An Australian battalion at war and a family at home
The HMT Orcades looked a splendid sight as she weighed anchor and sailed out of Colombo harbour…
Reads like the opening line from a Joseph Conrad novel, doesn’t it? But the adventure that follows actually recreates the lived experience of a Wesley family thrust into the turmoil of the Second World War.
A work of ‘creative non-fiction’, the recently released Under the same Moon by Peter Mitchell (OW1966) intricately weaves together the lives of the Mitchell family, their sons, and the men of the battalion they join, all set against the backdrop of a bygone Australia during World War II.
Peter’s parents, Clarance (Cal) (OW1931) and Jean, had died within a few weeks of each other in 2000. The book’s genesis occurred with Peter’s discovery of a trove of their personal papers and other effects, including complete correspondence between the two of them between 1939 and 1945, other letters from family members and army friends, official documents, photograph albums, almost 20 hours of recorded history on cassettes, and unpublished memoirs.
Peter’s book offers a deeply personal exploration of the lesser-known Australian campaign in the Middle East. It captures the dramatic separation of a group of men from their Australia-bound convoy and their arrival in Java, teetering on the brink of collapse. The narrative also illuminates the fears and anxieties of families left in the dark.
Under the same Moon has already met with high praise. Author and speech writer Don Watson said, ‘As a contribution to the extensive history of Australia at war, and as a human story, it’s a gem.’
