Thomas Head Raddall (13 November 1903 – 1 April 1994) was a Canadian writer of history and historical fiction.Thomas Head Raddall's
entry in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available f ...

Early life

Raddall was born in

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is a coastal market town on the edge of Romney Marsh, in the district of Folkestone and Hythe on the south coast of Kent. The word ''Hythe'' or ''Hithe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The town has m ...

, England in 1903, the son of an Army officer, also named

Thomas Head Raddall Thomas Head Raddall (13 November 1903 – 1 April 1994) was a Canadian writer of history and historical fiction.Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

, where his father had taken a training position with the Canadian Militia. The elder Raddall then saw active service during the First World War and was killed in action at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

in August 1918. Raddall attended Chebucto School in Halifax until 6 December 1917, when the school was converted into a temporary morgue in the wake of the Halifax Explosion. The Raddall family survived the explosion and Raddall wrote about it in his memoirs, ''In My Time''. At the age of fifteen, Raddall trained at the Canadian School of Telegraphy in Halifax and shortly thereafter started working at the age of 18 as a marine telegraph operator for the Marconi Wireless Telegraph Company. Raddall's first job was as a wireless operator on seagoing ships, including the CS ''Mackay-Bennett'', and stationed on land at

Camperdown Signal Station Camperdown Signal Station, also known as Camperdown Hill, is significant in Nova Scotia communication history. Overlooking the entrance to Halifax Harbour made it a strategic part of Halifax's defence system in the 18th century. The hill has been u ...

and at isolated wireless posts such as

Sable Island Sable Island (french: île de Sable, literally "island of sand") is a small Canadian island situated southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, and about southeast of the closest point of mainland Nova Scotia in the North Atlantic Ocean. The island ...

. He later took a job as a clerk at a pulp and paper mill in

Liverpool Liverpool is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the List of English districts by population, 10th largest English district by population and its E ...

, Nova Scotia, where he began his writing career. There, Raddall came in contact with the master American swindler and fugitive from justice, Leo Koretz, who was using the alias, Lou Keyte.

Career as a writer

Raddall was a prolific, award-winning writer. He received

Governor General's Awards The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for three of his books, ''The Pied Piper of Dipper Creek'' (

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 ...

), ''Halifax, Warden of the North'' (

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

) and ''The Path of Destiny'' (

1957 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1957th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 957th year of the 2nd millennium, the 57th year of the 20th century, and the 8th year ...

). He was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the cen ...

in 1971. Raddall is best known for his historical fiction, but he also published numerous non-fictional historical works. His interest in historical research grew when he was stationed at historical locations as a wireless operator, and he received crucial encouragement and assistance from

Harry Piers Harry Piers (1870–1940) was a Canadian historian. He was a long-serving and influential historian and curator at the Nova Scotia Museum in Halifax (former city), Halifax, Nova Scotia. Piers was born on February 12, 1870, in Halifax. He became ...

, Curator of the

Nova Scotia Museum Nova Scotia Museum (NSM) is the corporate name for the 28 museums across Nova Scotia, Canada, and is part of the province's tourism infrastructure. The organization manages more than 200 historic buildings, living history sites, vessels, and speci ...

, who became his mentor.Thomas Raddall, ''In My Time'' McClellend and Steward (1976 ), p. 116 Raddall's early works included studies of privateering, civic and marine history, and Canada during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It be ...

. His history of Halifax, ''Warden of the North'', remains influential.

Historical preservation and restoration

Raddall worked with the Queens County Historical Society, the Historic Sites Advisory Council of Nova Scotia, and the

Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada National Historic Sites of Canada (french: Lieux historiques nationaux du Canada) are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as bein ...

. He played a role in preserving the diary of

Simeon Perkins Colonel Simeon Perkins (February 24, 1735 – May 9, 1812) was a Nova Scotia militia leader, merchant, diarist and politician. Perkins led the defence of Liverpool from attacks during the American Revolution, French Revolutionary Wars and the Nap ...

, an early colonial document published in three volumes (the fourth has yet to be published) between 1948 and 1978 by the Champlain Society, and edited by

Harold Innis Harold Adams Innis (November 5, 1894 – November 9, 1952) was a Canadian professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media, communication theory, and Canadian economic history. He helped deve ...

, D. C. Harvey and C. B. Ferguson. Raddall helped to restore and preserve Perkins House Museum, a colonial house built by Simeon Perkins that is now a part of the

system.

Legacy

An exact replica of Raddall's study, furnished with his possessions, is on view at the Thomas Raddall Research Centre, administered by the Queens County Historical Society, of which Raddall was a founding member in 1929. His correspondence is housed at the

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus in Saint John, New Brunswick. Dalhousie offer ...

Archives, which also runs the Thomas Raddall Electronic Archive Project, currently digitizing his published and unpublished writings.Thomas Head Raddall Digital Collection
The

Thomas Head Raddall Award The Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award is a Canadian literary award administered by the Atlantic Book Awards & Festival for the best work of adult fiction published in the previous year by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.

is a literary award administered for the best work of adult fiction published in the previous year by a writer from Canada's Atlantic provinces. The

Thomas Raddall Provincial Park Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

is a park in Nova Scotia named for Raddall.

Bibliography

*''At the Tide's Turn and Other Stories'' *''The Cape Breton Giant and Other Writings'' *''Courage in the Storm'' *''The Dreamers'' *''The Governor's Lady'' - 1960 *''Footsteps on Old Floors: True Tales of Mystery'' - 1968 *''Halifax, Warden of the North'' - 1948; revised edition - 1971 *''Hangman's Beach'' *''His Majesty's Yankees'' - 1942 *''In My Time: A Memoir'' - 1976 *''The Markland Sagas, With a Discussion of Their Relation to Nova Scotia'' *''The Mersey Story'' *''A Muster of Arms and Other Stories'' *''The Nymph and the Lamp'' - 1950 *''Path of Destiny: Canada From the British Conquest to Home Rule'' - 1957 *''A Pictorial Guide to Historic Nova Scotia, Featuring Louisbourg, Peggy's Cove, Sable Island'' *''The Pied Piper of Dipper Creek and Other Tales'' *''Pride's Fancy'' - 1948 *''Roger Sudden'' - 1946 *''The Rover: The Story of a Canadian Privateer'' - 1958 *''The Saga of the "Rover"'' *''Son of the Hawk'' - 1950 *''Tambour and Other Stories'' *''This Is Nova Scotia, Canada's Ocean Playground'' *''Tidefall'' - 1953 *''The Wedding Gift and Other Stories'' ** , in ''Kanadische Erzähler der Gegenwart.'' Hgg. Armin Arnold, Walter E. Riedel. Manesse, Zürich 1967, 1986, p 11 – 38 *''West Novas: A History of the West Nova Scotia Regiment'' *''The Wings of Night'' - 1957

References

External links

Thomas Raddall Electronic Archive Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raddall, Thomas Head 1903 births 1994 deaths Canadian historical novelists Canadian male novelists Members of the United Church of Canada Writers from Nova Scotia Officers of the Order of Canada British emigrants to Canada People from Hythe, Kent People from Queens County, Nova Scotia Governor General's Award-winning fiction writers Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian historians 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers