Peter Stanley
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stanleyhistorian.bsky.social
Peter Stanley
@stanleyhistorian.bsky.social
Canberra-based historian; author of 50 books, mostly on Australian and British Indian military history. Joint winner of the Prime Minister's Prize for Australian History 2011. Author of historical fiction, notably the Mansergh novels and The Sherrin (2025)
November 8, 2025 at 1:22 AM
Just visiting the excellent “1975” exhibition at the National Library of Australia. But look what you see on the very first panel - a warning that it deals with “some sensitive and distressing material “! Er, like every year in human history!
November 2, 2025 at 3:40 AM
Yesterday was the 80th anniversary of the Australian landing on Tarakan, the subject of my forthcoming book, Oboe One: Tarakan, 1945, to be published soon by #BigSky. This is the draft cover - the new one's even better. It's a revised version of my 1997 book Tarakan: An Australian Tragedy.
May 2, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Dr David Stephens, key player in Defending Country (which tries to hold the Australian War Memorial accountable over its representation of the Australian Wars, aka Frontier Conflict) thinks that the AWM has produced an exhibition about Defending Country, 'Critical Witness'. Apt, but no such luck ...
April 20, 2025 at 3:52 AM
ArtSound FM Canberra is broadcasting my radio play 'Wanterwrite, Wanterlove' ( dramatising the courtship of Charles and Effie in 1920) at 1pm on Anzac Day, 4pm on the 27th and 10pm on the 28th - and you can listen to it outside Canberra on DAB+ 90.3 or on artsound.fm - listen any time. Enjoy!
April 19, 2025 at 3:15 AM
I visited the Australian War Memorial yesterday and was pleased to see that the 10-pounder mountain gun, used by the Indian mountain batteries at Anzac, is still on display in the Gallipoli gallery. Their service is documented in my Die in Battle - the first book on Indians on Gallipoli (2015). #AWM
April 15, 2025 at 5:53 AM
One of the pleasures of a public library in Anzac season is to surreptitiously ensure that the book display features you and your friends.Here in Dickson (ACT), books by (l to r) Mark Johnston, me, Douglas Newton and Ross McMullin - all worth reading this April!
April 14, 2025 at 6:49 AM
I'm delighted to tell you that at 1 pm on Anzac Day ArtSound FM Canberra will broadcast my radio play 'Wanterwrite, Wanterlove' - about the courtship of Charles and Effie Bean at Tuggeranong while Charles was writing Vol. I of his official history, in the aftermath of the Great War.
April 13, 2025 at 10:31 AM
I photographed 20 years of this for a good friend - the basis of a future book, I hope and expect. It was fascinating and reminded me of what a fantastic and largely untapped source unit newsletters can be.
April 12, 2025 at 10:47 AM
Paul Macpherson on The Sherrin:
"... a great read. I was particularly taken by your description of the separate war of the commandos ... I look forward to recommending it to all and sundry."
Thank you Paul!
April 11, 2025 at 12:08 AM
This evening I had the privilege of moving the vote of thanks to Christina Twomey and Joan Beaumont, who discussed the new edition of Joan’s 1988 Gull Force (on Australian PoWs on Ambon and Hainan 1942-45). Insightful discussion and perceptive questions from the floor. Thank you Colin Steele at ANU.
April 7, 2025 at 10:44 AM
Yesterday I addressed the active and energetic Blackheath History Forum (iBlue Mountains, NSW) on some issues in current understandings of Australian military history. Very responsive group (if rather reluctant to actually buy books) but an enjoyable encounter with some thoughtful people - thanks!
April 7, 2025 at 10:20 AM
I have a lot of time for local histories and have often used them in my various Australian, British and British-Indian books, not least Terriers in India, which revealed the experiences of men from Wessex and the South of England in India in the Great War. Thank you, British local historians!
April 2, 2025 at 3:30 AM
I happened to be in Halifax, West Yorkshire, a couple of months ago and was agreeably surprised to find this striking memorial to the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment- is this the newest British war memorial?
April 2, 2025 at 1:19 AM