John Laffin

John Laffin (21 September 1922 - 2000) was an Australian military historian. Laffin was born in Mosman, Sydney. Both of his parents served during World War I.

World War II

In 1940, having worked with Smith's Weekly, one of Australia's most patriotic newspaper-style magazines, and The Wagga Advertiser, he enlisted in the 2nd Australian Imperial Force. He trained as an infantryman and later completed an officer course before serving in New Guinea, the world's second largest island. While convalescing in Sydney in 1943 he met his future wife Hazelle, a young VAD/VAR.

Post-WWII

After the war Laffin worked for a number of newspapers and magazines, wrote short novels and began his own feature service and editing unit. With his family he left for England in 1956 where he resided for nearly 40 years. He wrote articles for Australian newspapers and taught English, history and geography in secondary colleges. One of these was Mayfield college in East Sussex where he taught English and History in the 1960s while living in nearby Herstmonceux.

Laffin travelled extensively in Europe, especially the Western Front areas of WWI and in the Middle East. He returned to Australia in 1995. Hazelle Laffin died in early 1997 of heart disease.

Death

John Laffin died in Canberra in 2000 after a long illness. He was survived by two daughters and a son.

Links

• Obituary
• Biodata

Bibliography

• Hitler Warned Us, John Laffin, Brasseys, London, 1995 ISBN 1-85753-103-5
• We Will Remember Them, John Laffin, Kangaroo Press, Sydney, 1995 ISBN 0-86417-735-6
• British Butchers and Bunglers of World War One., John Laffin, Sutton Publishing 1996 ISBN 0-75090-179-9
• Surgeons in the Field, John Laffin, JM Dent and Sons, London, 1970 ISBN 0-460-03707-2
• The Arab Mind: A Need for Understanding, John Laffin, Cassell, London, 1975 ISBN 0-304-29489-6
• Fight for the Falklands!, John Laffin, Sphere Books Limited, London, 1982 ISBN 0-312-28868-9
• Holy War: Islam Fights, John Laffin, Grafton Books, London, 1988 ISBN 0-586-06868-6
• Swifter than eagles - A biography of Marshal of the RAF Sir John Salmond, John Laffin, William Blackwood & Sons Ltd, 1964
• The Face of War - the evolution of weapons and their use in ten famous battles, John Laffin, Ab elard-Schuman, London, 1963
• Return to Glory
• Middle East Journey
• One Man's War
• Crime and Adventure
• Jungle Manhunt
• The Devil's Emissary
• The Dancer of San Jose
• The Dagger of Islam , John Laffin, Sphere Books Limited, 1979. ISBN 0722153694
• The War of Desperation: Lebanon 1982-85, John Laffin
• Jack Tar: the story of the British sailor, John Laffin, Cassell, 1969.
• Codes and Ciphers, John Laffin, Arts & Voyages, 1969.
• The Man The Nazis Couldn't Catch John Laffin, Sutton Publishing, 1984/ 2004