AustLit

We who are about to die, salute you.' Rabaul New Guinea, 1942.
A small garrison of Australian soldiers is left to defend a town and its people against the might of the Japanese forces. This is a story of those who were left behind and those who waited for them to return.
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In early 1940, Bud joins the United States Navy, his aim, to become a US Submariner. Less than two years later, Japanese forces bomb Pearl Harbour. Those living on the islands of New Guinea lie directly in the path of the oncoming enemy.

'In Rabaul, Joanie prepares to depart, leaving behind her fiancée, those who she loves and many who she has become friends with. As the volcano Tavurvur gathers its forces and bursts forth from its crater, the ill-equipped, small Australian defence known as Lark Force is left to secure the small town. Overwhelmed by the large enemy forces, the order is given, ‘every man for themselves.’ Although some will survive, 1053 men lose their lives when a US Submarine sinks the POW Japanese ship, Montevideo Maru. The seeds of destiny are sown and the lives of the American submariner, Bud, and those in Rabaul, intrinsically linked.

'Will Michael return to fulfil his promise of marrying Joanie and what will be the fate of his young daughter, Gracie, who still turns to the evening star for guidance, for her questions to be answered, and above all to be reunited with her father.

'Until We Meet is an epic saga, based on actual events that continues the story of Elizabeth’s Star. A tale of survival, love and family, set amidst the backdrop of World War II.'(Publication summary)