{"title":"Kathryn Spurling","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"fury-to-hell-book-kathryn-spurling-9781760794668","title":"Fury to Hell","description":"When members of the RAAF were shot out of the sky during World War II over the land of the enemy they were invariably subjected\u2028to cruelty by civilians while authorities turned away. Many were murdered. Those taken into custody received the harshest treatment of all POWs of Germany in WWII. Their interrogations were vicious as the opposing military attempted to extract information to counter a bombing campaign that took the war directly into occupied territories and the homeland. Unlike other POWs they were tightly secured behind barbed wire in their own compounds, should they escape and again fly bombers into European skies. The turbulent journey of Warrant Officer Albert 'Bert' Adrian Stobart illustrates the experience of thousands of others who\u2028left Australia to fight a foreign air war. He was ripped from his RAAF 460 Squadron Lancaster bomber only to watch all but one\u2028of his close-knit crew perish. For almost two years Stobart barely survived Stalag IVB. He returned a changed man to observe fellow RAAF POWs struggle with anxiety and depression, poor health, and premature death. This is his story and the story of too many others.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49564648145169,"sku":"GOR013521563","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52147776651537,"sku":"NLS9781760794668","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/176079466X.jpg?v=1750801032"},{"product_id":"bureaucracy-bankers-and-bastards-book-kathryn-spurling-9781761090349","title":"Bureaucracy, Bankers and Bastards","description":"\u003cp\u003eWilliam 'Bill' Mott came from generations of farmers\/graziers who never wanted anything else but to own their own land. Hard work, family and the sense of community were pitted against the harsh reality of this ancient land and its climate of drought and flooding rain. Overseas wars had taken many of their own, but they had to believe it was for the greater good, for the safety of the land they worked and the preservation of a history and culture they held dear. But then rural Australia was hit by a tsunami of institutional dishonesty, greed and corruption, poor bureaucratic legislation, and conflicted and complicit governments. Bill Mott had trusted his bank and lost everything: his land, his home, his livelihood, his future, his children's inheritance and his marriage. But giving up was not in Bill Mott's DNA. Australians were unaware of how much Australian-owned agriculture had been lost; how many farming families and their communities had perished; and how Australia's food and water security was endangered. For Bill Mott, it was a seven-year battle before he beat the bank, but the fight was about more than that; because 'the Bureaucracy, Bankers and Bastards' should never be allowed to win. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51050655187217,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51050657775889,"sku":"NIN9781761090349","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52424567849233,"sku":"NLS9781761090349","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1761090348.jpg?v=1750801075"},{"product_id":"abandoned-and-sacrificed-book-kathryn-spurling-9781760794774","title":"Abandoned and Sacrificed","description":"Rabaul, New Guinea, is a tropical paradise, but between January and July  1942 it was a tragic and terrifying place. Hundreds of Australian defence  force volunteers and civilians were massacred by the invading Japanese.  Forced into the holds of the hellship Montevideo Maru, a further 1053  perished in Australia’s worst maritime disaster. On 22 June 1942, 845  military POWs and over 200 civilian internees left Rabaul on the Montevideo  Maru, a freighter requisitioned by the Japanese navy, for Hainan, off the  southern coast of China. On 1 July this vessel was torpedoed and sunk by  the submarine USS Sturgeon close to Luzon, resulting in the deaths of all  prisoners and internees on board. Most were barely adults, still too young  to vote. All were forsaken and sacrificed by Australia’s government and  military leaders. Decades of official denial and subterfuge have ensued, as  families continue to fight for the truth and to understand why the  Australian Government was so slow in admitting this ever happened? Having  made contact with many families of civilian and military personnel who  perished on the Maru, Dr Spurling’s book uncovers the forgotten story … how  young and inexperienced the soldiers were who were sent to Rabaul in 1941;  and the ensuing Government denial and cover-up (Australian Prime Minister  Menzies noted that the matter should not be pursued because it might  endanger post-war trade with Japan!) 22 June 2017 is the 75 th Anniversary  of the sinking of the Montevideo Maru … a dark, relativeley unknown chapter  in Australian military history. Through working directly with the families  and friends of the victims, Dr Kathryn Spurling has documented their  history in time to have the book out for this anniversary. Whilst there  have been several books written, particularly on the military personnel,  the Montevideo Association has asked Dr Spurling to write a book more  focussed on the families and loved ones whose lives were greatly impacted  by this event.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"- \/ - \/ -","offer_id":51050823876881,"sku":"","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":51050826236177,"sku":"NIN9781760794774","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52684202443025,"sku":"NLS9781760794774","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1760794775.jpg?v=1750961571"},{"product_id":"grave-too-far-away-book-kathryn-spurling-9781760794798","title":"A Grave Too Far Away","description":"A Grave Too Far Away illuminates the story of the men of (RAF)Royal Air  Force Bomber Command Europe 1939-1945 who answered the call of their nation  to defend the Mother Country in World War II.A Grave Too Far Away describes  the highs and lows of their training and military service through letters,  interviews and remembered stories. The demands of the bombing campaign on  men and aircraft were enormous and the horrors of war deeply felt by the  youthful Australians ordered to carry out operations. After WWII these  young men would face derision and would fight their own demons but their  service and sacrifice would continue to reverberate for generations around  the globe. Their loss and legacy will endure for generations.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52669178904849,"sku":"NLS9781760794798","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52754807390481,"sku":"NIN9781760794798","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781760794798.jpg?v=1762286844"},{"product_id":"hmas-canberra-book-kathryn-spurling-9781760794750","title":"HMAS Canberra","description":"This is the story of HMAS Canberra from from the time the ship was  commissioned in 1928 to the last terrifying moments when HMAS  Canberrarsquo;s fate was sealed.Some may know the fate of HMAS Canberra on  9 August 1942 in a war-ravaged Pacific Ocean. World War II was in full  force and it was about to overwhelm those onboard the Australian Navy  cruiser. But the events that lead to Canberrarsquo;s demise on that dark  night are not so well known ndash; until now. A tribute to the 84 men whose  lives were lost, this book tells their stories and those of the men who  survived ndash; all share their motivations for joining the Navy and tell  what it was like onboard.If there were questions about the readiness of  Australian warships for modern warfare, or about the power of the British  Admiralty over Australian Royal Navy Officers, this book has the  answers.What was the role of the American fleet? Was there an international  cover-up concerning friendly fire on that night?Be informed about a  significant event in our naval history. Be inspired by the stories of the  men who served. But most of all, be prepared to be shocked.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52685044810001,"sku":"NLS9781760794750","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781760794750.jpg?v=1762324539"},{"product_id":"cruel-conflict-book-kathryn-spurling-9781760794767","title":"Cruel Conflict","description":"The story of the men who served in HMAS PERTH in the early years of the  second World WarCruel Conflict is the story of the men who served in HMAS  Perth between 1939 and 1942. The courage and humour of those who were taken  as prisoners of war, who endured the hardships of the camps and laboured on  the Burma-Thailand railway is a story of triumph and tragedy. Kathryn  Spurling has interviewed the survivors and their families as well as mining  thousands of documents to weave together a moving tale. It is ultimately a  story of chance, endurance and the power of the human spirit.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ INGRAM","offer_id":52686066843921,"sku":"NLS9781760794767","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9781760794767.jpg?v=1762327121"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-kathryn-spurling.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}