Published Books

The following books are currently available. Inscribed and signed copies of ALL books can be ordered direct from the author (see Book orders for details). Sandakan, Vinegar Hill, Parit Sulong and Deadly Secrets can also be ordered through any good book shop in Australia or via the internet.  Marcel Caux  is  now out of print, but copies can still be obtained from the author. For details on where to obtain Blood Brothers in Australia and in Sabah, see Book orders. 

Readers in the UK can obtain copies of Sandakan A Conspiracy of Silence and Deadly Secrets from:

Gazelle Book Services Ltd
White Cross Mills
Hightown
Lancaster LA1 4XS
Tel: +44 (0) 1524 68765 or Fax: +44 (0) 1524 63232
Email : sales@gazellebooks.co.uk

These books are also available in Singapore from:

Changi Museum,
1000, Upper Changi Road North, Singapore 507707
Tel: (65) 6214 2451
Email: changimuseum@singnet.com.sg

• Sandakan – A Conspiracy of Silence NEW: The 4th edition of this book, which has been revised, extensively updated and completely revamped, is now available from book stores in Australia or from Lynette (see Book Orders) 
• The Battle of Vinegar Hill (Bicentenary edition)
• The Bridge at Parit Sulong
• Marcel Caux – A Life Unravelled
• Deadly Secrets
• Blood Brothers

The books listed below are previous works by the author.

1. Fabulous Furphies - 10 Great Myths from Australia's Past
   
   

   Every country has its historical myths and Australia, where such tales may be known as ‘furphies’, is no exception.

   The ten diverse and uniquely Australian furphies exposed in this book by Authors Edward Docker and Lynette Silver, have been chosen to cover a wide range of topics, from Aboriginal Australia and early settlement to World War 2.

   Some, like Fisher’s Ghost, have been around for the best part of 200 years; others, such as the story of Lasseter’s Reef, for a much shorter time, while the effects of an amazing gold scam, pulled off by Edward Hargraves in 1851, continue to the present day. Illustrated with a large number of photographs, drawings and maps, Fabulous Furphies shows that in the hands of skilled researchers and story-tellers, Australian history is always fascinating.

   
   

2. On this Rock - The Church of St Peter, Hornsby (1898 - 1998)
   
   
   Lynette’s mother, Eunice Ramsay has been a member of St Peter’s congregation for more than 40 years. Serving as unofficial secretary for four Rectors and producer of Pew Bulletin, she is in a unique position as observer and recorder of parish life.
   
   
3. A Fool's Gold? - William Tipple Smith's challenge to the Hargraves myth.

   
   A quartz gold specimen, a few tattered, fragmented letters and an old death notice. These seemingly unrelated clues were the vital links in the solution which has put an end to the long-standing myth that Edward Hammond Hargraves was the discoverer of gold in Australia.

   In 1847, mineralogist William Tipple Smith ventured into the rugged hill country near Bathurst, New South Wales and discovered payable gold. After additional successful exploration, he informed the government of his discovery. The apathy, lies and cover-up which followed form the basis of an intriguing tale of mismanagement, buck-passing and official ineptitude.

   Smith’s discovery resulted for him, not in fame and fortune, but in defamation, ruin and untimely death. The government and Edward Hammond Hargraves, were so effective in the systematic destruction of Smith that the true story has remained untold for almost one hundred and forty years. Persistent detective work by the author, whose belief that an innocent man was the tragic victim of political expediency, enabled her too succeed where others have failed, resulting in a totally new interpretation of a fascinating aspect of Australian history.

   The story of William Tipple Smith is the story of one man’s fight for justice and recognition long overdue. The large number of illustrations and a comprehensive document appendix make A Fool’s Gold? a valuable reference work on the history of early gold discoveries in New South Wales.

   
   

4. The Battle of Vinegar Hill (1988 edition) - Australia's Irish Rebellion, 1804
   
   

   The story of botched mini-rebellions, failed escape attempts, mutiny, wild rumours, conspiracies, betrayals and personal tragedy. The author reveals the lives of the key rebels and their enemies against a background of Irish politics in the colonial period.

   On 5 March 1804, a small group of resolute convicts, many of them Irishmen, staged a revolt against the colonial government. With the cry of ‘Death or Liberty’ a short but bloody rebellion took place, resulting in the death of twenty-four rebels and the arrest of 300 others. yet this event in Australia’s history her largely been ignored.

   Among the embezzlers, forgers, petty thieves, sheep stealers and house breakers transported to the colony, were men whose crimes were purely political. The resentment of these political prisoners knew no bounds. Many of the Irish convicts, incensed by the injustice of their situation, were infuriated by the lack of official records and the resulting confusion over the lengths of their sentences. Disillusioned by the impossibility of returning to Ireland, the dissidents created a state of constant unrest in the new community. Cropping their hair in the style of the French revolutionaries, they formed secret leagues and held clandestine meetings to plan their escape from exile. In desperation, they laid siege to the colony and demanded to be taken home to Ireland.
   
   Lynette Ramsay Silver’s work is the first thorough account of the battle and its causes. Illustrated with portraits, maps and landscape art of the period The Battle of Vinegar Hill is an important book for every reader interested in colonial history and the development of the Australian character.
   

5. The Heroes of Rimau

   
   On 11th September 1944, Porpoise, a British submarine, slipped quietly from Fremantle Harbour, Australia, bound for the Riouw Islands, south of Singapore. Onboard were 23 Australian and British members of Operation Rimau under the leadership of the remarkable Lieutenant-Colonel Ivan Lyon, Gordon Highlanders. They had intended to repeat Operation Jaywick, a commando raid on Japanese-occupied Singapore Harbour, where they had successfully blown up sixty vessels in the previous year. None of these men were to return. For 45 years, the truth about Operation Rimau had been shrouded in mystery. Embedded in red tape, distorted by hearsay and covered up by officialdom at the highest levels, the facts behind Rimau and its 23 men were all but lost. According to scant official history, the mission was an utter failure. Nothing could have been further from the truth. It has taken the combined talents of Major Tom Hall, who spent 31 years in research, and writer Lynette Silver to overturn the official version. Their work revealed a dramatic story of unparalleled courage with amazing tenacity.

   The first substantive study of Operation Rimau…based on solid and detailed research…well-documented…a pacy, well-written and captivating book, which fills a gap in Australian military history. The Australian War Memorial. …possibly the most complete recordSydney Morning Herald … The Heroes of Rimau is an enthralling tale of great heroism and determination in the face of overwhelming odds and is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable and intriguing stories to emerge from World War II. Canberra Times.

   Ivan Lyon is an extremely brave man, possibly the bravest man I have ever met. Someday his exploits will be disclosed and they will read stronger than any fiction.Admiral Christie, US Naval Commander Task Force 71, 1944

6. Krait - The Fishing Boat that went to War
   
   

   On 12 February, 1942, Kofuku Maru, a small nondescript Japanese fishing vessel slipped out of the chaos of Singapore and headed for the safety of Sumatra. The boat, commandeered by Bill Reynolds, set sail from the island moments before the last bastion of the British Empire fell to the Japanese. 

   In September 1943, eighteen months after Reynolds’ amazing escape to Australia, the vessel now renamed Krait, returned to Singapore on a clandestine visit. In what was the most daring Allied commando raid of WWII, her crew, all members of a highly secret missing known as Operation Jaywick, entered the harbour and mined enemy shipping under the very noses of the Japanese. 

   But the story of Krait – a tale as varied and as colourful as the many men who sailed in her – continued beyond Operation Jaywick. Attached to special operations, Krait spent the rest of the war based in Darwin, before disappearing into the jungle-lined rivers of Borneo. Rediscovered in 1958, she eventually returned to Australia – not to genteel retirement but to the most turbulent and controversial period of her sixty-year history.

   ‘..a great addition to the collections of military and maritime historians’ Reveille 
   - The official paper of the RSL

   ‘..an answer to those who question the pride of the veterans for doing their job – and marking the pride annually on April 25.’ 
   - The Courier Mail