Cirrus@Austlit

'In 1951 the author left Australia on a working and backpacking holiday abroad. On his first backpacking tour through Austria in early 1952 he heard of the death of King George VI. He realised that the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II would occur in 1953 so he planned to be in London for the epic event.

'After returning to England for his next backpacking tour in October 1952, he found work in his trade and full board in London. His wish to join in the social life of London was realised when he joined the Young Conservative Association (YCA). So began a very enjoyable busy, social life with the YCA and that of being a Londoner.

'The ballet, music, the movies and stage, were his main interests in London. The greatest show of all was the Coronation and the lead up seeing the street decorations and grandstands going up for the great day on 2nd June 1953, when the author watched the fantastic Coronation Procession from a reserved seat in a grandstand in the East Carriage Road.

'The eleven months that the author spent living and working in London had a great influence on his life and his love of London and its people that endures to the present day. This book is a history of London and its peoples during the Coronation year.' (Publication summary)

'After the bombing of Darwin, Townsville and the submarine attack in Sydney, the Australian government became concerned with the possibility of the civilian population abandoning the coastal cities of Brisbane, Rockhampton, and Townsville and the coastal cities of New South Wales. It was obvious, although the invasion of these cities by the Japanese would be remote, it was decided a specialist public relations unit to create reassurance movies and newspaper articles that would be charged with showing the civilian population the defences that were in place would therefore make any intended invasion difficult if not impossible. This is a story showing the development of the unit, along with the romances and intrigues that developed.' (Publication summary)