A&U acquires Saunders’s “Fighting for Country”

Allen & Unwin (A&U) has acquired world rights to a new nonfiction title, Fighting for Country: The Extraordinary Life of Reg Saunders, Australia’s First Indigenous Military Officer, Hero of Two Wars by James Saunders.

“Captain Reginald Saunders had, by any measure, an exceptional military career, serving with distinction in North Africa, Greece and New Guinea in World War II, and later in the Korean War,” said the publisher, adding that Saunders survived on the run from the Nazis in Crete for 11 months and led a company of soldiers against the Chinese force in the Battle of Kapyong in Korea.

Fighting for Country covers not only Saunders’s military career but also his family and his people, the Fighting Gunditjmara of Western Victoria. The story continues into the captain’s postwar life, “where he faced shocking prejudice in spite of his achievements but worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians,” added the publisher.

James Saunders, Reg’s nephew, is a Gunditjmara and Wiradjuri man who works at the NSW Treaty Commission and is a former chief operating officer of IndigenousX. He has drawn on military archives and family records in researching this story.

He said, “It has been a true privilege to write Uncle Reg’s story. Through this process I’ve gotten to know the man he was and witnessed the incredible love he had for his family, his Country, and for life.”

A&U commissioning editor Tom Bailey-Smith said, “Reg Saunders is truly an unsung hero of Australian military and civilian life, a trailblazer in all senses. Working on this project with James has been a rewarding and fascinating journey. I can’t wait to see new generations discover Reg’s brave and astonishing story.”

A&U plans to publish Fighting for Country in August 2026.

Photo credit: Luke Stambouliah.

Category: Local news News Rights and acquisitions