By Aaron Cordy
AUSTRALIANS went through hell in World War I and II. While many of the harrowing stories of the brave men and women who answered the call to serve the country have been lost to time, Murchison local Tracee Spiby’s discovery of war letters from her grandfather had helped bring one such tale to life.
One Hell at a Time, released in October last year, is a dramatised story about Albert Henry Spiby’s experience during World War I inspired by his letters home. The story is one of the most gritty and realistic accounts of what it was like for Australian Servicemen.
“Never before have I read such a truthful, detailed and graphic account of life in and out of the trenches for Australian infantrymen,” said historian Lieutenant Colonel Neil C Smith AM Retd.
Albert was an ordinary 18-year-old when he joined the army to fight in the great war like so many of his countrymen at the time. He was not showered in medals upon his return; he was like hundreds of thousands of unheralded Australians who were regarded as ‘expected wastage’ by callous incompetent British Generals.
One Hell at a Time is a brilliant story that encapsulates the ANZAC spirit and reveals the true hardship Australian soldiers went through.
In preparation for her next novel, Tracee has been doing research on the Sandakan death marches, which is widely considered to be the single worst atrocity suffered by Australian servicemen during the Second World War.
If you haven’t already purchased a copy of One Hell at a Time, you can find it from Collins bookstore in Shepparton, or for a signed copy email tracee@traceespiby.com.au, while we wait for her next book to be released.
