Whilst there are many, many books available about Gallipoli – the campaigns fought there, the men who fought them and the impact they had on the course of Australia’s history – this latest book offers a different perspective, by focussing on the Gallipoli campaign as it played out at Quinn’s Post, a tiny patch of ground on the Gallipoli Peninsula.

Quinn’s Post is a name which many Australians will be familiar with, but few know much about it or understand why it is famous. Historian Peter Stanley attempts to remedy that situation by providing a unique insight into the history of the post. Rather than presenting a chronology of facts, Stanley’s emphasis is on the stories of the men who fought at Quinn’s, with individual accounts woven into every page of the text .

This is an accessible history, with plenty of human interest and language that laymen can understand. It is not, however, either simplistic or idealistic – Stanley recounts the events frankly, and using personal accounts adds to that honesty.

Quinn’s Post is a fascinating read.

Quinn’s Post, by Peter Stanley
Allen & Unwin, 2005

More Military History

The Silent 7th, by Mark Johnston
The Spirit of the Digger, by Patrick Lindsay
One Fourteenth of an Elephant, by Ian Denys Peek