James Normington Rawling (1898–1966) was an Australian political activist and writer. After serving on the Western Front during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he became an ardent

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

, and later became known for his association with, and expulsion from, the

Communist Party of Australia The Communist Party of Australia (CPA), known as the Australian Communist Party (ACP) from 1944 to 1951, was an Australian communist party founded in 1920. The party existed until roughly 1991, with its membership and influence having been ...

(CPA), as well as his research and broader literary activities.

Early life

Rawling was born on 27 July 1898, in Plattsburg (now

Wallsend, New South Wales Wallsend is a western suburb of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, from Newcastle's central business district. It is split between the local government areas of City of Newcastle and City of Lake Macquarie. History The Awabakal and W ...

), the son of coalminer James Rawling and his wife, Annie Elizabeth (née Normington), and was educated at Newcastle High School.

War service

He enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force on 7 August 1916, and went on to serve on the Western Front with both the 36th and 35th battalions. His battlefield experiences instilled in him a vehement opposition to war, which subsequently shaped his views and later political activities.

Return to Australia

Upon returning to Australia he enrolled at

Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, and trained as a teacher during 1921–22. On 18 February 1922, he married Mary Stewart. After graduation, he taught for several years at a variety of private schools and colleges in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

Political activities

In 1925 Rawling joined the

(CPA), and became an advocate and spokesman for the party's activities. He began to write pamphlets espousing socialist values and politics, as well as editing a number of "radical" magazines. His membership of the party continued until December, 1939, when he was suddenly expelled from the CPA for expressing "unorthodox views." After his expulsion Rawling maintained close relationships with dissident communists, and wrote a number of articles attacking the CPA. He also gave evidence against the CPA as a witness in the 1949 Royal Commission into the Victorian branch of the party.

Academic activities

Rawling returned to teaching during World War II, and was awarded a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

(MA) degree from the University of Sydney in 1946. He was awarded a Commonwealth Literary Fund fellowship in 1947, to write a biography of

Charles Harpur Charles Harpur (23 January 1813 – 10 June 1868) was an Australian poet and playwright. He is regarded as "Australia's most important nineteenth-century poet." Life Early life on the Hawkesbury Harpur was born on 23 January 1813 at Windso ...

Later years

From 1962–63 Rawling held a position as a visiting fellow at the Research School of Social Sciences,

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public university, public research university and member of the Group of Eight (Australian universities), Group of Eight, located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton, A ...

Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...

, during which time he worked on the manuscript of a history of the CPA. Rawling died at

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...

of a

coronary occlusion A coronary occlusion, or coronary artery disease, is the partial or complete Coronary artery disease, obstruction of blood flow in a coronary artery. This condition was first discussed in 1910 by William Osler, Sir William Osler. This condition s ...

on 7 March 1966. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and three daughters.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rawling, James 1898 births 1966 deaths Australian pacifists