'De-mythologises the figure of the Australian Digger, and, in the process, creates a more realistic portrait ... fascinating' --Ballarat Courier 'Intriguing and satisfying ... brings the story of those first Diggers into another, more rounded, realm.' --Townsville Bulletin '[A] well-written, thoroughly researched and carefully crafted book' --Jeffery Grey Canberra Times 'Deeply researched and always fascinating, Dunbar helps restore the Anzac legend to something more tangible, more complex, and, oddly, more heroic.' --Clare Wright, author of The Forgotten Rebels of Eureka ' Soldiers' Diseases were the dark side of the Anzac legend. Fear of drunken diggers infecting Australian homes with the red plague drove six o'clock closing of pubs and stigmatised returned men for decades. Within the army, venereal diseases weakened the force and drained medical resources. But venereal disease was also a human problem where one act of recklessness could ruin a man's life. Raden Dunbar tells the story of the generals, the doctors and the victims with clarity and compassion. A timely and necessary contribution to the Centenary of Anzac.' --Janet McCalman 'Unexpected and fascinating' --Thuy On Sydney Morning Herald 'Written with such candour and realism, you might want to wash your hands afterwards.' --Peter Stanley, author of Lost Boys of Anzac and Bad Characters '[M]eticulously researched and pleasingly written by a zealous independent scholar.' Best Books of 2014 --Gideon Haigh Australian Book Review