Ex-National RSL Chief's foreword to War Spoils
War Spoils, Paul Dobbyn’s well-researched account of three members of his immediate and extended family and their war-time experiences, once again reminds us of the sacrifices made by so many for us to enjoy our way of life.
Upon going through his late father’s effects in 1991, the author was fortunate to find a detailed journal written by his grandfather, Captain Henry Dobbyn, who served with the British Army in India and the WWI battlefields.
It was this discovery which led the author to start planning and eventually write his poem War Spoils as a tribute. This tribute was not only to his grandfather but also his father and uncle, as he learnt further about their military experiences in WWII.
The author’s father, Lieutenant Denis Dobbyn, was a very private man who did not discuss his WWII experiences serving as an Australian intelligence officer in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea. However, by diligent research, the author has been able to recreate some of his father’s experiences.
War Spoils also includes a blog written in 2015 about the author’s uncle, Pilot Officer Robert Dobbyn, who was killed at the age of 21, serving with the Pathfinders Force over Europe in 1944.
These collected stories reminds us that, if people are not to be subjected to tyranny and loss of freedom, war is a terrible but necessary evil.
All too often, those who are prepared to go in harm’s way are demonised by many who only enjoy the freedom to do so because of the sacrifices made by those whom they choose to deride.
Unfortunately, many who fight find it difficult to relate their experiences and it is left to others to describe and commemorate their achievements.
Stories such as those told in War Spoils emphasise that we must be prepared to fight, or support those who do, when our national security is threatened.
National RSL President (2019 to late 2025) Major General Greg Melick AO RFD FANZCN KC (Retd)
How To Buy War Spoils!
Readers of War Spoils have variously described the book as “a piece of gold”, “gripping and poignant” and “truly magnificent and a great showpiece for the author’s impressive talents”.
One reader said War Spoils was a “wonderful book with stories and characters so compelling I read it in one long sitting”.
Commenting on the poem War Spoils around which the book’s narrative is built, one reader said “Paul Dobbyn’s poem is a masterpiece of emotion and baring of soul.” Another described the poem as “not only beautifully written, but effectively encapsulating the stories of Henry, Robert and Denis Dobbyn.”
School Visits
Having a background as a high school teacher has made me aware of the value of War Spoils: A Childhood Painting, My Grandfather, His Sons and a Stunning Revelation as a school resource. I have already visited two Toowoomba schools with a third later this year.
The book has both primary and secondary historical sources as well as a work of literature, my poem War Spoils, and an appendix complete with footnotes.
How a book was born
It’s often fascinating to follow how a particular work of art was created. My War Spoils journey started with the discovery of my grandfather, Captain Henry Dobbyn’s World War I journal amongst my father, Lieutenant Denis Dobbyn’s personal effects, not long after he died in 1991.
This discovery led to the poem War Spoils which celebrated my grandfather, father and uncle, Pilot Officer Robert Dobbyn’s wartime trials and tribulations. My book, War Spoils: A Childhood Painting, My Grandfather, His Sons and a Stunning Revelation, exploring the background history to the poem, was published in 2025.
Take The War Spoils Journey
By now, you’ll have travelled a long way with me on the War Spoils journey. You’ll have read how the creation of the book was inspired by, among other things, the realization of the significance of the print of a famous painting which had hung on the wall of my grandfather’s house when I was a child.
Now’s the time to take the next step. To secure a copy of War Spoils: A Childhood Painting, My Grandfather, His Sons and a Stunning Revelation, simply click on this tab.