My War: Life Is For Living

by Brian Walpole, David Levell

This is no ordinary war memoir. In 1943, 20-year-old Brian Walpole left his Melbourne home for the steaming jungles of New Guinea to serve in one of Australia's first commando units. Then in Borneo, as a member of the elite Z Special Unit, he fought alongside headhunting Sea Dyaks, who are paid a bounty for every Japanese head taken. Brian learns their language, sleeps in their longhouses. The experience changes him forever.
Yet despite being surrounded on all sides by grotesque images of death, this is above all a story of life, reflecting the author's motto: life is for living. His real-life story records a true experience of Australia at war that has so far been little known.

285 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Wayne Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fast paced, action filled true story about a young Australian soldier in World War II.
In 1943, 20-year-old Brian Walpole leaves his home in Melbourne to fight in the jungles of Papua New Guinea and Borneo.
Initially in one of Australia’s first commando units and then later as part of a secret, elite group of soldiers called the Z Special Unit to fight behind enemy lines.
The book has been written in short action filled chapters & avoids getting bogged down in overall military jargon.
Highly recommended.