Young William is born into a poverty stricken Glasgow family in 1906. His disability is of great concern to his mother who fears he will never walk. Ivy is born into a large hardworking faming family in Forbes Australia in 1915. Brenda cleverly entwines the stories of their lives through childhood, emigration, depression, war and victory while painting pictures that will stir memories in many readers. The images skilfully sculptured by Brenda guide the reader through the effort of survival on a rural farm in early 20th Century Australia; through days of depression that will cripple strong men; through days of training in the Salvation Army Eastern Territory College; through the Middle East and Kokoda Track with the famed AIF 2/14th Battalion; through rural Australia suffering the deprivation of war and finally the cessation of war, but not an enduring personal peace. Survival extracted a toll Ivy and and Jock would continue to pay for many years.  This is a story of sacrifice, commitment, friendship, dedication and affection that is well written and easy to read while telling a unique interesting story.

Ross Wilkinson Historian,

2/14th Battalion Association

 

 

For me, the author of “Soldiers in Different Armies” has captured, with effective language, something of the vital life of two different Australian armies at a critical time in our country’s life. Having been born into a Salvation Army family, I identified with much of the “Salvo” content, but it was so good to be taken into another army and, even more incredibly, into the lives of two such committed and energetic young people as Jock and Ivy. Being born in the early thirties, I had learned, from history and from narratives handed down within my own family, something of the ravages of the Great Depression. This story brought those days alive for me with meaning and challenge, and caused me to thank God for so many blessings so often taken for granted in these days. The days of the Second World War are well chronicled but thankfully, “Soldiers in Different Armies” tells the love story of Jock and Ivy which otherwise may never have been told and this wonderful story highlights effectively dedication and commitment,  two qualities of life and service so often sadly missing in this generation.

Lt Colonel Wesley J. Kinder,

Salvation Army Officer

 

 

Soldiers in Different Armies will appeal to many different readers. Firstly, the writer presents an interesting snapshot of life in early Australia and to a certain extent, Scotland, during the depression and the pre-World War II years. As the story unravels, she sensitively reveals and follows a growing love story between the emigrant Scotsman Jock Inglis and an Australian Salvation Army Officer, Ivy Trethewey. When war breaks out, Jock becomes a member of the famed AIF 2/14th Battalion and serves with a Salvation Army Officer in the Middle East and New Guinea. Most importantly, the story examines the rigorous and loyal friendship Jock forms while serving as Batman to Salvation Army Officer Major Albert Moore, one of the enduring characters forever connected with the Kokoda Track. This aspect, then is the highlight of the book as the two men support each other as they provide physical, emotional and spiritual succour to soldiers pushed to their absolute extremes during the exhaustive, vicious and bloody Kokoda Campaign. In doing this, the story pays tribute to the often unheralded and courageous role of unarmed Chaplains during war. The story follows the respect and lifetime friendship that these men had  for each other. Just as importantly, the writer examines the serious legacies and price that the war extracts from Jock and Ivy. The writer was well equipped to comment on this: Brenda Inglis-Powell is their daughter.

Peter Dornan - '

Author of The Silent Men'  

 

 

I count it a real privilege to read 'Mum's Chapters' and very much enjoyed it. You have a very easy-to-read style of writing that really captures the interest. I even shed a few tears in some places - which possibly gave my fellow train travellers a bit of a shock! You've captured a real sense of what the Army was like, 'back then' as well as portraying a very special woman.

Major Marina Randall

Salvation Army Officer