Daryl Farry publishes family war memoir spanning two generations

Vietnam veteran Daryl Farry has released Medics at War, a two-part book built from family letters, diaries and archival papers that traces his grandfather’s World War I service and his own Vietnam War experience. The book is now available in print on Amazon and has already been submitted to several Australian public collections.

Why it matters: - Medics at War links two generations of Australian military medical service in one family story. - The book adds a personal, ground-level record of World War I and Vietnam War service, rather than a broad battlefield history. - The release may appeal to military history readers, schools, museums and local libraries looking for first-person accounts.

What happened: - Daryl Farry published Medics at War, a two-part account drawn from letters, diaries and family papers. - The book is now available in print through Amazon. - The first half follows Farry’s grandfather, James (Dave) Ferguson McClelland, who served as a stretcher bearer with the Australian 1st Field Ambulance, 1st Division, in World War I. - The second half follows Farry’s own service with 'C' Company, 4th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, attached to the ANZAC Battalion with New Zealand forces during the Vietnam War. - Farry’s book is his first published work.

The details: - McClelland’s service took him from training in Egypt to casualty clearing stations in France. - His wartime path included Pozières and a post known to stretcher bearers as Casualty Corner. - McClelland’s material was reconstructed from his wartime diary, personal letters and archival documents kept in the family for decades. - Farry’s chapters use letters he sent home during his two years of service. - Farry’s family returned those letters to him many years after his discharge. - Farry served in National Service from 1967 to 1969. - He trained with the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps before posting to 11 Field Ambulance in Brisbane. - He later attached to his infantry battalion before deployment to Vietnam. - Farry’s duties included caring for about 120 troops and training infantrymen as stretcher bearers and hygiene inspectors. - McClelland’s wartime route included a troopship voyage from Australia to Egypt, where his unit set up hospital wards. - He later crossed the Mediterranean to Toulon and traveled north to the front by rail. - Farry’s record begins with recruit training at Singleton, New South Wales, followed by Greenbank Military Camp and 1 Military Hospital. - Both accounts include lighter moments alongside casualties, illness and loss. - McClelland’s story includes rugby and cricket matches between postings when units had spare afternoons. - Farry’s chapters include rest and recreation leave from Nui Dat to Hong Kong, arranged through the American military with other allied troops. - After returning to Australia, Farry worked for 30 years as an ambulance officer in Queensland. - Farry and his wife later settled in Adelaide, South Australia, where they now live near their son and grandson.

Between the lines: - The book is built as a family archive project as much as a military memoir. - Its narrow focus suggests an emphasis on lived experience, routine and memory over strategy or campaign analysis. - That approach can make the history more accessible to general readers and younger audiences.

What's next: - The book has been submitted to the South Australian State Library, the Adelaide City Council Library and the Onkaparinga City Council Library. - Farry is positioning the book for high school libraries, historical societies and military museums. - The book’s dedication ties the two stories to the wider units that served in World War I and Vietnam.

The bottom line: - Medics at War turns one family’s service records into a two-war historical memoir centered on the daily work of military medics.