"When war was declared in early August 1914, Edward Francis Lynch was just sixteen and still at school, but like a generation of young males in Australia, there was something to prove and a need to be there. Will Davies, editor of the bestselling 'Somme mud', meticulously tracked Lynch and his battalion's travels, their long route marches to flea ridden billets, into the frontline at such places as Messines and Dernancourt and Stormy Trench and Villers Bretonneux, to rest areas behind the lines and finally, on the great push to the final victory after August 1918. In words and pictures Davies fills in the gaps in Private Lynch's story and through the movements of the other battalions of the AIF provides impact and context to their plight and achievements. Looking at these battlefields today, the pilgrims who visit and those who attend to the land we come to understand how the spirit of Australia developed and of our enduring role in world politics."--Provided by publisher.