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'So begins this sweeping true story of a fractured but close-knit Australian family during World War II, focusing on the service of the twins and life on the home front as experienced primarily by their elder sister and mother. When hostilities are declared, Terry joins the Australian Military Forces and is quickly promoted. However, as a militiaman, he is banned from serving overseas. Having watched Edwin join the glamorous RAAF and become a pilot, Terry resigns his commission to follow his twin. Forced to swallow the disappointment of failing to emulate Edwin by winning his wings, Terry becomes a navigator in heavy bombers in the closing stages of the European war.
'Readers are transported from the Charles family home in northern NSW to Canberra, Africa, England, Scotland, the United States, the Subcontinent and Ceylon between 1939 and the end of 1945 as the perspective shifts between the two protagonists.
'Little-known aspects of wartime experience are explored, including the so-called ‘wet canteens’ debate; the international negotiations over the release of interned Allied and Japanese diplomats, and the life of the Raj on the north-west frontier and in India and Ceylon.
'The author’s clever interweaving of primary documents with historical fact gives rare insights into the lives and relationships of the Charles family and creates an authentic snapshot of wartime Australia. The Charles Family’s War is a compassionate and multilayered examination of two intelligent and articulate young men who come of age in the cauldron of global conflict.' (Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Review : Charles Family's War
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , February 2016;
— Review of The Charles Family's War : A Gripping Story of Twin Brothers during World War II 2015 single work biography -
Uniformed Twins on Different Tracks
2016
single work
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 February 2016; (p. 23)
— Review of The Charles Family's War : A Gripping Story of Twin Brothers during World War II 2015 single work biography
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Uniformed Twins on Different Tracks
2016
single work
— Appears in: The Weekend Australian , 13-14 February 2016; (p. 23)
— Review of The Charles Family's War : A Gripping Story of Twin Brothers during World War II 2015 single work biography -
Review : Charles Family's War
2016
single work
review
— Appears in: Good Reading , February 2016;
— Review of The Charles Family's War : A Gripping Story of Twin Brothers during World War II 2015 single work biography