Peter Damian
Williams.Military history consultant & speaker
Australian military historian · Author · Canberra
Research, writing and talks on Australia’s military history, drawing on archives, battlefield research and Japanese veterans’ accounts.
Military history services in Australia.
Based in Canberra, Peter welcomes enquiries from across Australia and overseas by arrangement. His subjects include the Second World War in the Pacific, the Kokoda and Papua campaigns of 1942–43, Gallipoli in 1915 and Japanese veteran interviews.
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Military history writing
Military history writing, ghostwriting and co-authorship on the Second World War, the Pacific War, Kokoda and Gallipoli. Enquiries welcome for articles, commissioned reports and book projects.
Published books, articles and commissioned reports -
Military history research
Archival research, oral history and battlefield research for authors, documentary producers, museums and study groups. Particular interests include Japanese sources, veteran interviews and the Australian and Japanese experiences of the Pacific War.
Japanese veteran interviews and research -
Military history talks & events
Conference presentations, author talks, commemorative addresses and talks for history groups or cruise programmes. Subjects include Kokoda, Gallipoli, the Pacific War and Japanese veterans’ accounts, with the scope agreed for each audience.
Melbourne conference talk, 11 October 2025 -
Military history consulting
Historical advice, manuscript review and fact-checking for writers, broadcasters, museums and government projects. Peter’s experience includes research for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs and consulting for the Department of Defence and military museums.
Professional background at Kokoda Historical -
Kokoda battlefield tour guiding
Battlefield tour guiding and historical briefings on Kokoda and Papua New Guinea’s Second World War battlefields. Enquiries from tour organisers and study groups are welcome; routes, dates and Peter’s role are agreed for each engagement.
Peter is listed as the historian for Kokoda Historical’s non-trekking tour
Have a project, event or tour in mind?
Discuss it with PeterA life in history.
Australian military historian and author. Born 6 March in Hobart, Tasmania, and educated at St Virgil’s College. BA (History & Philosophy) from Macquarie, Dip. Ed from the University of Tasmania, MA and PhD from Charles Darwin University — the doctorate on the Kokoda Campaign itself.
Taught history and English in Nakatsu-shi, Japan, from to . That time turned into the fieldwork behind Japan’s Pacific War — informal interviews with former Imperial Japanese Army and Navy personnel that grew, over the following decades, into 100+ recorded conversations with veterans of the Pacific theatre. Returned to Australia in and taught at Nightcliff High School, Darwin, until , alongside work at the Darwin Military Museum. His first book, The Battle of Anzac Ridge (Australian Military History Publications, ), came out of that period.
Work since centres on Australia’s involvement in global conflicts — the Gallipoli landings, the Japanese 18th Army in New Guinea, and the Kokoda Track. Japan’s Pacific War (Pen & Sword, 2021) and The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality (Cambridge, 2012) anchor the later book-length works; articles in the Sydney Morning Herald and Wartime; commissioned reports for the Australian Departments of Defence and Veterans’ Affairs. Writing, research, speaking, and consulting continue from Canberra — see the publications or scope of work.
Work & publications.
- 2026
11 April 2026: presents “What did Japanese veterans think about WWII?” for the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway’s Beyond the Battlefield series. Organiser’s record and recording →
- 2026
Kokoda 1942–43: Japanese Defeat in Papua — Osprey Publishing, Campaign series, illustrated by Johnny Shumate.
- 2025
11 October: presents “1945 – the Viewpoint of Japanese Veterans” at Fighting to the Finish: Australia in 1945 – Strategy, Victory and Legacy, Caulfield RSL, Elsternwick, Melbourne. Draws on interviews with Japanese veterans about the end of the war, surrender and captivity. Recording, slides & sources →
- 2025
45-minute recorded lecture on the Pacific War.
- 2024
Long-form interview on WW2TV, "Interviewing Japanese Veterans" — 150,000+ views.
- 2021
Japan’s Pacific War: Personal Accounts of the Emperor’s Warriors — Pen & Sword. Built on 100+ interviews with Japanese veterans.
- 2017
"Against Overwhelming Odds? On the Kokoda Trail" — chapter in Kokoda: Beyond the Legend (Cambridge University Press).
- 2015
"Australians in the United Kingdom in WWII" — Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
- 2012
The Kokoda Campaign 1942: Myth and Reality (Cambridge University Press) and Kokoda for Dummies (Wiley).
- 2010–2011
Commissioned reports on Kokoda, the Korean War, and WWII topics — Australian Department of Veterans’ Affairs.
Earlier work & education
- 2009
Çanakkale Savaşı Kanlısırt Muharebesi — Turkish translation of the Anzac Ridge study, Kitap Yayınevi, Istanbul.
- 2008
Doctor of Philosophy — Charles Darwin University. Dissertation: "The Kokoda Campaign 1942 — an analysis".
- 2007
First book: The Battle of Anzac Ridge, 25 April 1915 — a 222-page study from Australian Military History Publications, later translated into Turkish.
- 2007
"An Imperial Japanese Navy Pilot in New Guinea" (Headmark Journal) and "Zero Hours" (Australian Warship).
- 2006
"The Japanese 18th Army in New Guinea" — Wartime Magazine.
- 2005
"The Ottoman Artillery Bombardment at Gallipoli" — Wartime Magazine.
- 2004
"A Ridge Too Far" — Sydney Morning Herald, Gallipoli supplement (25 April). First public piece on the Ottoman side of the Anzac Ridge engagement.
- 2000
Master of Arts — Charles Darwin University. Thesis: "The Landing of the ANZAC Corps 1915".
- 1988
Diploma of Education (History and English) — University of Tasmania.
- 1987–2005
History and English teacher at Nightcliff High School, Darwin, Northern Territory. Also works at the Darwin Military Museum.
- 1984–1987
Teaches history and English in Nakatsu-shi, Oita-ken, Japan. Begins informal interviews with former Imperial Japanese Army and Navy personnel — the seeds of Japan’s Pacific War.
- 1982
BA in History and Philosophy — Macquarie University.
- 1957
Born 6 March in Hobart, Tasmania. Raised in Tasmania, educated at St Virgil’s College, a Catholic boys’ school in Hobart.
Credentials
- Doctorate
- PhD, Charles Darwin University (2008)
- Postgraduate
- MA, Charles Darwin University (2000)
- Teaching qualification
- Diploma of Education, Univ. of Tasmania (1988)
- Undergraduate
- BA (History & Philosophy), Macquarie University (1982)
- Secondary
- St Virgil’s College, Hobart
- Location
- Canberra, Australia
Publishers & outlets
- Osprey Publishing Book
- Cambridge University Press Book + chapter
- Pen & Sword Book
- Wiley & Sons Book
- Australian Military History Publications Book
- Kitap Yayınevi (Istanbul) Turkish-language book
- Department of Veterans' Affairs (Australia) Commissioned reports
- Department of Defence (Australia) Consulting
- Wartime Magazine Articles
- Sydney Morning Herald Contributor
Commissions & enquiries.
Please outline the subject, the intended form and audience, and any deadline. For an event or tour, include the proposed dates and location.