Bookshelf — Vetaffairs August 2026

Salt in His Veins – The Life of Vice Admiral Sir Albert Poland

By Peter Jones

Cover of Salt in his Veins

Vice Admiral Sir Albert ‘Patsy’ Poland came from a long-standing UK naval family and had an incredibly action-packed career spanning 2 world wars. For most of the First World War, he served in the battle cruiser HMS New Zealand, taking part in the battles of Heligoland Bight, Dogger Bank and Jutland. Patsy later earned a Distinguished Service Cross commanding a torpedo boat in the heroic Ostend Raid. His service in the Second World War included commanding the RAN and Royal Navy ships of the Tobruk Ferry Service that supported the besieged Australian Tobruk garrison. At war's end Poland accepted the Japanese surrender at Sabang.

  • Pages: 246
  • Cost: $82.75 – $94.83 (hardcover)
  • To buy: Booktopia and Amazon Australia

Spit Polish Discipline – Life in the Australian Army as a National Service Recruit 1967–1969

By Peter Thomas Collins with Janine Chipperfield

Cover of Spit Polish Discipline

This book follows Peter, a 19-year-old Aussie larrikin, and his journey from the untimely conscription notice shortly after his mother's death, to recruit and infantry training, and deployment as a Company Signalman with 6 Royal Australian Regiment's advance party to the war in Vietnam. Peter finds out that war cannot fail to scar the psyche or have an insidious impact on all aspects of life. 

  • Pages: 342
  • Cost: $35.83 (paperback) $6.06 (Kindle)
  • To buy: Amazon

Porky’s People

By Karl Metcalf

Cover of Porky's People

This book is an illustrated history of the Seventh Battalion’s (Royal Australian Regiment) first tour of duty in South Vietnam during 1967–68, covering the period from the raising of the battalion through to its return to Australia and the immediate aftermath. The book primarily uses images to tell this story, whether they be photographs, artwork, maps or newspaper cuttings. It is about “Porky’s People” and the priority for selection of images has been the people who served in, or supported, the battalion. Each operation has its own chapter with an accompanying map and short introduction.

Musketeers: Christian Spy Novel Part 1

By Trevor Hibbs

Cover of Musketeers

Written by Army veteran Trevor Hibbs, this fictional Christian story is filled with action, intrigue and romance mainly set during the Cold War in Hawaii, the UK and other parts of Europe. The main characters are reservists in the United States’ and UK Naval Intelligence, working with the CIA and MI6 in spying on and capturing Russian spies. Their cover is working for a Formula 1 UK Racing team, travelling all over the world.

  • Pages: 162
  • Cost: $18.36
  • To buy: Amazon

Feathers from Stones: A Gentle PTSD Story

By Kim Hicks

Cover of Feathers from Stones

A heartfelt rhyming story that helps children make sense of the unseen feelings carried by someone they love, Feathers from Stones opens the door to meaningful family conversations about healing, resilience and emotional wellbeing. The author, a former ADF member and long-serving police first responder, has created the book with consideration of the unique environment experienced within military families, including periods of separation, operational stress, and the flow-on impact this can have within the home.

  • Pages: 50
  • Cost: $15.39
  • To buy: Amazon

Lucifer – He Knew I Would Never Stay Down

By Bruce McCabe

Cover of Lucifer

This is a story about choice: to be a victim of circumstances or become empowered by them. Army veteran Bruce McCabe tells the story of a man who never gave up on himself after a traumatic and violent childhood, and the pain and isolation he bore as he saw the abusive relationships his mother endured, including with his own father. This pattern repeated with other men as they moved to escape the breakdown of relationships from the late 1950s until the 1970s. Bruce’s struggle to be a good man, to overcome trauma and its instinctive reactions, is tested in the 2020s, but the effort of the last 35 years enables him to make the right choices.

All Lives Lost: The Complete Untold Story of the 1943 Archerfield Air Tragedy

By Andrew Johnston

Cover of All Lives Lost

On 27 March 1943, a RAAF C-47 Dakota transport aircraft lifted off from Archerfield Aerodrome in Brisbane with 23 military souls on board. Two minutes later, it fell from the sky with all lives lost. The official explanation and bungled burial of victims was swift – the deeper truth was not. The Archerfield air disaster was quietly pushed aside: its inconsistencies ignored, its witnesses discounted, and its troubling questions left to fade from public memory. All Lives Lost reopens the case with modern scrutiny and an unflinching drive to uncover Australia’s forgotten air tragedy. The book also presents detailed biographies of every victim – restoring their identities, their stories, and their humanity.

FURPHY: The Water Cart & the Word

By Professor John Barns and Andrew Furphy

Cover of Furphy

The word “furphy” dates back to the First World War, where horse drawn water carts from J. Furphy & Sons were widely used in Australian Army camps. Soldiers gathered around them to talk and gossip, and rumours soon followed. Co-authored by Andrew Furphy, a 4th generation descendant of company founder John Furphy, this book traces the story of the water cart back to the 1800s in Victoria and explores the necessity that led to this invention which went on to capture a place in the Australian language. Thoroughly researched and containing many fantastic photos and illustrations, it deserves a place in every Australian library and on every coffee table.