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; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

Early life

Raddall was born in

Hythe, Kent Hythe () is an old market town and civil parish on the edge of Romney Marsh in Kent, England. ''Hythe'' is an Old English word meaning haven or landing place. History The earliest reference to Hythe is in Domesday Book (1086) though there i ...

, England in 1903, the son of an Army officer, also named Thomas Head Raddall, and Ellen (née Gifford) Raddall. In 1913 the family moved to

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

, where his father had taken a training position with the

Canadian Militia The Canadian Militia is a historical title for military units raised for the defence of Canada. The term has been used to describe sedentary militia units raised from local communities in Canada; as well as the regular army for the Province of Ca ...

. The elder Raddall then saw active service during

the First World War 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 ...

and was killed in action at

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...

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 On the morning of 6 December 1917, the French cargo ship collided with the Norwegian vessel in the harbour of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. ''Mont-Blanc'', laden with Explosive material, high explosives, caught fire and exploded, devastat ...

. 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 us ...

and at isolated wireless posts such as

Sable Island Sable Island (, literally "island of sand") is a small, remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. Sable Island is located in the North Atlantic Ocean, about southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, and about southeast of the clo ...

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

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

, Nova Scotia, where he began his writing career. There, Raddall came in contact with the master American swindler and fugitive from justice,

Leo Koretz Leopold Koretz (1879–1925) was an American lawyer who ran an elaborate Ponzi scheme in Chicago, called the "Bayano oil fraud," which garnered an estimated $30 million (about $450 million today) from dozens of investors in Chicago. The scheme us ...

, 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 current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

) and ''The Path of Destiny'' (

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

). He was made an Officer of the

Order of Canada The Order of Canada () is a Canadian state order, national order and the second-highest Award, honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. To coincide with the Canadian Centennial, ce ...

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, Nova Scotia. Piers was born on February 12, 1870, in Halifax. He became the second curator o ...

, 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 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. 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 () 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 being of national historic significance. Parks C ...

. 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 Na ...

, 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 8, 1952) was a Canadian professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media, communication theory, and economic history of Canada, Canadian econo ...

, 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, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

Archives, which also runs the Thomas Raddall Electronic Archive Project, currently digitizing his published and unpublished writings. 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 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 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 Novelists from Nova Scotia