 Southall also wrote the official history of his Royal Australian Air Force squadron in the south of England, when he was pilot of Short Sunderland flying boats.Later he published a version of this history as "They Shall Not Pass Unseen" and much later returned to his experiences of combat in Sunderlands in books for younger readers.Southall also wrote "Softly Tread the Brave", describing the courage of Royal Australian Volunteer Naval Reserve bomb disposal officers, Hugh Syme and John Mould, who served in England disarming parachute mines.