Frank Fox (author)

Sir Frank Fox
Sir Frank Fox by Norman Lindsay
Born	(1874-08-12)12 August 1874 Adelaide, South Australia
Died	4 March 1960(1960-03-04) (aged 85)[1] Chichester, Sussex, England [1]
Alma mater	Christ's College
Occupation	Journalist, soldier, author and campaigner
Notable work	The Lone Hand (magazine)
Parent(s)	Charles James Fox Mary Ann

Sir Frank James Fox (1874-1960)^[2] was a journalist, soldier, author and campaigner. He was born in 1874 in Adelaide, second son of Charles James Fox, journalist, and his wife Mary Ann, née Toole. He moved to Hobart in 1883, when his father became editor of the Tasmanian Mail, and was educated at Christ's College, Hobart. At an early age he wrote paragraphs for his father's paper. His great-grandson is the former British Conservative Member of Parliament Dr. Charles Goodson-Wickes.

Career

Fox joined the staff of the Sydney Bulletin in 1901^[3] and was Acting Editor for a time. As 'Frank Renar', he published his first book Bushman and Buccaneer, a memoir of Harry Morant which became the seminal work for subsequent books, plus and the acclaimed film Breaker Morant.

While still working for the Bulletin, Fox was appointed in 1907-09 first editor and manager of the magazine Lone Hand, a month publication of literature and poetry. Fox published a volume of political essays, From the Old Dog (Melbourne), in 1908. He was a keen horseman; riding out regularly with his literary colleagues Andrew Banjo Paterson and Norman Lindsay.^[4] In spite of the latter describing him as an equine exhibitionist, Lindsay most unusually paint an equestrian portrait of Fox.^[5]

Lindsay wrote Bohemians of the Bulletin which is illustrated with his doodles.^[6]

Fox was appointed as an assistant editor for the Morning Post^[7] in December 1909 and later in 1910, he was promoted as the news editor. He published Ramparts of Empire (1910) about the navy, Australia (1910), The British Empire (1911), Problems of the Pacific (1912) and many travel books.

Motivated by the atrocities he witnessed to the civilian population in Belgium he was commissioned in the Royal Field Artillery on 13 December 1914, over age at 41, and served in France. He was twice wounded in the Battle of the Somme. In 1917-18 he was at the War Office^[8] working for Mi7, publishing "The Battle of the Ridges" and "The British Army at War" designed to educate the American Public about the British war effort. He then served as Staff Captain at the Quartermaster General's branch, General Headquarters, in France, and wrote a contemporary account of Life there ("GHQ" Montreuil-sur-Mer).

Journalist

Australia (1892-1909)

• Editor: The Australian Workman. Aged 18
• Editor: National Advocate. Aged 21
• Acting Editor: Sydney Bulletin
• Founder: The Lone Hand (magazine)

England (1909-)

• Morning Post
  • News Editor 1910
  • War Correspondent – 1912 Bulgarian Army in Balkan War.
  • War Correspondent – Belgian Army. Aug – Dec 1914. German Invasion. Reporting to Brussels re atrocities to civilian population (Order of the Crown of Belgium – in the gift of King Albert.)

Soldier 1905-1919

• Commissioned Australian Field Artillery 1905
• Commissioned RFA 1914/19 - Wounded twice at Somme 1916.
• War Office (1917).
• GHQ – Montreuil-sur-Mer. Staff Officer in QMG Division; then War Office as Major, (OBE Military; Mentioned in Dispatches) (1916-1919).

Author

Australian military historian Craig Wilcox, author of the book Australia’s Boer War, Oxford University Press 2002 wrote:

Fox was a great man, and concerning Morant I think of him not only as the launcher of an Australian legend but also its subtlest and most intelligent storyteller; he confounds Morant’s champions as well as Morant’s detractors, as good literature and insider history ought to do. His little book ( Bushman and Buccaneer- A Memoir of Harry Morant) is often cited, sometimes plundered, but too rarely read.

Bibliography

Campaigner

Australia

• Championed Australian Federation (as Editor of National Advocate)

Britain

• Warned of Danger of War in Europe (1909-1914) and urged preparation – in Print and Public Platform
• MI7 (1917) to encourage US participation in WWI.
• As an Imperialist and a champion of Empire causes, organised:
  • British Empire Cancer Campaign
  • Empire Rheumatism Council
  • Fellowship of British Empire Exhibition (for which he was Knighted - 1926)

Family and personal life

He married Helena Clint (d. 1958) on 13 June 1894;^[12] they had a son and two daughters. Helena Clint was granddaughter of Alfred Clint, President of the Society of British Artists, great-granddaughter of George Clint ARA, and great-niece of Scipio Clint.

Dr. Charles Goodson-Wickes is Frank Fox's great-grandson and literary executor.^[13]

References