1914. Some men of the First Australian Imperial Force had a rendezvous with death in the 'silence in the summer night', but many were to survive only to face 'the thudding of the guns', again and again until 11 November 1918 at 11am, enduring physical and psychological horrors.

This volume is packed with unusual stories of a deeply personal nature: gripping, frequently harrowing and sometimes chilling. They are bought vividly to life from when the first shot was fired until the last bullet and then beyond to the aftermath. These accounts are first-hand, meticulously researched and comprehensively analysed.

From the life stories of historical figures, known or unknown, celebrated or forgotten, the author elegantly crafts an anthology of epic heroism in World War I. In it, he chronicles the harsh reality of it all; he creates a strong picture of living conditions for frontline Anzac soldiers in the South Pacific, Gallipoli, the Western Front and Palestine.