Russell Reading Braddon (25 January 1921 – 20 March 1995) was an Australian
writer of novels, biographies and TV scripts. His chronicle of his four years as a prisoner of war, ''
The Naked Island'', sold more than a million copies.
Braddon was born on 25 January 1921 in
North Sydney, New South Wales
North Sydney is a suburb and commercial district on the Lower North Shore (Sydney), Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. And is the administrative centre for the Local government in Australia, local government area of North ...
. He was the son of Thelma Doris (née Reading) and Henry Russell Braddon. His father, a
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...
, was the grandson of Tasmanian premier
Edward Braddon.
Braddon enlisted in the
Australian Army
The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, serving in the
Malayan campaign. He was held as a
prisoner of war
A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610.
Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
by the Japanese in
Pudu and
Changi prisons and on the
Thailand-Burma Railway between 1942 and 1945. During this time he met
Ronald Searle, whose Changi sketches illustrate ''The Naked Island''.
After the war, he went on to study law at
University of Sydney
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 ...
. Nevertheless, he failed to obtain a law degree (he maintained that he had lost interest in the subject) and he abandoned undergraduate life in 1948.
In 1949, Braddon moved to England after suffering a mental breakdown and followed by a suicide attempt. Doctors attributed this breakdown to his POW experiences, and urged him to take a year to recuperate. He described his writing career as "beginning by chance". ''The Naked Island'', published in 1952, was one of the first accounts of a Japanese prisoner of war's experience.
Braddon went on to produce a wide range of works, including novels, biographies, histories, TV scripts and newspaper articles. In addition, he was a frequent broadcaster on British radio and television. He died in 1995 at his home in
Urunga,
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
, having returned to Australia two years before.
''Proud Australian Boy: A Biography of Russell Braddon'' by Nigel Starck was published in Australia in 2011.
Works
Novels
* ''Those in Peril'' (1954)
* ''Out of the Storm'' (1956)
* ''Gabriel Comes to 24'' (1958)
* ''The Proud American Boy'' (1960)
* ''
The Year of the Angry Rabbit'' (1964)
* ''Committal Chamber'' (1966)
* ''The Inseparables'' (1968)
* ''
When the Enemy Is Tired'' (1968)
* ''Will You Walk a Little Faster?'' (1969)
* ''Prelude and Fugue for Lovers'' (1971)
* ''Progress of Private Lilyworth'' (1971)
* ''End Play'' (1972)
* ''The Thirteenth Trick'' (1973)
* ''The Finalists'' (1977)
* ''The Predator'' (1980)
* ''Funnelweb'' (1990)
Non-fiction
* ''
The Piddingtons'' (1950)
* ''
The Naked Island'' (1952)
* ''Cheshire V.C: A Study of War and Peace'' (1954)
* ''Woman in Arms: The Story of Nancy Wake'' (1956)
* ''Nancy Wake: The Story of a Very Brave Woman'' (1956)
* ''End of a Hate'' (1958)
* ''Joan Sutherland'' (1962)
* ''Roy Thomson of Fleet Street'' (Collins, 1965)
* ''The Siege'' (1969)
* ''Suez: The Splitting of a Nation'' (1973)
* ''Hundred Days of Darien'' (1974)
* ''All the Queen's Men'' (1977)
* ''Japan Against the World'' (1983)
* ''The Other Hundred Years War'' (1983)
* ''Australia Fair?'' (1984)
* ''Thomas Baines and the North Australian Expedition'' (1987)
* ''Prisoners of War'' with
Hugh Clarke and
Colin Burgess (1988)
Broadcasts
* ''BBC The Piddingtons 1950: The Tower of London Broadcast: http://www.thepiddingtons.com/broadcasts.html''
References
External links
Portrait of Russell Braddonby
Paul Fitzgerald
{{DEFAULTSORT:Braddon, Russell Reading
1921 births
1995 deaths
20th-century Australian male writers
20th-century Australian novelists
Australian satirical novelists
Australian Army soldiers
Australian male novelists
Australian non-fiction writers
Australian Army personnel of World War II
Australian prisoners of war
Burma Railway prisoners
Australian male non-fiction writers
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan