Ku-ring-gai Historical Society 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. Were secret diplomatic deals prolonging the war? 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. During the Great War, many urged such a peace.
In 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.
From what we now know, Ted Ryan’s instincts were dead right: the Great War was an unnecessarily protracted catastrophe.
Join the Ku-ring-gai Historical Society on Saturday, 18 April 2026, as Douglas Newton explores the life of a courageous man whose story deserves to be heard.
Free entry, no booking required. You are welcome to stay for refreshments and a chat following the presentation.
About the speaker
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 on the peace movement.
Event details
Join us in Gordon Library Meeting Room 1 at 2:00 pm on Saturday, 18 April 2026. Finishing time is approximately 3:30 pm.
The meeting room is in the Old Gordon Public School, adjoining the library, 799 Pacific Hwy, Gordon (corner Pacific Hwy and Park Ave).
It’s just a 5-minute walk from Gordon station. For a map and parking information, see www.khs.org.au/contact-us
In case of any last-minute changes, and for more information on our forthcoming talks, please check our website, www.khs.org.au/events
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