Book Review - One False Move, Bravest of the Brave: The Australian Mine Defusers in World War Two
One False Move, Bravest of the Brave: The Australian Mine Defusers in World War Two
Written by: Robert Macklin,
Hachette, 2012,
ISBN 9780733627941, 384pp
Reviewed by: Warrant Officer Class One Wayne Schoer, Australian Army
As a long-serving member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) community and a student of our history, I was anticipating a good read and the possibility of filling some gaps in my knowledge of the roots of the trade. The opening chapters of One False Move deal with some background details on the main players, what they were doing when World War II was declared and their actions to enlist soon after. It was interesting to note that all of these men displayed some level of mechanical aptitude from an early age and this is still a common thread among members of the EOD community today.
It doesn’t take long to get to the nub of this story. Working with absolutely minimal training, basic equipment, most of which was fashioned on the spot for specific tasks, and initially no reference material, the men used their newly developed skills to render safe all manner of explosive device deployed in and around the British mainland and sea channels.
Initially working in isolation and with only a driver to assist with note-taking, the men travelled around Britain responding to reports of the discovery of unexploded ordnance. Many paid the ultimate sacrifice and lost their lives attempting to render safe newly developed and highly sophisticated devices of which they had no prior experience. The detailed notes taken describing every step of the procedure provided the only guide to the next eager volunteer to deal with that type of device.
Often these new devices were ‘booby trapped’ with anti-withdrawal mechanisms fitted in the mine which caused the ordnance to detonate on any attempt to remove the fuse. The mines belonged to a broad variety, ranging from magnetic influence, time delay and acoustic initiation, and each type required specific procedures and tools to render it safe. As the war progressed Germany’s top scientists continued to improve the designs for both mines and fuses and thus it was vitally important to record every step of a procedure on new types of ordnance that were discovered. An important aspect of the work of these men was to recover these new forms of ordnance so that technical experts could prise them apart, learn how they worked and devise procedures to deal with specific devices.
The men worked on dry land and in shallow water through the early years but soon realised that the threat of mines was just as significant in the shipping lanes that surrounded England. Accompanying this realisation was the need not only to learn to dive, but also to develop a sound understanding of diving medicine and an extensive knowledge of diving equipment and procedures.
The task of bomb disposal is extremely arduous on land — the added complications presented by tides and deep water compounded their task and added exponentially to the level of risk. Often the water was murky with little visibility and the danger of tidal speeds and diving-related medical problems remained uppermost in their minds.
The murky water effectively removed the major sense used by bomb disposal personnel — eyesight. This forced these brave men to perform their tasks by feel alone. Imagine being in ten metres of murky water with absolutely no visibility and having to deal with a 1500-kg anti-ship mine by touch alone!
Twelve months after the D Day landings that drove the Germans from the channel ports the teams moved across to the continent where they commenced the clearance of the vital port facilities required by the Allies. Initially they had to fight with the hierarchy who had given the port clearance tasks in France to the United States (US) Navy teams. After some ingenious intelligence-gathering from the Aussies, gleaned mainly from a drunken German officer who, as it turned out, had been involved in the mining of the harbours, the boys began work locating, identifying and disposing of the dangerous explosive devices.
Initially they cleared Cherbourg and the Normandy coastline, eventually clearing other places with very familiar names such as Antwerp, Calais, Dieppe and Boulogne. At the same time other Aussies were operating in India, while the US Navy had also requested two members to assist with clearance operations in the South West Pacific Area supporting the US military island-hopping campaign towards their ultimate target — Japan.
Many of the men were demobilised during late 1945 and began going their separate ways. Most returned to Australia within months of the war’s end but some lingered in Europe continuing the clearance operations.
While the initial four remained in contact through the post-war years they rarely met until the Queen’s Coronation in 1953 when, having been awarded George Cross for their bravery, they invited to London as part of the celebrations. This was the first time that the four men had been together since the early days of the war and they were regaled by the establishment that was HMS Vernon, the home of the Mine Busters.
These courageous men all died of natural causes through a range of illnesses until the last of this unique group passed away in 1994 and was accorded full military honours at his cremation. These four were the only Australians at the time to receive the George Cross, second only to the Victoria Cross in recognising extraordinary courage. Wartime secrecy meant that their deeds were not widely known outside the military EOD community that followed in their footsteps and this book justly praises these four pathfinders and their exploits through a turbulent time in world history.
I highly recommend this book to all serving and ex-serving members of the Bomb Disposal and EOD communities and to all who value the lessons of history and the stories of brave but very modest men.
