Guest Speaker:
Dr Douglas Newton
Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1
at 2 pm on Saturday 18 April 2026 for
On Saturday 18 April 2026 after our General Meeting, Douglas Newton presents Private Ryan and the Lost Peace.
Imagine the Great War ending as early as 1915. Imagine round-table negotiations finishing what seemed to be an unbreakable military stalemate... had peace come in this way, perhaps there would have been no Communism, no Fascism, no Nazism, no Great Depression, and no Second World War.
In his book Private Ryan and the Lost Peace (Longueville Media, 2021), Douglas Newton relates the story of one Australian soldier – Private Ted Ryan – who rebelled against the war, blasting talk of fighting on to ‘the knock-out blow’. His revolt landed him in four courts martial – he even received a death sentence.
Were secret diplomatic deals prolonging the war? From what we now know, Ted Ryan’s instincts were dead right: the Great War was an unnecessarily protracted catastrophe.
Join us at the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society on Saturday 18 April as Douglas Newton explores a courageous man who deserves to have his story heard.
You are welcome to stay for refreshments and a chat following the presentation.
About Douglas Newton
Dr Douglas Newton is an academic and historian. He lectured at various universities in Australia and New Zealand and was Associate Professor in European History at Western Sydney University until 2008. He has published six books on the history of Britain, Germany, and the First World War, with a special focus upon the peace movement.
As always, please keep an eye on our website in case of any last-minute changes.
The venue is Gordon Library Meeting Room 1, in the Old Gordon Public School, which adjoins the Gordon Library, 799 Pacific Highway, Gordon (corner Pacific Highway and Park Avenue).
It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon Station.
For a map and parking information, see our Contact page.
