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'The versatile and gifted Douglas Grant was stereotyped in the media as the Black Digger with a Scottish accent. He was much more than that. Well educated by White parents who rescued him from an 1886 massacre in the frontier wars, Douglas became an engineering draftsman, woolclasser, charismatic public speaker and storyteller. In the 1st AIF he fought bravely on the Western Front, was wounded and taken prisoner in the Battle of Bullecourt. Noting he was well-educated, German authorities made him the inmate-in-charge of the large Half Crescent Prison Camp for Muslim and Hindu soldiers. He saved many lives by negotiating for ritual foods and medical supplies. Returning home, he went through hard times and adventures, but always maintained his great sense of humour about life.'
Source: Publisher's blurb.
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Speculating about a Life : Reimagining Douglas Grant
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 429 2021; (p. 52)
— Review of The Legacy of Douglas Grant 2019 single work biography'Soldier. Draftsman. Massacre survivor. Prisoner of war. Veteran. Son. Brother. Uncle. RSL Secretary. Indigenous Man. Activist. Black Scotsman. Celebrity. These are just some of the words used to describe Douglas Grant, an individual who embodied the contradictions of assimilation and the challenges facing Aboriginal people in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Famous during his lifetime, Grant’s reputation has faded since the 1950s but in recent years has attracted the attention of Indigenous Australians and historians of World War I.' (Introduction)
-
Speculating about a Life : Reimagining Douglas Grant
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Australian Book Review , March no. 429 2021; (p. 52)
— Review of The Legacy of Douglas Grant 2019 single work biography'Soldier. Draftsman. Massacre survivor. Prisoner of war. Veteran. Son. Brother. Uncle. RSL Secretary. Indigenous Man. Activist. Black Scotsman. Celebrity. These are just some of the words used to describe Douglas Grant, an individual who embodied the contradictions of assimilation and the challenges facing Aboriginal people in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Famous during his lifetime, Grant’s reputation has faded since the 1950s but in recent years has attracted the attention of Indigenous Australians and historians of World War I.' (Introduction)
