They Passed This Way

The United States of America, the states of Australia, and World War II

Plot

In December 1941 the first of some one million American servicemen to serve in Australia arrived on our shores. In Australia's darkest hour these troops were our brightest hope. In They Passed This Way, Barry Ralph tells the story of this allied invasion from a number of perspectives that combine to throw new light on this dramatic period in Australian history. The Japanese raid on Darwin in 1942 is told from the perspective of the American fighter pilots who valiantly tried to fend off the attack. Another chapter pays overdue homage to the American submariners. Elsewhere, Barry Ralph discusses the popular reception of the American and the adoption of cultural values they brought with them. While some of these were widely accepted at other times, camaraderie gave way to rivalry and resentment, culminating in the notorious Battle of Brisbane. While the commanders, the politicians and the campaigns are discussed, They Passed This Way is above all a story of ordinary servicemen and civilians living in a time that changed Australia -- and the lives of many Americans -- forever.