I was looking forward to reading this book about a Commando in New Guinea and Borneo. This is an autobiography and tends to suffer from some of the worst aspects of autobiographical writers.

“This is no ordinary war memoir. In 1943, 20-year-old Brian Walpole left his Melbourne home for the steaming jungles of New Guinea to serve in one of Australia’s first commando units. Then in Borneo, as a member of the elite Z Special Unit, he fought alongside headhunting Sea Dyaks, who are paid a bounty for every Japanese head taken. Brian learns their language, sleeps in their longhouses. The experience changes him forever.
Yet despite being surrounded on all sides by grotesque images of death, this is above all a story of life, reflecting the author’s motto: life is for living. His real-life story records a true experience of Australia at war that has so far been little known.” From the publisher.

If you want to read about someone who single-handedly was responsible for saving Kanga Force in New Guinea, a playboy when recovering at home who was very popular with the girls, and someone who confuses the facts in Borneo, then read it. The fact that it was written by a 90year old some 60 odd years after the events is probably the reason for the factual discrepancies.

I would give this one a miss.