Sir Thomas Blamey was Australia’s first and only Field Marshal, yet in WWII, he was called a coward and would never be forgiven for calling his men the same. Throughout his exceptional career and both World Wars, Blamey would cause controversy in so many ways – from brothels to battlefields, from his questionable performance as Police Commissioner, to playing his part in politics. Nothing held Blamey back in his relentless climb to the top, yet despite going head-to-head and winning out against the likes of Winston Churchill, Robert Menzies and Douglas Macarthur, there was one man who forever stood in his way — Australia’s General John Lavarack, who with a brilliance that rivalled Blamey’s own, had to be held back at all costs. Everything about Lavarack put Blamey’s instincts on alert sparking competition and a much-resented jealousy that Blamey preferred to call disdain. It was a contempt which would flourish into a life-long feud between them with Blamey making it his business to rob Lavarack of any opportunity that might see his star rise above his own. While Blamey made the dubious decision to unfairly relieve two top-ranking officers, Generals Rowell and Allen, from their WWII New Guinea command, it was Lavarack who he was more determined to undermine and forever keep his subordinate. The best way he could do it was to repeatedly refuse Lavarack any form of field command that might give him the stage to shine. So intent was Blamey on keeping Lavarack under his thumb that, throughout WWII, he wasn’t sure whether it was better to hold the upper hand over him or Hitler. This is the story of their lives and not-so-private war — an exciting epic that spans both World Wars and all the intrigues that lay between.
