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Townsend, Ian: Line of Fire

Ian Townsend

Line of Fire, Harper Collins, Sydney, 2017

The little known and intriguing WWII story of an eleven-year-old Australian schoolboy who was shot by the Japanese in Rabaul in 1942 as a suspected spy – a compelling story of spies, volcanoes, history and war … Ian Townsend has uncovered a fascinating story that sheds new light on a largely forgotten but desperate battle fought on Australian territory. The Australian Government, unable to reinforce its small garrison, abandoned more than 1500 Australian soldiers and civilians as ‘hostages to fortune’ in the face of the irresistible Japanese advance. Set against the romantic, dramatic and ultimately tragic backdrop of Rabaul in WWII, this is a wholly intriguing narrative of Australian history, military conflict and volcanology, woven together with the story of one ordinary but doomed Australian family. (blurb)

Margaret Pender reviews the book for Honest History. The author talks about the book; includes pictures of Marjorie and Dickie Manson. The author talks with Phillip Adams on ABC RN.