Ian Trafford will be talking about his book Into the Unknown: The secret WW1 diary of Kiwi Alick Trafford no25/469 at Richmond Library on Saturday 14 November at 11 am.

World War I (and its aftermath) is described in the words of a young soldier fresh off a remote New Zealand farm, written with immediacy, emotion and clarity. This is a personal account of WWI from the diaries of a Gisborne farm boy, shaped into a gripping narrative by the diarist’s grandson Ian 100 years later.

As Marahau resident Ian says, ‘My grandfather wanted his secret war diary burned. I’ve just published it. … Alick sent my father to his ceiling cavity to retrieve a secret package for burning – the diaries of his private war. No son could resist a peek into his father’s hidden past. They never reached the fire.’

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear the story of a ‘tough bastard, but a man too sensitive for war’. It’s a free event and bookings are not necessary. Cash book sales will be available (RRP $38). Into the Unknown is published by Penguin Random House NZ.