Media: DATA CD 1 CD - (195 pages)
Year: (1942) 2009
ISBN: 9781742226248
Publisher: Archive Digital Books Australasia

This is the first of a series of four books published by the Australian War Memorial on the Royal Australian Navy during World War II. Written and prepared by serving personnel of the RAN in 1942, it presents "a picture of the work in this war of the ships and men of the Royal Australian Navy".

The book is divided into three sections:

• The Royal Navy at War – this narrative section covers the work of the RAN at home and in various theatres of war; Australia Station 1939, Twixt Gibraltar and Bab-El-Maneb, the Pink Arabian Sea, In Western Longitudes, In the Indian Ocean, Australia Station 1940, In the Malayan Archipelago, South-West Pacific Area, Australia Builds Her Ships and Men Who Make the RAN
• Awards to Australian Naval Personnel
• Told by Serving Personnel – stories by individuals, described by the editor as the "best" pages in the books. Some are interestingly titled – Gate Crashers, Spud Run, Batavia Singapore Run, Flame of Dakar, Three Trips to Crete, Cock o' the North. This section is full of cartoon drawings and gives a different perspective on the war to the more formal first section. It also includes a short piece on the role of women in the RAN.

The section on awards gives the rank or rating of each recipient at the date of the award and a brief description of the service leading to it:

Distinguished Service Medal:
For gallant and successful services in destroying the Italian cruiser Bartolomeo Colleoni:
C.P.O., A. P. Prior; C.P.O., S. G. Silk; Chief O.A. II, W. J. Keane; Chief Stoker J. N. Beaumont; A.B., G. Rosevear; Stoker E. C. Evans.

The book contains many images, both colour and black and white, of ships, submarines, planes, personnel and ports. It is a valuable resource and a great read for all interested in military history.

This CD contains high quality scanned images of the original book, and has been bookmarked for easy navigation. Pages can be searched, browsed, enlarged and printed out if required.

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:
Any computer using Adobe (Acrobat) Reader 4 or later
Adobe Reader 6 or later is recommended for CDs with searchable text