In the First World War, thousands of boys across Australia and New Zealand lied about their age, forged a parent’s signature and left to fight on the other side of the world. These are their stories.

Join Bathurst Library and BooksPlus as award-winning journalist and film critic Paul Byrnes discusses his new book, The Lost Boys, which details the powerful and moving accounts of the underage soldiers who fought in the First World War.

These previously untold stories of 40 Anzac boys who fought in the campaigns, from Gallipoli to the Armistice, give a unique perspective of WWI. The Lost Boys is military history made deeply personal, a powerful homage to youthful bravery and a poignant reminder of the sacrifice of war.

About the author

Paul Byrnes joined The Sydney Morning Herald in 1976, reporting from various corners of the world for a decade, before specialising as a feature writer and film critic. He was director of the Sydney Film Festival for 10 years, until 1998. In 2007, he won the Pascall Prize, Australia’s highest award for critical writing in the arts. This book is the result of a lifelong interest in the First World War. He lives in Australia and France.