Dimensions
143 x 192 x 25mm
HELL'S, BELLS AND MADEMOISELLES is a riveting first-hand account of the role of 18th Battalion AIF in the First World War, as seen through the eyes of one of its most decorated soldiers, the irrepressible Joe Maxwell.
Often described as Australia's second most decorated soldier of the First World War, Joe Maxwell enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 8 February 1915, and served at Gallipoli before being transferred to the Western Front. In just over twelve months he was commissioned and decorated four times for his bravery.
An apprentice boilermaker before the war, Maxwell returned to Australia in 1919 and worked as a gardener. Between the wars, he held a variety of jobs in the ACT and NSW, and in 1932 published his colourful and highly successful autobiography about his war experiences, Hell's Bells and Mademoiselles, written in collaboration with Hugh Buggy. This hugely entertaining memoir has been long out of print and any remaining copies are sought after by collectors.
Attempting to enlist for service during the Second World War, Maxwell was rejected on the grounds of his age before enlisting under an alias in Queensland. His identity was discovered, and after a short period in a training position, he was forced to seek discharge. In 1967, aged 71, he died of a heart attack.
Joe is one of the diggers featured in Ross Coulthardt's THE LOST DIGGERS.
