AVAILABLE NOW!
A unique guide to researching and honouring our returned war heroes.
Virtually a text book, this unique guide provides invaluable advice which gives practical assistance to every Council and its community, RSL sub-Branch, Historical Society, Library, School and history student in Australia as well as descendants of those who served.
Photo of Dr Nelson and the author taken in Dr Nelson’s office on 4 May 2015. Ian Burrett is holding the actual whistle that his father blew to lead the Lone Pine charge on 6 August 1915.
“Ian's determination to find and recognise all those men and women who have served on our nation's memorials is the stuff of legend.”
Dr Brendan Nelson AO,
Director of the Australian
War Memorial 2012-2019
About the Book.
Many returned war veterans and their families, because of years of lingering physical and emotional problems, probably suffered more than those who died during or as a result of their service. Because of this, the author believes that they have just as much right to be named on community war memorials. Hundreds of thousands of our returned heroes have not been named along with those who died. Why? This book answers this question and details how to correct this wrong and how we can do more to help keep ‘The Spirit of Anzac’ alive.
No similar book has ever been published. It directs readers to various websites and, more importantly, provides step-by-step guidelines and handy hints as to how to navigate them. As well as giving communities comprehensive guidelines as to how they may update their local war memorials. It also assists individuals to get service records of their ancestor’s war service and their unit’s history as well as how to acquire replica war medals.
As such, it can be regarded as the first and only text book to thoroughly cover these topics.
About the Author.
Ian Burrett is a retired Vietnam veteran. His NSW car number plates read ‘LESTWF’. Ian’s mother was born on 11 November 1915 when his father 568 Lt Col Athol Frederick Burrett DSO MID, was fighting at Gallipoli. Athol was one of less than 300 of the 12000 original Anzac’s to be still fighting when WWI ended. He commanded the 3rd Battalion at its last battle.
A photo of Athol Burrett (on left) appears on the book cover.
What People Are Saying.
“Ian Burrett spent many hours researching the names of everyone who served in the World Wars from the Lithgow district so that their names could be added to the community war memorials and has turned the experience gained during the process into a book.
Ian started his journey as a means to honour his father’s service. This labour of love led Ian on a challenging and sometimes frustrating journey through bureaucracy, and the many different organisations that hold service records. The resulting book is a comprehensive record of the process that will provide valuable insights into the challenges that can be thrown at anyone researching military history.”
Author Ian D Burrett JP and Lithgow City Council Library Coordinator, Sharon Lewis
“Congratulations on steering your research and passion to such an impressive result. It deserves to reach a wide audience.”
“Well done; you have done valuable work in a much excellent cause.”
“He mounts a passionate case for rescuing the memory of ‘lost’ veterans. When I met Ian, I was immediately impressed by his enthusiasm and, given the size of the task he had taken on, the sheer scale of what he had already achieved. Keeping memory alive is a worthy project and I wish his book every success.”