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Leapin Lena: A Small Ship at war, 1942-45

The logistics support of the Small Ships Section was vital to success in the New Guinea Campaign of World War II.This book is the story of the ketch,Forbes Brothers, built in 1912 by Allan's great-great-grandfather, John Ernest Forbes, and two of his brothers.She was built on Lake Macquarie, New South Wales. Unlike the other ships and vessels in the Series,Forbes Brotherswas primarily powered by sail. The ketch is included in the Series because thirty years later she served with the United States Army Small Ships Section in support of land operations in New Guinea against the Japanese. By now renamedLeprena, she occasionally encountered at Milne Bay the heavy cruiser, HMASAustralia (II), including when Allan's great-uncle, Able Seaman Bobby Forbes, was aboard the warship.The book explores the family connection withForbes Brothers; provides some detail on her halcyon days in the Spencer Gulf of South Australia; describes her transition to being theLeprenaand her service as a Small Ship in World War II; and then her final years in Bass Strait and the Southern Ocean. In doing, it provides insights to the Disruption phase and Final phase of the Australian Campaign.As theForbes Brothersshe was fortunate to be captained by Clyde Harvey, who took many photographs to record her working life. As theLeprena, serving with the Small Ships Section, one of her First Mates, Clarrie Dawes, survived the War and gave numerous media interviews on his service with the Small Ships leaving many documented recollections of theLeprena. These have enabled the story of this fine ketch to be comprehensively told.This book also briefly tells the broader story of the Small Ships Section and introduces an indigenous Australian flavour to the Series, the word ‘Leprena’ is of Tasmanian Aboriginal origin.The Foreword for this book is by Ross Cooke, OAM, a mate of Allan's from his first year at the Royal Military College-Duntroon. They served together in Kokoda Company.Read more

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