Tommy Johnson was an ordinary man who had an extraordinary war. For nearly 70 years, his family never really knew what happened to Tommy – a remarkable story of endurance and mateship, of courage and…

The story of a talented and heroic fighter pilot, the thrill of flying, and a life cut tragically short by war. Tony Boyd was an RAAF fighter pilot, a dangerous and glamorous job that took him to the…

Gallipoli is Australia’s most commemorated battleground, etched deeply into the national psyche. It is also woven deeply into Josh Cavalier’s family story; both his grandfather and great grandfather f…

Albert Moore is a unique wartime legend. He saw some of the fiercest and most merciless battles of World War II, but never fired a single shot. Major Albert Moore was a Salvation Army officer who tir…

Today, some Australians take Special Forces (SAS) for granted, an indispensable arm of our Defence Forces. But it wasn’t always so. With the outbreak of World War II, as Australia confronted an expans…

Legend has it a Hippisley has served in every battle since Waterloo. They certainly served in World War I, World War II and Vietnam. To be a man in Mark Hippisley’s family, the 41-year-old has long be…

Gathered around the television one afternoon, the Healey family was watching the classic Steve Mc Queen film, The Great Escape – in much the same way millions have enjoyed it. But this afternoon, in t…

Serving as a runner on the Western Front during World War I required courage, commitment and, if you were to survive, a significant amount of luck. After all, 60,000 Australians were left behind on th…

When the Japanese bombed Darwin on February 19, 1942, the damage was devastating – and the silence deafening. News of the attack was limited and most Australians were oblivious to the devastation on o…

To his army mates, Stanley “Stunna” Johns was a legend. A bloke you could rely on in a stoush. Through his service in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Stan certainly saw a lot of stoushes. In Korea, h…