First Victory 1914: HMAS Sydney's hunt for the German raider Emden by Mike Carlton
Heinemann, 2013. ISBN 9781742757636
(Age: 15+) Recommended. This book and the events it describes,
coincides with the 100th anniversary of the first Royal Australian
Navy entry to Sydney Harbour, when the battle cruiser HMAS Australia,
and the cruisers Melbourne, Sydney and Encounter plus other ships
sailed into the harbour for the first time. One year later, the First
World War broke out and the RAN immediately sought action against
the Germans on the high seas and occupied territory to Australia's
north. As part of the German naval strategy, the Kaiser's cruiser
SMS Emden, acted as a lone raider and for 4 months she
captured and sank allied merchant ships. Mike Carlton's book covers
these events and the first victory by Australia's navy, within the
context of the outbreak of the Great War and the daily lives of
individuals caught up in the conflict.
I enjoyed this book because the author's enthusiasm for the history
of the naval engagement between the Sydney and the Emden,
wasn't limited just to naval tactics. The reader was able to derive
a clear picture of the broader nature of the war but at the same
time, understand its effects on individuals. If read by senior high
school students, they would gain a clear understanding of
Australia's early involvement in the First World War.
Mike Carlton is a well regarded journalist and his depth of
scholarship is evident his insights into the spirit of the times,
the lives of the sailors and their families. It is an absorbing
tale. The book includes excellent maps, photographs, postscript and
appendices.
Paul Pledger