Great at Heart

Gavin Merrick Long, Australia's official Second World War historian

By: Garry Hills

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Paperback | 1 April 2025

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Paperback

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23.4 x 15.3

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In Great at Heart, war correspondent and historian Gavin Long finally gets the biography he richly deserves.

While Charles Bean is the subject of several major biographies, this is the first life story of his acolyte, war correspondent and editor and principal author of the official history of the Second World War, Gavin Long.

Great at Heart traces Long's career as a newspaper correspondent during the 1920s and as a defence correspondent for the Sydney Morning Herald until the outbreak of war in 1939. The book covers Long's experiences as a war correspondent attached to the British Expeditionary Force in Europe until the evacuation at Dunkirk in 1940 and then with the 2nd AIF in North Africa, the Middle East and Greece.

In 1941, when Charles Bean began advocating for an official history of the war then in progress, he was influential in having his protege Long appointed General Editor a role Long discharged with considerable dedication, courage and self-sacrifice between 1943 and 1963, overseeing the development of all 22 volumes and writing three of them himself.

About the Author

Garry Hills is the President of the Queensland Air Museum, Australia’s largest and most diverse aviation collection dedicated to preserving Australia’s aviation heritage. After many years as a local church pastoral minister, with a degree in theology, he dedicated himself to the primary care needs of his disabled son, a period in his life that he considers the most consequential. His passion for the preservation of history extends to a profound admiration for Gavin Long, whose quiet, self-effacing dedication is evident in the legacy he gave the Australian people – the 22-volume series Australia in the War of 1939–1945.

Industry Reviews

'I recommend this fine work to all readers from professional scholars to all who seek to understand Australia's past. And it's a ripping read to boot!' - Professor Craig Stockings, Official Historian of Australian Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and Australian Peacekeeping Operations in East Timor, UNSW Canberra

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