Homefront - A Country at War

By rohan Goyne

An anthology of little known history from the Australian homefront during World War 2

• Language: English
• Publisher: rohan Goyne
• Release date: Sep 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201820954

rohan Goyne

Rohan Goyne is a recreational military historian based in Canberra Australia.  He is a Petherick Reader at the National Library of Australia and the Immediate Past Federal President of the Military Historical Society of Australia 2009-2018. He has had articles on a wide variety of military history topics in Australian and International military history journals.  This is his first e-book.  He is admitted to legal practice as a Solicitor In the High Court of Australia, the Federal Courts of Australia and the ACT Supreme Court.  He holds a Master of Laws specialising in international law from the University of Canberra and four other degrees.

Book preview

THE LIBRARY OF VICTORY – GEOGRAPHICAL HANDBOOK SERIES OF THE NAVAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION

(Image 1 - The Geographical Handbook of the Netherlands East Indies Vol II – Rohan Goyne MHV Collection)

A tattered chance find from a Canberra op-shop (The Green Underground Shed), a copy of the Geographical Handbook of the Netherlands East Indies Volume 2 by the British Admiralty Naval Intelligence Board 1944 (Image 1) is the centrepiece for this historical vignette of this little known element of the machinery of the allied intelligence effort during World War 2.

The library of victory which was the Geographical Handbook Series was published by the Naval Intelligence Division of the British Admiralty from 1941-46 and it comprised comprehensive geographical information bibles on many countries in which allied forces were fighting in from 1941-45.

There were 31 titles comprising 58 volumes in the series which was the single largest body of geographical writing ever published.  The series was written by academics in two teams, one based at Cambridge University and the other based at Oxford University.  Of the series, 28 were written by the Oxford University team and 30 by the Cambridge University team.  The handbook shown in Image 1 was Netherlands East Indies, B.R.518A Volume 2 was written by the Cambridge University team in 1944.  Based on stamps within it the volume was part of the External Affairs and then Department of Foreign Affairs Libraries during its accessioned life.

As the handbooks were used by all arms of the allied armed forces in the field the accuracy of the information and speed of production was essential throughout the war.  The handbooks covered countries including relief, coasts, history, administration, climate, population geography, vegetation zones and medical notes.

The importance of the Series was described thusly "On the one hand they have proved beyond all question, how greatly the work of the fighting services and of Government Departments is facilitated if countries of strategic and