ISSUE 182 : Jul/Aug - 2010 - Australian Defence Force Journal

This publication offers something for every reader interested in military history, modernwarfare and contemporary conflict studies. I think it should be classed in the same vein asPeter Paret’s Makers of Modern Strategy as a standard text for students of the military art. Justas Makers was a compendium of studies written in the Cold War and nuclear age, this shouldbe its worthy successor, as it sits well within the post-Cold War, post-9/11 age.The book is printed on good quality paper in B5 format and hardbound but is also availableas an e-book. There are no photographic illustrations but each paper has footnotes and someinclude figures and a bibliography. Although the cost in Australia (around $110) may appearhigh, I strongly recommend this as essential reading for students of strategy, politics andmilitary studies. Staff College aspirants take note. Highly recommended.Red Coat Dreaming: how colonial Australia embracedthe British ArmyCraig WilcoxCambridge University Press: Port Melbourne, 2009ISBN: 978-0-521-19360-3Reviewed by Major Jamie Cotton, Australian ArmyRed Coat Dreaming, by Craig Wilcox, is a high quality book. First impressions of the hardbackversion were very favourable, with an attractive dust cover, quality paper and illustrationsthroughout, including a very well presented series of colour plates in the middle of the book.At 138 pages, Wilcox’s work is not a long read but he has managed to present an interestingearly Australian history that centres on the impact, mostly societal, of the British Army and itsuniforms.This book is probably not for those readers who prefer a pure military history readingexperience. But it is certainly worthwhile for anyone who is interested in the impact of militaryculture on early Australian social development. This is not to say Wilcox avoids providing quitethorough military history information in presenting his themes; rather, that his conclusions—as would be expected from the title—are of a wider social context than those of a militarynature.Many of Wilcox’s chapters concentrate on quite specific social themes, often using individualcharacters to demonstrate a historical context. These provide fascinating glimpses into earlyAustralian history and include, for example, an entire chapter on the family intrigues revolvingaround the impending marriage of a young Australian girl to a young British officer (basedon the diary of her sister), the use of a red coat to beg grog from arriving ships in SydneyHarbour, and the background to Australia’s first (if only lately acknowledged) Victoria Crosswinner, Frederick Whirlpool (which, as Wilcox explains in his book, is not believed to be hisreal name).102