Author(s): Tracee Spiby

Military

Albert Spiby had just turned 18 when he signed up to fight in the Great War in 1915. He was not a 'hero' in the traditional sense. He didn't receive special awards for bravery or gallantry. He did what hundreds of thousands of other Australian soldiers did - his job.

From the searing sands of the Egyptian desert to the blunders at Bullecourt, the stupidity of the Somme and the horror of Pozières to the mud and insanity of Passchendaele - One Hell at a Time follows Albert Henry Spiby and the 46th Battalion AIF from one hell to the next.

One Hell at a Time has been extensively researched, yet it is not a military history of how the war was won or lost. Nor is it the story of heroes. It's the story of what it was like for an ordinary man just doing his job and provides a glimpse into some of the extraordinary circumstances that influenced his survival.

One Hell at a Time reveals the humour, humanity and exasperation of Albert and his fellow diggers. The reader is privy to the transformation of Albert over four years of waste from a naive 18-year-old into Alby, a war-weary veteran questioning himself and what he is doing. And just wanting to survive the next hell and go home.