Over the Top A Digger's Story of the Western Front by H.G.Hartnett
This war book is the story of a 2nd Battalion AIF digger during WW1.
The author, Henry George Hartnett, known as 'Harry', joined the Australian Imperial Force on 13 September 1915 at the age of 23.
He saw action on the Western Front at Fromelles and was wounded in the arm at the Battle of Pozieres on the Somme. The wound was so serious he was sent back to Britain for treatment. Upon his recovery, he returned to the front with the 2nd Bn.
In this book Harry recalls the battles, the mateship, and the many events that provided escape from the horrors of the battlefront. His moving descriptions give the reader insight into the unshakeable bonds forged between men trapped in situations they could never have imagined. He was wounded on a second occasion on the 22/4/1918 during the German spring offensives. That wound was to be his last and he was invalided back to Australia during September 1918.
Over the Top takes the reader on an eye-opening tour of life in and behind the trenches on the Western Front.
Harry's book, which has never before been published, is a magnificent gift to Australia. It would have the most appeal to people who had a relative in the 2nd Battalion AIF during WW1.