The Secrets of Anzac Ridge: In Flanders Fields - An extraordinary account of life in and out of the trenches

by Patricia Skehan

The impact of World War I ripples through time. In this moving and essential book, historian Patricia Skehan brings to light secret details of Anzac experiences on the Western Front.

In the annals of human history, the stakes are highest in war. And in World War I, what was at stake was the future of the world. Anzac troops, fighting and dying so far from home, were crucial to the result that shaped the twentieth century. Those troops wrote letters and diaries, materials that now form the record for the human face of war.

Patricia Skehan reveals riveting secrets from the diaries of James Armitage, a young Sydney man who enlisted on his eighteenth birthday, as well as the writings of General Sir John Monash, the military mastermind leading the Anzac troops. With permission from both their relatives, their records of the Western Front are interweaved with stories from doctors, nurses, gunners and many others. The result is a moving portrait of catastrophic events set on Anzac Ridge, in Flanders fields.

The Secrets of Anzac Ridge shows us how much humans care for each other even when the world is at its darkest, illuminating the courage and heart of those living in the trenches.

'A rare glimpse into the catastrophic events of a terrible war and, more especially, into the day-to-day lives of those who were there' AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE MAGAZINE

Genres: World War I

356 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2025

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Promises more than it delivers. Made up of a collection of bits and pieces of info found in articles written soon after, notes from diaries and letters etc all organized under under general headings. However it has the feel of something cobbled together for entertainment rather than a serious historical work, which, given its subject, I found difficult. However I persevered but part way through read a gushing excerpt by someone celebrating what a fine man Haigh was prior to a major onslaught followed by a cursory reference, hinting at postwar financial weakness, to a brilliant Australian leader who wept as the pitiful remainders of his brigade stumbled back from the horror of Fromelles - an onslaught ordered by Haigh who knew failure was probable but needing a wall of human flesh to at least give it a go - the jury, incidentally, still out on Haigh. I had already noticed the selective hand trawling the vast amount of info available in the NLA and on TROVE re what to include and what to exclude. The bias defeated me. If you want to know seriously about those dreadful years I would not reccommend this work, which is a pity, as parts of it are both entertaining and interesting and it does read easily. Keep in mind however that all the bits are mere snapshots in a much larger and more complex context, and that choices were made out of personal preference and not historical diligence.

[Paul F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not what I thought it would be.
Excerpts & extracts from letters & newspaper articles.
Well written though.
Certainly shows the ANZAC sense of humour survives all odds.