim realities of life in the remote bush were not easy for a family used to the green pastures of England. Walter and Marion made the best of their limited prospects, but as they raised their young family on the outskirts of the nation's newly established capital, tensions were again simmering in Europe. When the Second World War broke out, they were forced to confront their worst fears as their three sons headed back to the battlefields they'd tried so hard to leave behind. Anthony Hill expertly weaves military history and gripping accounts of frontline fighting into this intimate portrait of a family who sacrificed everything for their country, showingahow the global conflicts of the twentieth century came home to Australia, with tragic consequences. a

Anthony Hill is a multi-award-winning, bestselling author. His most recent book for adults, The Story of Billy Young, was published in 2012. His novel Soldier Boy, about Australia's youngest known Anzac, was winner of the 2002 NSW Premier's Literary Award for Books for Young Adults. His most recent children's book, Captain Cook's Apprentice, won the 2009 NSW Premier's Young People's History Prize. It follows Soldier Boy, Young Digger and Animal Heroes as further testimony to his remarkable ability to extensively research historical material and, from wide-ranging sources, piece together a moving and exciting story. He is also the author of two novellas, the beautiful Shadow Dog, and the award-winning The Burnt Stick, illustrated by Mark Sofilas, as well as the picture book, Lucy's Cat and the Rainbow Birds, illustrated by Jane Tanner. Anthony lives in Canberra with his wife, Gillian. Their daughter, son-in-law and grand-daughter, Emily, live in Melbourne.