Author Talk: Patricia Skehan

Join us for an author talk with Patricia Skehan, who will discuss her new book, Whispering Death. She will be in conversation with our Local Studies Librarian, John Johnson.

About the author:

Patricia Skehan is a founding executive member of Concord Heritage, now City of Canada Bay Heritage Society. She has presented heritage talks on FM radio and has been published nationally. Patricia conducts tours at Yaralla and Rivendell estates in Concord West, and since 1999, has travelled across NSW to give over 1000 heritage talks on 16 different subjects. 

Born on Armistice Day, 1946, Patricia is married to a retired police sergeant. They live on the Central Coast.

About the book:

For military history buffs and aeroplane enthusiasts alike, this fascinating story of the World War II Beaufighter Squadron is a must. Whispering Death is the story of the Australian-built Beaufighters, their pilots and their remarkable feats in World War II, and others who contributed to the story of the 'Green Ghosts' - the legendary 93 Squadron.

Several years ago, former World War II Beaufighter pilot Warrant Officer Lerryn Mutton OAM arrived on the doorstep of history writer Patricia Skehan armed with twenty boxes of official documents and photographs and asked her to write his wartime story.

She was intrigued. The Beaufighter aircraft was unique, its silent motors earning it the nickname Whispering Death. She turned on her tape recorder.

After that point she recorded dramatic memories of Mutton, his navigators and ground crew, and of other 93 Attack Squadron members, with their unique association in Sandakan and Borneo war operations. Copies of the unofficial squadron diaries, plus diaries from two other squadron flyers, tell a remarkable story of the Green Ghosts, as 93 Squadron is known.

Whispering Death follows the squadron's formation in Narromine, NSW and training in Kingaroy, Queensland. Each of the main crew has a unique story to tell of how and why they volunteered to enlist, and each has their own chapter of diverse memories, their goal to stay alive. The book also follows a group of women who formed the WAAAF and worked as codebreakers, helping Allied forces to victory in the Coral Sea and Bismarck Sea battles.

About the event

5:30pm - Light refreshments
6-7pm - Author talk
7-7:30pm - Book sales and signing

Photos and video may be taken during the event and shared across the library's and Council's communication channels (including but not limited to social media and eNewsletters). Please notify a staff member if you do not wish to be photographed or filmed.