| 'The Other Enemy?" is the first study of Australia's military police. Glenn
Wahlert relates their history from the origins of the Provost Marshal in the
colony of New South Wales through to the formation of the Anzac Provost Corps in
1916 and the end of World War II. He discusses the profound, sometimes violent
enmity between the provosts and the Anzacs during World War I, when the former
came to be known as the 'other enemy'. One veteran summed it up: "there is no
way that you can convince me that those bastards ever came anywhere near the
front ... They were a bunch of no-hopers and a complete waste of rations.'
Historians and military history enthusiasts will be fascinated by the book's
detailed observations of relations between military police and soldiers,
particularly on the sensitive issue of indiscipline among the 1st AIF. As Glenn
Wahlert writes: "The Anzac Provost Corps dealt with more than 26,000 Australian
soldiers in England for either absence or desertion between January 1917 and
December 1918. Some had been absent for so long that they had married, fathered
children, and gained acceptance in the community as discharged veterans ... one
had even joined the local constabulary ...'
Matters improved somewhat during World War II, when the role of the provosts
evolved from being primarily concerned with discipline into a combat-support
role that involved hazardous front-line service. Nevertheless clashes between
soldiers and provosts occurred periodically, including the infamous Battle of
Brisbane in late 1942 when a thousand soldiers clashed with American military
police, and one soldier was shot dead.
This detailed narrative history, complemented by many vivid interviews with
veterans, evokes the atmosphere and personalities of this complex and often
bitter aspect of Australia's military history.
Contents:
Tables
Acknowledgements
Preface
Introduction
1. Provost Beginnings
2. Policing the 1st AIF
3. The Divisional Provost
4. Provosts as 'Cops' and Jailers
5. The 2nd AIF Provosts 1939-42
6. Militia Provosts in Australia
7. The Pacific Theatre
8. Conclusion
Abbreviations
Notes
Bibliography
Index |
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