How grandma won the war

How grandma won the war

How grandma won the war

Almost every army has them and they are usually called camp followers. The ladies of the night perform a vital function that is often overlooked in history books, which tells you a lot about the people who write the books because there's no shortage of information. It's not had to find, as I discovered when I agreed to help with an oral history project to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

Oral history is what you learn by talking to old people about what they did when they were young. It is important because it records things that don't get written down when they happen - sometimes for good reasons.

The Battle of the Coral Sea was fought in 1942 from bases in northern Australia. Tens of thousands of American troops flooded into the region and found themselves short of female company. To solve that problem, Prime Minister Curtin authorised a train to leave southern cities and travel north. Any female person could travel free of charge. The train became know as the Curtin Express and the ladies were called Curtin girls. I interviewed some and was told about others. One was a formidable woman who used the proceeds of her wartime endeavours to found a business empire.

That was explosive stuff. I'd unearthed information about the murky past of people who had carved out highly respected places for themselves in the postwar years. The academics who recruited me to their oral history team didn't want any part in it.

I couldn't stop thinking about the ladies. Their remarkable story had to be told in some way, even if that meant casting it as a work of fiction. That's how Curtin Express was born. The novel is a mystery thriller set in the recent past.

Twenty-year-old David agrees to collect a suitcase from Hong Kong and take it to Australia. The request seems innocent but the case contains dark secrets and David's life is thrown into turmoil when he gets to Canberra. Like an evil genie escaping from a bottle, the past rushes in and he is propelled on a mad flight, through the vastness of Australia, pursued my hired killers. His friends mount a rescue operation. To succeed, they must delve into the past and uncover the reason for David's plight. Their inquiries follow the path I took in my investigations.

Curtin Express is available from Amazon as an ebook with over 130 pictures. Readers can see our young hero battle impossible odds not just read about them.

POST COMMENT

Capitalization Rules Connectivity Still Requires a Traditional Approach Q bar - Indulge in a true nightclub experience at Q Bar So, Who Does not Believe They Require The Flood Cover Clause? Webbuy Removal - What is the Best Way to Remove Webbuy Minnesota short sale - the value of insights Traversing the Land of Diversity – Jaipur Senior Medigap Promoting - Quickest Expanding in Nation This time--it is for real! Traditional Newspaper- Still the Best Medium of Fulfilling Your Area Specific News Requirements Corsair announces transition for Force Series SSDs Must-have Ping i15 irons Why Go for Laser Tooth Whitening?