The Price of Valour
Hamilton, John

RRP
A$34.99

From the bestselling author of Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You and Gallipoli Sniper.

When Hugo Throssell joined the 10th Light Horse Regiment in 1914, soon after the outbreak of the First World War, he was emblematic of the young Australian nation at that time: full of youth, vigour, courage and idealism. These traits were to see him awarded a Victoria Cross after the savage fighting for Hill 60 during the Gallipoli campaign. Badly wounded, Throssell was sent to England to recover.

There he met his future wife, Katharine Susannah Prichard, journalist, novelist and committed socialist. It was a relationship that changed the course of his life, for although he was to return to fight in Palestine, his view of the conflict began to turn. By 1919, Throssell - once hailed as an Australian hero - was ready to publicly denounce the war. His stance was to forever alienate him from former comrades and the political establishment. The war affected him in other ways too, as he found himself unable to hold down a job and increasingly prone to episodes of depression. In 1933, Throssell killed himself, leaving behind his beloved wife and only child. In his triumph and tragedy he remained as emblematic to his country as he'd been in those heady days of 1914, an example of courage and sacrifice whose youth and future had been forever darkened by the experience of war.

Award-winning journalist and bestselling author John Hamilton has written a compelling narrative, giving us an extraordinary perspective of the Gallipoli battles for The Nek and Hill 60, combined with a compassionate and intimate account of the rise and fall of a real Australian hero.

Author Information

John Hamilton served in the Royal Australian Navy before embarking on a long career as a reporter and foreign correspondent. His interest in Gallipoli began when he covered the 85th anniversary of the landing at Anzac Cove, inspiring his bestselling books Goodbye Cobber, God Bless You and Gallipoli Sniper. He has won a number of awards, including the Melbourne Press Club's Quill Lifetime Achievement Award, Walkley Awards and the National Press Club Canadian Award of Journalistic Merit. John is a lifetime Australia Day Ambassador and is currently Adjunct Professor of Journalism Leadership at Swinburne University.