SILENT VOICES
Author: Robert Kearney
Unreviewed
Foreword
By
Neil Wilson
Major General AM RFD
Assistant Chief of the Defence Force Reserves
Head of Reserve Policy
This
book is a unique amalgam of painstakingly researched
official history, personal accounts from the men who
made the legend and insightful comparisons with modern
warfare based on the author's considerable personal
experience. The story of the men of The Fighting Tenth
is told here as they would have it told; self-effacing,
understated and matter of fact, but with an underlying
theme of mateship, courage, determination, sacrifice and
devotion to duty.
From its earliest days, the 10th Battalion was
identified as showing extraordinary promise. At
Morphettville on 4 September 1914, when the battalion
was less than three weeks old, General Sir William
Bridges, the commander of the 1st Division, said, 'I
think they will uphold the reputation held by Corps from
the mother country when the serious business of warfare
has to be contended with.' The men of The Fighting Tenth
did that and more. From Gallipoli, through Pozieres,
Mouquet Farm, Gueudecourt, Hill 60, Flers, Le Barque and
Bullecourt the battalion established an enviable
reputation as a disciplined, courageous and outstanding
unit. The subsequent operations under Lt Col Maurice
Wilder-Neligan at Polygon Wood, Merris, Crepey Wood and
Jeancourt were magnificently conducted and further added
to the reputation of the battalion.
It was my honour to command the 10th, and subsequently,
the 10th/27th Battalion from July 1986 to April 1990.
During that time I was fortunate to meet some of the
members of the original 10th Battalion and to share
their experiences.
Their voices, and the voices of their mates, now
silenced through the passage of time, call out from
these pages. It is difficult to be a member of this
battalion and certainly not possible to command this
battalion without being acutely aware of the enormity of
their legacy. I commend this book to anyone who would
begin to understand the legend.
On behalf of all those who will read this work, I
congratulate the author, Robert Kearney, on an
outstanding achievement. He has captured the spirit of
The Fighting Tenth and presented it here in an
enthralling and eminently readable manner.
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