Our Darkest Day

On 19 July 1916, in the northern French village of Fromelles, Australia suffered its worst-ever military defeat when a British of?cer ordered 15,000 of our best and bravest to go 'over the top' and attack the German lines. Eight hours later, more than 5500 Diggers lay dead or wounded: the equivalent of all Australian casualties from the Boer, Korean and Vietnam wars combined. In addition, some 400 of our boys were taken prisoner, but almost 200 vanished and remain missing to this day. Fromelles ranks as Australia's worst military disaster, yet until recently it barely rated a mention in our history books and was absent from our war memorials. In an enthralling and passionate historical retelling, Patrick Lindsay travels across the world to the killing ?elds of northern France in his quest to honour our fallen, and unravel one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of World War I. Fromelles tells the story of tragic battle and the discovery of the location of the largest mass war grave site since the Second World War at Pheasant Wood. This edition includes the recovery of the Diggers remains and the opening of the new Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery in 2010. "Remains have now been uncovered in all ? ve suspected World War I grave sites in Northern France ...This is a signi?cant day for Australia." Major General Mike O'Brien