At Manly RSL this May, a Brisbane writer will share the hidden story of his grandfather’s role in a forgotten WWI scene — one that hung on his wall all his life.
Manly Book Launch to Share Lost Family War Stories Unearthed in a Shoebox
A family war story buried for decades is set to be shared at the Manly-Lota RSL, where Brisbane writer Paul Dobbyn will launch a book that traces his grandfather’s forgotten role in one of World War I’s most haunting moments.
The event will take place on Friday, 9 May, at the Manly-Lota RSL Sub Branch Hall. The date is meaningful to Dobbyn’s family. It marks the anniversary of both his grandfather’s survival at the Battle of Aubers Ridge in 1915 and his uncle’s death during a 1944 Royal Air Force mission in France.
A Personal Discovery Leads to Public Sharing
Wynnum journalist and poet Paul Dobbyn found the heart of War Spoils in a leather-bound journal left by his grandfather, Captain Henry Dobbyn, a World War I veteran of the Indian Royal Munster Fusiliers. Discovered after his father’s death in 1991, the journal detailed frontline injuries, including wounds at the Somme, and the hardship of raising five children alone in Toowoomba.
A childhood memory of a painting gained new meaning when Dobbyn realised his grandfather was among the soldiers shown receiving a battlefield blessing in The Last General Absolution of the Munsters at Rue du Bois. Though the image hung in family homes, the connection had never been spoken of. It is a quiet discovery that became the book’s emotional centre.
Wartime Sacrifices Across Three Generations
The book follows Henry Dobbyn’s sons, Denis, who served in Papua New Guinea, and Robert, a Pathfinder pilot killed in 1944, with their stories rebuilt from family records and a blog that retraced Robert’s final flight.
War Spoils blends family history with poetry, drawing on Dobbyn’s public readings from the 1990s, enriched by archival images and wartime music.
Local Reflections for Anzac Day
With a foreword by RSL President Major General Greg Melick and praise from historian Dr Greg Poulgrain, the book is recognised as a moving tribute across three generations. Dobbyn will also present poetry and music from War Spoils at a Wynnum community event on Sunday, 28 April, from 3pm at the Waterloo Bay Leisure Centre.
For Dobbyn, sharing these stories in Manly and Wynnum is about honouring those who served and highlighting the personal side of Australia’s wartime history.
Published 16-April-2025