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 Australians did. His job.

But when he volunteered, he couldn’t have known that he would be regarded as ‘expected wastage’ by callous incompetent British Generals. Like many of the hundreds of thousands of Australians who enlisted, Albert was expendable and sent 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 of 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 wanted to survive the next hell and go home.

Details: Fiction, published 2023.

Format: Soft cover, illustrations (photographs), 314 pages.

Dimensions: 22.9 cm (h) x 15.3 cm (w) x 1.7 cm (d) / 465 grams.