The Torch and the Sword: A History of the Army Cadet Movement in Australia

Since the 1860s hundreds of thousands of school-aged Australians have undergone military and youth development training in various army cadet schemes. Given the proportion of eligible youth this represents, the movement has surely exerted a tangible and lasting influence upon Australian society, yet its record is small, scattered and insufficient. Specifically lacking is any attempt to tell the cadet story across both time and space in a single narrative. This book closes the gap by presenting a general history of the army cadet movement in Australia from 1866 to 2006.