Stolen Moments of our Young Lives, by Bernadette Flannery, is a poignant coming of age story – richly documented and full of small, heartfelt details. It is the story of Private Frank Flannery as he serves his country in the Great War.

It weaves together details from newspaper clippings, personal letters, war and service records and diary entries, to bring to life the oftentimes brutal reality of life on the front lines in an easy to read narrative.

Personal accounts of his day-to-day experiences capture the innocence of youth pre-war, the excitement of signing up to serve, the grit of training, the heartbreak of watching friends fall, of being wounded and missing family. The story not only follows Frank’s journey ‘to hell and back’, his loss of innocence and the horrors he brought home but also shows the joy of mateship and pride in the people around him.

More than that, the narrative continues after his return home and honours those who never had the privilege of making that return journey.

It is the story of one of our ANZACs.