Archie grew up in the country beside a railway siding in Tasmania. When he was four years old, he saw a young man in uniform step of a train and fall to the platform weeping. Archie watched and wondered why a grown man would cry. The year was 1918. The young man was a soldier just home from the horrors of World War I.
Archie’s Letter is the story of an ordinary man, his experience at war, and his living beyond it. As a small child, he witnesses a soldier’s return from WWI. He cannot possibly understand it, but the image stays with him. He joins WWII because he believes strongly that the world cannot succumb to the will of Hitler. He fights initially in the Middle East before he is recalled to the Pacific to defend Australia. When the Japanese conquer the island of Java, Archie is imprisoned first in Java and then in Thailand where the Japanese oversaw the construction of the infamous Burma Railway. The treatment of the prisoners was appalling and many, many died. Survival for others was made possible by the Aussie sense of humour, and the leadership of Colonel Dunlop. Archie returned home, but the horrors of war came with him. Rather than share them with his family, he kept them to himself, only sharing funny stories. Paintings and/or photographs appear on every opening.
Archie’s Letter is written by a son wanting to understand and know his father. It is a very personal story, but also an Australian story. The soldiers and others who experienced active service WWII and survived are ageing now. So many of them, like Archie, chose not to share the horrors they witnessed and endured, but their silence means their stories may soon be lost. Horrible though the stories often are, it’s important that they be recorded and shared with new generations. There are also many inspiring stories of friendship and bravery, that should not be allowed to vanish. It is important to keep all the stories of where we’ve been, as they show us how we got here, and how we might go on from here. Recommended for upper-primary and early-secondary readers.
Archie’s Letter: An ANZAC Day Story, Martin Flanagan ill Ainsley
Walters One Hill Publishers 2012
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author
This book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond.