Memorabilia
Book Launch Tobruk's Forgotten Fifteenth
The new book - "Tobruk's Easter Battle" - was officially launched on Thursday, 1 September 2011, at the Geebung-Zillmere RSL Club. Well over 100 veterans, family members, friends and supporters attended the morning tea and listened attentively to the proceedings .
Speakers included the author, John Mackenzie-Smith, who outlined how he had researched and then written this book "which changes the way the country thinks about an important Tobruk battle". He told a very interesting story about how he had pieced together the new story using an old map that he had found in his late father's papers. He outlined the "battles" that he had had himself with those who had been committed to the previous version of the event.
Other speakers included Keith Payne VC, who officially launched the book, and who outlined how he had learnt about the Easter battle from an old 2/15th Battalion member when they were both in Korea in 1951!
The Club President, Gordon Wallace, spoke about his personal experiences during the battle, and about how important it was to battalion members even now that the correct story be told.
Copies of the book can be purchased from the Secretary using a print of the order form on this website.
Those who know something of the 2/15th Battalion's history will be aware that the date of 1 September was carefully chosen for the launch, since that day is the anniversary of another significant event for the battalion - Operation Bulimba.
Here is a small selection of photos taken during the launch.
Copies of the book can be ordered through the Secretary - see here to print the form
Here are some videos from the launch. Yet to be uploaded.
These were taken on a mobile phone and so do not show closeups. Some of them are five minutes long and so are quite large files (up to 20MB).
The audience awaits!