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Young Digger (2002)

by Anthony Hill

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The dark clouds returned and gathered about the boy. His eyes grew distant, and he began to tremble. He heard not only shells exploding, but the cries of dying men . . . He was stumbling over churned earth, looking into the face of an officer, bloodied red as the poppies, ripped apart in the Flanders mud . . . A small boy, an orphan of the First World War, wanders into the Australian airmen's mess in Germany, on Christmas Day in 1918. A strange boy, with an uncertain past and an extraordinary future, he became a mascot for the air squadron and was affectionately named 'Young Digger'. And in one of the most unusual incidents ever to emerge from the battlefields of Europe after the Great War, this solitary boy was smuggled back to Australia by air mechanic Tim Tovell, a man who cared for the boy so much that he was determined, however risky, to provide Young Digger with a new family and a new life in a new country, far from home. From the award-winning, highly acclaimed author of Soldier Boy comes another heartfelt tale of war, fate and unforgettable love.… (more)
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Awards:
2003 Shortlist - NSW Premier's History Award (Children's)
2004 Shortlist - WAYBRA (Older Readers)

Annotation:
The true story of a young French boy who, alone of his family, survived the Great War. Keeping himself alive by attaching himself to a number of British regiments Henri Hemene ends up at Bickendorf as part of the Allied Army of occupation where he joins Number 4 squadron of the Australian Airforce. His reason for leaving the British forces? The food was better at the Australian camp.
Henri remembers little of his family or his background and is fortunate to be taken on as official mascot by the men of Squadron 4,. Air Mechanic Tim Tovell becomes so attached to the boy that he smuggles him out of Europe across to England and then onto the troop ship taking the soldiers home. Henri and Tom are fortunate in the people who help them and eventually arrive home in Queensland where Tim and his wife officially adopt Henri. There is evidence that although he loved the Tovells he had not settled down by the time of premature his death in a road accident at the supposed age of 18. The way in which the officers of 4th Squadron assumed control of the funeral and grave markings effectively ignoring Henri’s adoptive family is strangely moving.
Interesting as the story is in itself the telling is a little pedestrian.

For Teachers' Notes go to Puffin Teachers' Notes and follow the links…

Themes in this book:
Armed Forces. France. Orphans and orphanages. War-social aspects. World War, 1914-1918.

Teachers’ Notes by Roger Watts

Introduction

Young Digger is the second of Anthony Hill’s ‘biographical novels’ about young people in the First World War. Interestingly, the majority of this book is concerned with events immediately after the conclusion of hostilities. While the story of Henri’s journey to Australia is fascinating, no less interesting is the attempt to recreate his past. It seems that Young Digger has been present at some of the most intense battles and significant moments of the conflict, and it is fascinating to explore the history of these events.

If you’re looking for contemporary relevance, Henri’s story makes an interesting comparison with the modern world. Attitudes have changed a great deal since his time, and now there are a great many more questions surrounding the attempts of people to enter Australia, particularly illegally. Sadly, too many young people are still involved with war. There are suicide bombers inflicting carnage on innocent victims, and children witnessing the deaths of family members in numerous conflicts around the world. Child soldiers are enforced into action in Sierra Leone, not to mention the sad situation in Iraq.

Anthony Hill’s story effectively recreates the period and the acts of kindness of the men who have survived the horrors of the First World War. Our sympathies are with the boy and his mentor on their journey from Europe to Queensland, but how would Australians react today if the boy were Iraqi, or Afghani or Timorese? Would he finish up in a detention centre? These are not issues that Hill raises, but they are interesting questions, the answers to which can be compared with the prevailing attitudes in this book.

The writer has focused his attention on telling Henri’s narrative in a compelling way, so it is interesting to look at the novel’s structure, and the way it has revealed the events of the past. Hill has been conscientious in documenting his sources, and it is equally rewarding to explore the characterization, not only of Henri, but his mentor, Tim Tovell. The writer has only indirectly explored the effect of the boy’s experiences on him through the dark dreams, yet a close reading of the text reveals a character whose future may have been more troubled than those who were involved with him might have expected. ( )
  tsheko | Sep 7, 2007 |
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Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
Anthony Hillprimary authorall editionscalculated
West, GraceCover designersecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
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To the memory of Honore 'Hemene' Tovell,
the family who cared for him
and all children visited by war
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The dark clouds returned and gathered about the boy. His eyes grew distant, and he began to tremble. He heard not only shells exploding, but the cries of dying men . . . He was stumbling over churned earth, looking into the face of an officer, bloodied red as the poppies, ripped apart in the Flanders mud . . . A small boy, an orphan of the First World War, wanders into the Australian airmen's mess in Germany, on Christmas Day in 1918. A strange boy, with an uncertain past and an extraordinary future, he became a mascot for the air squadron and was affectionately named 'Young Digger'. And in one of the most unusual incidents ever to emerge from the battlefields of Europe after the Great War, this solitary boy was smuggled back to Australia by air mechanic Tim Tovell, a man who cared for the boy so much that he was determined, however risky, to provide Young Digger with a new family and a new life in a new country, far from home. From the award-winning, highly acclaimed author of Soldier Boy comes another heartfelt tale of war, fate and unforgettable love.

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Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

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