This volume originated a decade ago when Dr Fedorowich was in Australia completing another project, then, as a visiting fellow at the Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University (Canberra) in 2011. It was while working on the Australian angle of a larger project on Anglo-Dominion wartime relations (1937–1942), and partly funded by a British Academy Small Grant (SG 090299), that he stumbled on the huge but relatively unexplored collection of papers of the former Country Party leader and prime minister Sir Earle Page (1880–1961). In that collection was a 155-page, single-spaced typed manuscript of his wartime mission to London entitled, ‘Sir Earle Page – Tour of Duty Abroad, 1941–42: Sydney – London’. The true value of this diary and the insights it provided into Anglo-Australian wartime relations at a crucial time in their respective histories only became apparent upon his return to the United Kingdom.

The following year an application was prepared for the Australian Prime Ministers Centre (APMC), at the Museum of Australian Democracy based at Old Parliament House, to explore further the Page mission and its significance to Australian political and diplomatic history. The bid was successful and combined with a Harold White non-stipendiary fellowship at the National Library of Australia (which was also awarded in 2012), the foundations of the project were laid. It was at this time, Dr Jayne Gifford (University of East Anglia) came on board, first as a research assistant, and then as co-editor when they proceeded to Australia in 2013. Over the next several years, as additional archival work was undertaken in the United Kingdom, the editors realized how important this wartime diary was in providing a new and critical lens on a pivotal moment in Anglo-Australian relations.

Generous financial support has been key to the success of this project and we would like to acknowledge the APMC which provided the funds for Dr Fedorowich to conduct three months of research in Canberra under its auspices. Access to the APMC Library and its many reference works including hardcopy of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Debates were invaluable in tying up many loose ends. This project would not have been so fruitful without the friendships made and ongoing contacts at the Museum. Our heartfelt thanks must first be directed to David Jolliffe who was a stalwart in his encouragement and support throughout our time at Old Parliament House. Toni Dann was a real crutch as were the diligent staffers in the APMC's Library. So, too, was Dr Barry York, who pointed us in the direction of some useful oral history testimony housed in the centre. What a wonderful building to work in and such a supportive environment.

The National Library of Australia, where the Page papers are housed, provided a warm and welcoming place to work. There are too many people to acknowledge at the NLA who in their own way facilitated this project. Nonetheless, there are several people to whom the editors would like to express their gratitude. Robyn Holmes was unfaltering in her encouragement and support throughout our time at the National Library. Andrew Sargeant, Special Collections Librarian, was a real help in the Petherick Reading Room, as were the diligent staffers in the Special Collections and Manuscript Reading Room and the Microfilm Reading Room. It is amazing how far a bag of Maltesers will go to keep the friendly wheels of bureaucracy turning! A huge thanks to Patrick Robertson, a long-standing volunteer in the Library's Pictures and Manuscripts Branch, who quietly investigated behind the scenes on our behalf when we were stumped on descriptions of collections that were awaiting re-cataloguing. Thanks mate for your homemade Anzac biscuits! Discussions over coffee with Dr David Lee, then Director Historical Publications and Information Section (Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade), who was undertaking an Australian Mining Council Fellowship at the NLA which overlapped with Dr Fedorowich's fellowships, proved inestimable in broadening the editors’ knowledge of Australian political and diplomatic history. Last, but not least, our immense thanks to Beth Mansfield. She was always there for us and forever courteous no matter how small the query or inconvenient the moment.

The project has benefited enormously through tapping official documents held at the National Archives of Australia (Canberra) and a small cache of Page family papers located at the University of New England in Armidale, New South Wales. Over the years, the NAA has become Dr Fedorowich's second home in Canberra and he is appreciative of the hard-working staff who do so much to make strangers welcome in the Reading Room. We would also like to thank William Oates, University Archivist at UNE, for digitizing material from their Page collection. Finally, our thanks to Clare Norton at the National Film & Sound Archive for her help in locating audio material such as speeches and interviews with Sir Earle Page, which was vital in providing a voice to accompany the paper trail.

The editors have also benefited immensely from the generosity of others over the years. In Australia, many close friends and former ‘inmates’ of London House in Mecklenburgh Square (London) have ‘willingly’ given up an evening or two to sit down over a meal for which Page became a topic of conversation. Our thanks to Adrian Fitz-Alan and family (Sydney), Julian Gyngell and family (Sydney), Gareth Hughes and family (Bangkok), Professor David Sim and family (Melbourne) and Nic Thomas (Melbourne). Professor Peter Dennis, his wife Irena, and their daughter Laura (Canberra) have always provided a welcome glass of wine, homemade bread-sticks, and a roaring brazier in the back garden after a long day in the archive. Peter's advice over the years has been astute, his friendship unfailing and his sense of humour most endearing. Our sincere thanks also to the then Canadian High Commissioner to Australia, Michael Small (2010–2015) and his wife, for their hospitality while in Canberra. The maple syrup and pancakes on Canada Day did just the trick to give a prairie boy a taste of home! However, the person outside our immediate families who has borne the brunt of this project, in an official as well as an unofficial capacity, is Gina Grey. Her unfailing patience and endless chats over coffee at the NAA where she is employed or at meals at her house in Watson with her two children Victoria and Duncan, have been valued more than she will ever know. A big thank you to the Greys.

Academic networks are essential to work such as this for the time and expertise that is unselfishly given. It makes those long stints from home so worthwhile. Our thanks to Dr Bernard Attard (Leicester University), Professor Frank Bongiorno (Australian National University, Canberra), the late Professor Jeff Grey (Australian Defence Force Academy), Dr Cameron Hazelhurst (ANU, Canberra) Professor David Lowe (Deakin University, Geelong campus), Professor Paul Pickering (ANU, Canberra) and Dr Christopher Waters (Deakin University, Burwood campus, Melbourne). Copious cups of coffee in Canberra, midis of ale in Melbourne, the odd glass of wine at University House, ANU, or nights out at Tan's scrumptious Vietnamese restaurant in Macquarie all helped in their own way to shape this book for the better. Our deepest gratitude to Dr Stephen Wilks, who at the time was working on his doctoral thesis at ANU. His knowledge of Sir Earle Page's papers, Page's contribution to Australian history and the inner workings of the man were indispensable. Two more individuals need to be recognized. Our thanks to Professor Carl Bridge at King's College London who has been involved with this project right from the beginning. His encouragement, cajoling and unfettered support continue to be appreciated. He has saved our blushes more than once. And thanks to Helen Snyders (née Page), Sir Earle's granddaughter, who gave us permission to publish this volume with the Royal Historical Society. Her blessing and that of the family on this project has been much appreciated.

Closer to home, the editors would like to thank their long-suffering colleagues at the University of the West of England (Bristol) and the University of East Anglia; especially Dr John Fisher (UWE, Bristol) for some timely detective work at the British Library on several of the biographies in this volume. Dr Gifford would like to thank the School of History and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities (UEA) for their financial support as well. The Royal Historical Society have been brilliant to work with, especially Professor Richard Toye (University of Exeter). So, too, have the production team led by Melanie Howe at Cambridge University Press. But special mention must go to Miranda Bethell, the copy-editor, for her keen eye, thoughtful enquiries and genuine interest in the diary itself which made the final stages both easy and enjoyable. The editors would also like to thank Jeffrey Frith (Canberra), the son of cartoonist John Frith (1906–2000) and copyright holder to his father's literary estate, who graciously allowed us to publish a cartoon depicting Sir Earle Page and Sir Winston Churchill, which first appeared in The Bulletin, 17 September 1941. And to the copyright holders H., C., and A. Glad for permission to publish Norman Lindsay's cartoon of R.G. Menzies, which also appeared in The Bulletin, 20 August 1941. Last, but by no means least, the editors would like to thank their ever-patient partners, Gudrun Fedorowich and Ryan Seipke. Thank you does not seem to express our appreciation enough for your continued support.

Finally, the editors would like to dedicate this volume to the memory of Dr Philip Ollerenshaw – teacher, colleague, and friend. Soon after he retired from UWE (Bristol), in 2017, Phil contracted a rare form of blood cancer. Although the prognosis was not good, his upbeat and positive attitude on life was an inspiration to all who knew him. He often asked about the progress of the project and proffered timely editorial advice along the way. His genuine interest in and encouragement of other people's research was one of his hallmarks. Sadly, he passed away in late March 2020 just as the manuscript was being finalized for submission to the Royal Historical Society. He will be missed and definitely not forgotten.

Kent Fedorowich & Jayne Gifford

June 2020