Sister Bullwinkel

Lynette Silver is a military historian and the author of numerous books on Australian history, including The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Fabulous Furphies, The Heroes of Rimau, Krait: The Fishing Boat That Went to War, Sandakan: A Conspiracy of Silence, The Bridge at Parit Sulong, Blood Brothers, Deadly Secrets: The Singapore Raids 1942-45, the novel In the Mouth of the Tiger, Billy: My Life as a Teenage POW, At War with My Father: Fred Howe - Prisoner of War, and Angels of Mercy: Far West & Far East. In 2003, Lynette received a Defense Forces Commendation and Medal from Special Operations Command Australia for her contribution to the 60th anniversary of Operation Jaywick--becoming the first civilian ever to receive this honor. In January 2004, she was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in the Australia Day Honors for her services to veterans and their families through her work on Sandakan. The Sabah Government recognized her extensive research and contributions to the state's wartime history with a Minister's Special Award--an honor rarely conferred on a foreigner--presented in November 2009 by Datuk Masidi Manjun, Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment. In the 2019 Australia Day Honours, in recognition of her ongoing historical research, her efforts to preserve the memory of thousands of POWs, and her philanthropic work to improve the lives of people in Sabah, Lynette's OAM was upgraded to a Member of the Order of Australia (AM), a distinction that takes precedence over both the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and the Member of the British Empire (MBE) under the former Imperial system. Her husband, Neil Silver--who manages the administrative and logistical work supporting the Silvers' many projects--was also honoured with the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), which supersedes the British Empire Medal (BEM). In October 2022, Lynette was appointed a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE), awarded by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II shortly before her death, in recognition of Lynette's service to British personnel who died in World War II and to their families. Lynette's work has been widely reported in radio and television news, featured in numerous newspapers and journals, and highlighted in many electronic media interviews. She has also played a pivotal role as a historical consultant for television programs and has appeared in various current affairs shows and documentary productions. Website: lynettesilver.com