{"product_id":"the-first-anzacs-the-incredible-untold-stories-of-aussie-combat-engineers-in-wwi-paperback","title":"The First Anzacs: The Incredible Untold Stories of Aussie Combat Engineers in Wwi - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGeorge Hulse\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJimmy Thomson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe untold story of the Australian sappers - army engineers - in World War I.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThey were airbrushed out of history. Charles Bean claimed the first Australian ashore at the Gallipoli landing on 25 April 1915 was an army officer, but he was wrong. Even today, the military hierarchy is reluctant to accept that of the 16,000 men who landed that fateful day, the first Australian soldiers ashore were in fact army engineers. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis is the first book about the Australian sappers - army engineers - who fought in World War I. They were usually in the vanguard, clearing defences, building bridges and other roads for the troops who followed. At Gallipoli they used grappling irons and ropes to dismantle the Turkish defences - under enemy fire. On the Western Front, they tunnelled under tunnels into the German zone to lay massive explosives. In Egypt they demolished a Turkish railway in a day. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe First Anzacs\u003c\/i\u003e takes us from Gallipoli to the sands of the Middle East, to the blood-soaked battlefields of France and Belgium. They were engineers, and they also fought as combat soldiers in their own right, present at every major battle and campaign, often with deeds of great courage. Sappers were classic Aussie larrikins, indefatigably practical men who don't take kindly to bureaucracy. There are plenty of great stories, including the three who stole a giant field gun from under German noses at Amiens, and how they sourced drinking water for thirsty men and animals of the Light Horse Brigade in the Battle of Beersheba. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e'An excellent insight into the role of the Field Engineers in World War One' \u003cb\u003eBrigadier Mick Say DSC, Head of Corps Royal Australian Engineers\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eLieutenant Colonel George Hulse \u003c\/b\u003e(Retd) was a combat engineer, a 'Tunnel Rat' in the Vietnam War, and fought at Coral-Balmoral-Australia's largest battle in that war. He served with distinction in Malaysia, Kashmir and Papua New Guinea until his discharge in 1980. George went on to become a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Reserve and published a book about Australian military working dogs, \u003ci\u003eIn Dogs We Trust\u003c\/i\u003e. George has since had numerous volunteer roles including as Vice President of the Australian Defense Force Trackers and War Dogs Association. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eJimmy Thomson\u003c\/b\u003e has co-written three books about Australian sappers (with Colonel Sandy MacGregor): \u003ci\u003eTunnel Rats\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e A Sappers' War \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eTunnel Rats versus the Taliban\u003c\/i\u003e. A journalist for more than forty-five years, he has written true crime, sports biographies and extensively about apartment living. He writes crime fiction under the name James Dunbar and lives in Kings Cross, Sydney, with his wife, Sue Williams, and their cats.\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 320\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 04, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46729598959813,"sku":"9781761473227","price":40.68,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0757\/6718\/5605\/files\/DyXHPcVgnX9781761473227.webp?v=1786760326","url":"https:\/\/selloorium.com\/products\/the-first-anzacs-the-incredible-untold-stories-of-aussie-combat-engineers-in-wwi-paperback","provider":"Selloorium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}