Grantlee Kieza’s latest dive into Australian history focuses on the Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine off Moreton Island in 1943. The only surviving nurse, Ellen Savage, was celebrated as a hero for her courage. Although injured herself, she worked tirelessly and without complaint to maintain morale and assist others.

Of the 332 on board AHS Centaur there were only 64 survivors, most of them clinging to all manner of debris they joined together as well as possible to form a ‘survival island’. Tormented by circling sharks, they waited 34 hours before their rescue ship, an American destroyer, arrived.

While ‘Nell’ Savage has a central role in the story, Kieza sheds light on the lives of many other victims of this attack.

Kieza also successfully highlights the vulnerability of Australia in this crucial period of the War in the Pacific, when victory was far from assured. Stories like this one are worth retelling because they are mostly unknown to younger generations.

While I enjoyed this important and well-written book, I wanted to read more about the extent of German and Japanese attacks on shipping in Australian waters and around. The havoc wreaked by German U-boats is well known. Less so are the dangers posed by their Japanese counterparts.

Kieza notes Axis claims of Allied attacks on their hospital ships, but doesn’t elaborate and the question is left hanging. On the whole, Ellen Savage and the Heroes of AHS Centaur is a valuable contribution to Australia’s war history, but left me wanting more.

Reviewed by Peter Hodge

Read a review on Mary Penfold here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Grantlee Kieza OAM is an award-winning journalist and Australia’s No. 1 bestselling historical biographer with more than twenty highly acclaimed books to his name. Kieza held senior editorial positions at The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph and The Courier-Mail for many years and was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia for his writing. He is a Walkley Award finalist, an ABIA shortlisted author for Biography, an Indie Award and Age Book of the Year shortlisted author for Non-fiction. His nationally bestselling biographies include Mary Penfold, Mr and Mrs Gould, Sister Viv, Flinders, The Remarkable Mrs Reibey, Hudson Fysh, Lawson, Banks, Macquarie, Banjo, Mrs Kelly, Monash and Bert Hinkler.

See more books written by Grantlee Kieza here.

Follow Grantlee Kieza on Instagram here.

Visit the Harper Collins website here.