Reviewed by Norrie Sanders
Whispering death is the name given to Australia’s Beaufighter planes that were crucial to turning back the Japanese invasion of southeast Asia in World War 2. The planes themselves were formidable, but this is the story of the pilots, crew and mechanics who made up the squadrons. Half a century later, one of those pilots, Lerryn ‘Bill’ Mutton, asked historian Patricia Skehan to write his wartime story [p xv]. He came to her with boxes full of documents, which she supplemented with her own extensive research and interviews.
My main purpose in writing this narrative lies in revealing the inspiring examples of sacrifice and heroism from the Beaufighter boys who strove to bring a conclusion to such overwhelming events [p 329].
The result is a compilation of eyewitness accounts, anecdotes, potted histories, newspaper articles, propaganda and proclamations. There is a roughly chronological thread to this diverse material, but the extracts sometimes overlap and extend from pre-war to present. This makes for occasional confusion, but the content is fascinating.
The stories range from tragic to comic and all are fascinating. Who knew that dental health was the highest priority for the airmen? …an oxygen mask would be needed at altitude, and …. a complete denture would be dislodged by it [p154]. Or that sitting on a filthy, unscreened, latrine at one bush camp, airmen would be victims of an orchestrated sales campaign: The moment you sat down, and tried to concentrate, several Malaysian women would hound you, trying to sell bananas [p 182]. Or that primates would enter your tent and steal your heartburn medication: I saw a monkey about 50 feet away, busily chattering and trying to open the Enos bottle [p183].
Despite many casualties, the Beaufighters and their crews proved very resilient. But without the Atom bombs controversially detonated in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the planned invasion of Japan could have been disastrous for the squadrons: If we had attacked, we would not have survived the first attempt…. We would have had a million casualties. We were very fortunate that the war ended when it did [p 153].
Whispering Death is a popular title and popular topic. Mark Johnson’s 2011 book of Australia’s air contribution to fighting the Japanese, has the same title and a similar cover. Despite that, Patricia Skehan’s version is unique and is a memorable tribute to a group of Aussies who should never be forgotten.
Patricia Skehan is a founding executive member of Concord Heritage, now City of Canada Bay Heritage Society. She guest-speaks for organisations including Rotary, Probus and VIEW clubs and historical societies, and lectures for U3A. She has presented heritage talks on FM radio and has been published nationally. She is the author of another wartime book, The Secrets of Anzac Ridge.
by Patricia Skehan
(July 2026)
Hachette
ISBN: 978 0 7336 5473 2
$34.99 (Paperback); 332pp