Whyalla at War

Before 1939, Whyalla had been an isolated iron ore port with a small close-knit community of 1500. By the end of the war in 1945, the town had grown to a population of 7500. The decision to build a blast furnace and shipyard to help Australia meet its war efforts sparked this unprecedented change. With it came the threat of attack from the Japanese. Whyalla At War describes how the town responded to the challenges imposed by war, the towns defences against Japanese attack and how 29 of its men gave their lives in the war.

About the Author

Dr Peter Stanley, who grew up in Whyalla, is one of Australia’s most well known and prolific historians of war and society. He has published 23 books, most on Australia in the world wars, but including books on British India, battlefield field research and surgery in the final decades before the introduction of anaesthesia. From 1980 to 2007 he worked at the Australian War Memorial, where he was Principal Historian, and since then has headed the Centre for Historical Research at the National Museum of Australia.

Peter is well known from his frequent appearances in the media, on Anzac Day and in television programs such as Revealing Gallipoli (2005), Captain Cook (2008), Charles Bean’s Great War (2010) and In Their Footsteps (2011). Peter’s most recent books deal with the Great War, including Men of Mont St Quentin, Bad Characters, Digger Smith and Australia’s Great War and, for children, Simpson’s Donkey.

Where to buy 

Whyalla at War can be purchased from the City of Whyalla.
Visit www.whyalla.sa.gov.au