# "Great Was the Fall" - an RAAF Officer in Malaya



## buffnut453 (Aug 5, 2014)

This link was posted on Hyperscale yesterday:

Digitised Resource Viewer

It's a 37MB scanned version of the Subject book which is pretty rare and hard to get hold of. "Great Was the Fall" was ostensibly based on the letters from a RAAF officer serving in Malaya 1941-42 but I have significant questions about its veracity. I have no doubt the author was in Malaya, I just question whether the "letters" were real and contemporary to the Malayan Campaign. 

Anyhoo...thought I'd share in case anyone else was interested.

Cheers,
B-N


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## Reegor (Sep 5, 2014)

Indeed interesting, thanks. I can see why you are skeptical about whether it is fiction or non- .


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## buffnut453 (Sep 5, 2014)

I don't think it's fiction. I simply don't see it being a true contemporaneous record of events...too many inconsistencies and date issues for the account to be written at the time.

Thanks for taking an interest, though...I thought more might be keen to read it but apparently not.


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## mmah007 (Sep 14, 2014)

buffnut453 said:


> This link was posted on Hyperscale yesterday:
> 
> Digitised Resource Viewer
> 
> ...



Hi All,

Yesterday, after doing a quick internet search on the title of the book, I was so surprised to come across anyone that was aware of it's existence.

We have a copy in the family library in Australia.

The author of this book was my grandfather Group Captain Richard Elson-Smith who was posted to Malaysia with the RAAF during WWII

He was originally a UK citizen, and immigrated to Melbourne Australia in 1920.  ALL the letters contained in the book were written to my mother (his only child) - His wife tragically died due to complications in giving birth to a second child in 1929.

I have personally seen copies of the letters, which were in my mother's possessions before she passed away in 2010, and can thereby confirm the authenticity of both the author and the contents.

Reactions: Bacon Bacon:
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## buffnut453 (Sep 15, 2014)

Thanks for the information. I'd welcome a chance to discuss your Grandfather's letters and any other information you may have about his experiences in Malaya. Feel free to contact me off-forum at [email protected].


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