Dinkum Diggers

- Illustrations : Non - Publisher's note :Tall, sun-bronzed, hardy. Resourceful, independent, egalitarian. Scornful of authority, loyal to their mates. These mythical characteristics of the Anzac 'diggers' are central to our idea of what it is to be Australian. But did the soldiers themselves fit the stereotype? How closely does the myth match the reality? This penetrating study strips away celebratory generalizations and measures the Anzac legend against the actual experiences of one battalion that fought at Gallipoli and on the Western Front in World War I. This book makes a notable contribution to revisionist studies about World War I. It is a patient, thorough and scholarly demolition job on the Anzac legend, a reality check on back-slapping triumphalism and the glorification of war.