Soldier Boy The Play

A full-length dramatisation of Hill's novel Soldier Boy about the youngest Australian Anzac. Jim Martin is just 14 when he lies about his age, enlists and dies of typhoid after just seven weeks on Gallipoli.

Act One is Jim joining up. Compulsory school cadets - the outbreak of war - the emotional blackmail of his parents by threatening to run away if they don't sign a consent letter. A real threat, and like others they give way.

Act Two sees Jim under fire. A torpedo attack in the troopship - andthe horrors of Gallipoli. Nowhere is safe from enemy snipers, shellfire and bombs. While a lasting camaraderie grows between the Anzac and Turkish soldiers, all are exposed to the ravages of disease borne by flies from the filth on the battlefield.

Jim keeps his promise to write home often. But tragically, he dies without receiving any letters from his family - the youngest Australian soldier to die in war.

With a range of characters, the play is ideal for schools and theatre companies.