It’s ten years since Andrew Dunkley’s first book All I See is Mud was published, the story of his grandfather Stanley Dunkley and the events he was involved in during WW1.

Andrew had been reading about his granddad and investigating where he was during the WW1. He came across a letter Stanley wrote to a friend in 1917. In that note, he pleaded with his friend not to get involved in the Western Front. “All I see is mud,” he said, and the retelling of his grandfather’s story took hold of him. He wrote all that he could, but to Andrew it sounded like a history, not a story. A friend suggested he write the story from the point of view of his grandfather and the rest is history. The book is a great telling of the experiences of the Western Front.

Andrew used diaries and notes from other participants, such as General George Francis Murphy, Stan’s Lieutenant Colonel at the time. The day-to-day experiences were then woven into the telling. Perhaps a rereading of the story might be something to do this ANZAC day. If you have not read it then perhaps now is the time to pick it up and read it. Andrew has also written three science fiction Books, and a golf book 5 Irons Don’t Float. He also wants to write the story of his maternal grandfather Ted Wimble and his WW2 experiences.