Anne McCosker is an author and poet, born in Rabaul, New Guinea. Her childhood was spent mostly in Queensland, Australia. She first left the South Pacific to train at the Royal Ballet School, London. After a short career as a dancer, she worked for a time in a wide variety of jobs, then read History at Bedford College, University of London, obtaining her BA Honours degree in 1970.
Anne's family, with its Australian and British Empire background, was closely linked with both world wars, and there are several sections, accessed from extracts, Empire & Commonwealth, and articles, relating to this.
In particular, Fall of Rabaul, Retreat, and Aftermath contain material relating to the Japanese invasion, January 1942, the Fall of Rabaul and its terrible consequences. Anne's father, Stan McCosker, was one of the very few men to escape from Rabaul. Montevideo Maru and Montevideo Maru Questions contain extensive extracts from the chapter in Anne's book Masked Eden, a History of the Australians in New Guinea, dealing with this ship.
Additionally, related matters of more general scope appear under Empire & Commonwealth, Articles, Poetry since 2003, and Contemporary Poets.
If you would like to contact Anne, please Click Here
Web edited and updated by Richard Buckley B.A. Ph.D. (Cantab)
and Anne McCosker