'Ross McMullin received great acclaim for his 2012 Farewell Dear People, which told the lives of ten young Australians of outstanding potential who were selected to exemplify the ‘lost generation’ of World War I: that is, those young men whose pre-war potential meant that their deaths in battle constituted a profound loss not only for their family but for the Australian nation. The book was awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Australian History and the National Cultural Award. Life So Full of Promise: Further Biographies of Australia’s Lost Generation is, as its title indicates, a sequel to this success.' (Introduction)