Start Digging, You Bastards!: Australian and New Zealand Forces' Desperate Battle with Rommel and the Axis at El Alamein

Tom Gilling is an acclaimed novelist and non-fiction author who was born in England, but has lived in Australia since 1983. His first two novels, The Sooterkin and Miles McGinty, were New York Times notable books of the year. His non-fiction works include Bastard behind the Lines, The Lost Battalions and The Witness. He is also co-author with Clive Small of the bestselling true crime books Smack Express, Blood Money, Evil Life, and Milat. His most recent work of non-fiction is Start Digging, You Bastards!: Australian and New Zealand Forces' Desperate Battle with Rommel and the Axis at El Alamein (2025).

Ian Ferrington is an actor, writer and comedian based in Melbourne. A graduate of Victorian College of the Arts, he has worked on stage and screen, focusing particularly on comedy and new works. He also wrote the book and lyrics for the film noir farce musical The Detective's Handbook, produced by the Hayes Theatre Company. As an audiobook narrator, he is known for Peter Rees' title Guts and Glory: Diggers, Sport and War.