Author(s): Ian W. Shaw

Military History

The tragic and carefully researched story of a WWII fighter pilot’s brutal sacrifice and the painstaking search for the truth.  Not all casualties in wartime occur on the frontline; when a loved one is posted “Missing,” hope and fear bloom in the hearts of those who wait for news. Lives can fray when that wait extends to years. Squadron Leader Daryl Sproule was a hero. The young and dashing Hobart lawyer was a fighter pilot, a survivor of the carnage in the skies over Singapore, a champion sportsman and the touchstone in the life of his single mother. When his aircraft was shot down over New Britain in August 1943, his wingmen saw him land it close to a beach, wade ashore and disappear into the jungle. In Hobart, Irene Sproule was informed that her son was “Missing.” Two years later, Daryl was still missing, his fate unknown. It would take another two years for the full, deplorable story to be unravelled and the consequences of a wartime atrocity to be played out to a conclusion. In those years, a mother and a brother would have their lives changed brutally, and forever.  “Missing” is the story of the nightmare that haunts all those who have farewelled their loved ones as they leave for war …