Join us as award-winning author Paul Byrnes unpacks the stories from his new book, Sons of War. 

Sons of War recounts the tales of forty Australian boys who signed up to fight in the Second World War, despite being underage. During the conflict, thousands of boys lied about their age, forged a parent’s signature or simply found a back door into the armed services to volunteer for a war the scale of which they could never have imagined. Many went because their fathers had fought in the First World War, and like their fathers, they went overseas with their eyes wide shut: under-trained, under-equipped and underage.

Paul Byrnes will uncover tales from the book before inviting one of the few surviving men interviewed in Sons of War, Len McLeod, to join in the conversation. This will be followed by a Q&A and book signing, and copies of Sons of War will be available for purchase at the event.

The talk will be held in the Shrine of Remembrance Auditorium. Entry is via the Education Centre courtyard, with doors opening at 1.30pm for a 2pm start.