That Mob! The Story of the 55th/53rd Australian Infantry Battalion A. I. F.
Ashfield, New South Wales: Privately printed, 1973. Octavo, green hardcover with spine lettering, [iv], 168 pp., illustrated with photographs in black and white throughout as well as maps and four appendices. Boards bumped at extremities, author's inscription and signature on front free-endpaper, small tears on dust-jacket, otherwise a near-fine copy in dust-jacket. First edition. Scarce copy. Signed by the author.
In 1937 the 55th merged with the 53rd Battalion, forming the 55th/53rd Infantry Battalion. In 1942,both battalions were deployed in Papua New Guinea. Their history soon began to diverge as while the 55th showed a certain potential on the fieldl, the 53rd didn't obtain the same results on the Kokoda Trail and their group were rapidly referred to as "that mob". The 16th Brigade launched an attack on Sanananda but made little progress after Buna and Gona were captured. The 30th Brigade, composed of the 55th/53rd, 36th and 49th Battalions, was deployed to participate in the assault. The fights that took place at Sanananda and Bougainville enabled the 55th/53rd Australian Infantry Battalion to demonstrate their qualities as a unit. Item #3551
Price (AUD): $300.00