What started as a quest to understand her childhood has turned into a stirring memoir for Brenda Inglis-Powell.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Brenda spoke at Forbes Library last week about her book, Soldiers in Different Armies, and the life of her parents Jock and Ivy Inglis.
The idea for the book was born in the Australian War Memorial in 1993 when Brenda discovered the Second World War diaries of Albert Moore, Salvation Army Welfare Officer to the 2/14th battalion.
Brenda’s father was Moore’s ‘batman’ through the Middle East and on the Kokoda Track.
“A batman was a man who was assigned to an officer - in this case Major Albert Moore - to help with their work,” Mrs Inglis-Powell said.
“It was an assistant role, a bit like an aide-de-camp.’’
Brenda told Fairfax Media last year that the diaries led her to probe deeper into her father’s past.
William ‘Jock’ was Scottish-born and had emigrated to Australia in search of work.
The Great Depression saw him walking the length of Victoria looking for work.
The Second World War offered him, and other hungry men, “the King’s shilling” and he enlisted as a bandsman in the 2/14th Battalion AIF.
Soldiers in Different Armies, a historical fiction novel, tells the tale of Jock Inglis’ Salvation Army service in the Middle East and on the Kokoda Track and his eventual return to Australia.
‘‘It’s a unique story ... My father never once mentioned the war let alone told me about it. He did speak to my brother, just before he was dying.’’
Brenda also spent many hours recording her mother’s story; from her childhood in Forbes, time at Wongajong School through her days as a Salvation Army Officer in Queensland and on into the early years of her marriage.
A treasure of documents came to light and just had to be published.
The fifth child of a hard working farming family, Ivy’s goal was education. She loved learning, achieving first place in most subjects in high school and she was the first of her family to obtain the Intermediate Certificate.
Ross Wilkinson, historian 2/14th Battalion Association, said the end of the war did not result in personal peace for those who served.
“ … survival exacted a toll Ivy and Jock would continue to pay for many years,” he said.
