It has been 14 years since Yvonne Fletcher started her deconstruction of the Anzac legend.
At the time the military historian had been given a box of letters written by World War I soldiers and her heart began to break. I remember sitting in my loungeroom one afternoon and crying my eyes out while reading these letters because they really broke down the legend,” Mrs Fletcher said.
Early next month Mrs Fletcher – along with military writer John Gillam – will release Their Story - Service, Sacrifice and Community Support Part 1 - 1914-1915, a book revealing the timeline of fallen soldiers both at war and in the community they left behind.
“Putting this book together has been very taxing because you actually start to see things through their (the soldiers) eyes and that can be very demanding emotionally,” Mr Gillam, of Bolwarra, said.
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, July 15, 2014.