On January 10, 1940 the first convoy of Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) troops sets sail for Egypt to support the Allied efforts during World War II. Among the soldiers is a young sapper, or combat engineer, named Arthur, who is determined to return to Australia in one piece. However, after some initial success the ANZAC forces are defeated in Greece and retreat to the island of Crete. Arthur is captured and becomes a POW on June 1, 1941. He manages to escape three times, twice in Greece and a final time from a German work camp in Czechoslovakia in 1945. Finally, six years after following the call to battle, Arthur is able to realize his goal of returning home whole and unharmed.

Intrigued by his Uncle Arthur’s stories of his war exploits, in 2014 the author decides to follow in the young sapper’s footsteps and see for himself the places he has heard about. Along with his travelling companion, Avril, they arrive in Greece, where they meet Rachel, who had been 15 when her father found and rescued Arthur after his first escape. After visiting several spots in Greece, they board a ship and tour various ports of call in the Mediterranean including Sicily, Malta, Crete, Israel, Cyprus, and Turkey. Flying out of Istanbul they land in Budapest and begin their exploration of cities such as Bratislava, Vienna, Nuremberg, and Prague before heading back to Australia.

Welbourne has a keen eye for detail and writes well of his experiences. Much of the appeal of his book is in the wealth of historical information he offers about the places he and Avril visit. This and the plethora of pictures he includes from the locations they see make for a colorful travelogue.

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