| Description |
248 unnumbered pages : illustrations, portraits, maps ; 21 cm |
| Contents |
1. War Clouds Gather in Ceylon -- 2. For King and Country -- 3. Horse Shoe Lagoon -- 4. The Rising Sun -- 5. Waves of the Indian Ocean -- 6. Zero Hour for Ceylon -- 7. Seeds of Mutiny -- 8. 'Eggs' for a Password -- 9. Death Rattle on the Tower -- 10. Gravedigger of Cocos -- 11. Field General Court Martial -- 12. Vendetta Against Lieutenant Stephens -- 13. Silent Hangers-on -- 14. Gunner Benny's Odyssey -- 15. Verdict at Eventide -- 16. A Secret Mission -- 17. Footsteps to the Gallows -- 18. Telling the Story -- 19. Night of the Officers -- 20. Journey's End -- Map 1. The Cocos Islands - Location -- Map 2. The southern atoll of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands -- Map 3. Ground plan of the Rowe Battery and camp, Horsburgh Island |
| Summary |
"A significant World War Two mutiny took place on the night of 8 May 1942 in a lonely atoll in the Indian Ocean in a setting of intrigue, rebellion and the blood and tears of war. Japanese naval forces were at the peak of their southward thrust." "While the battle of the Coral Sea raged, gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands off Australia's north-west coast attempted to arrest their British commanding officer and compel him to surrender to the Japanese. One soldier was killed and another wounded, but the mutiny failed and seven men were condemned to death. Ultimately three soldiers were hung, becoming the only Commonwealth troops to be executed for mutiny in World War Two." |
|
"Through extensive research over many years, Noel Crusz has uncovered a story which the military had sought to keep secret. Certainly it is a story of the gravest of military crimes, but it is also a story of poor leadership, racism, and a seriously flawed court martial, against a background of changing attitudes to colonialism and the growing desire for self-government and independence throughout Asia."--BOOK JACKET |
| Analysis |
Australia overseas comparisons |
|
Cocos (Keeling) Islands |
|
International defence relations |
|
Mutiny |
|
Sri Lanka |
|
World War 2 |
| Notes |
Mutiny on the atoll of Cocos-Keeling Islands, night of 8th of May 1942, by gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery. 7 men condemned to death, 3 executed (the only Commonwealth troops to be executed during WWII) |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references (pages 246-[248]) |
| Subject |
Mutiny -- Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
|
|
World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Sri Lankan
|
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Cocos (Keeling) Islands.
|
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World War, 1939-1945 -- Sri Lanka.
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| LC no. |
2001411755 |
| ISBN |
1863683100 |
|
