Invasion of Sydney

Anxieties about foreign invasion were taken so seriously in colonial Sydney that glancing round the Harbour one still sees many reminders of obsolete measures. It’s just as well no real enemy put Sydney’s big guns and forts to the test. The book quotes many scathing appraisals of their uselessness by contemporary experts. But costly and spectacular training exercises drew huge crowds to see fierce imaginary fighting, as mock invaders were driven away.

Illustrated with drawings, maps a…