Sir Frank James Fox (10 August 1874 – 1960) was an Australian-born journalist, soldier, author and campaigner, who lived in Britain from 1909.

Early life and education

Fox was born in 1874 in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, second son of

Charles James Fox Charles James Fox (24 January 1749 – 13 September 1806), styled ''The Honourable'' from 1762, was a prominent British Whig statesman whose parliamentary career spanned 38 years of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was the arch-riv ...

, one-time Latin teacher, journalist and editor of ''

The Irish Harp and Farmers' Herald ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'', 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.

Career

Fox was appointed editor of '' The Australian Workman'' in 1893, then in 1895 the ( Bathurst) ''

National Advocate ''The National Advocate'' was a daily newspaper published in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia, between 1889 and 1963. Newspaper history The newspaper was established on 28 September 1889, co-founded by Australian businessman James Ruthe ...

'', before joining ''

The Age ''The Age'' is a daily newspaper in Melbourne, Australia, that has been published since 1854. Owned and published by Nine Entertainment, ''The Age'' primarily serves Victoria, but copies also sell in Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory ...

'', where he served as chief of their reporting staff. He joined the staff of the '' Sydney Bulletin'' in 1901 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, plays and the acclaimed film ''

Breaker Morant Harry "The Breaker" Harbord Morant (born Edwin Henry Murrant, 9 December 1864 – 27 February 1902), more popularly known as Breaker Morant, was an Anglo-Australian drover, horseman, bush poet, military officer, and war criminal who was co ...

''. While still working for the ''Bulletin'', Fox served 1907–09 as first editor and manager of '' Lone Hand'', a monthly 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 Andrew Barton "Banjo" Paterson, (17 February 18645 February 1941) was an Australian bush poet, journalist and author. He wrote many ballads and poems about Australian life, focusing particularly on the rural and outback areas, including the ...

and

Norman Lindsay Norman Alfred William Lindsay (22 February 1879 – 21 November 1969) was an Australian artist, etcher, sculptor, writer, art critic, novelist, cartoonist and amateur boxing, boxer. One of the most prolific and popular Australian artists of his ...

. In spite of the latter describing him as an ''equine exhibitionist'', Lindsay painted an equestrian portrait of Fox. This was considered highly unusual, as the subject matter is not in keeping with Lindsay's well-known works. Lindsay wrote ''Bohemians of the Bulletin'', which is illustrated with his doodles. Fox was appointed as an assistant editor for the ''

Morning Post ''The Morning Post'' was a conservative daily newspaper published in London from 1772 to 1937, when it was acquired by ''The Daily Telegraph''. History The paper was founded by John Bell. According to historian Robert Darnton, ''The Morning Po ...

'' 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 whilst war correspondent for the ''Morning Post'' 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 The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from ...

working for

Mi7 MI7 was a branch of the British War Office’s Directorate of Military Intelligence with responsibilities for press liaison and propaganda. The branch was originally established in the First World War and disbanded after the signing of the Ar ...

, 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 Montreuil (; also nl, Monsterole), also known as Montreuil-sur-Mer (; pcd, Montreu-su-Mér or , literally ''Montreuil on Sea''), is a sub-prefecture in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It is located on the Canche river, not far fr ...

Journalist

Australia (1892-1909)

* Editor: '' The Australian Workman''. Aged 18 * Editor: ''National Advocate''. Aged 21 * Acting Editor: '' Sydney Bulletin'' * Founder: ''

The Lone Hand (magazine) ''The Lone Hand'' was a monthly Australian magazine of literature and poetry published between 1907 and 1928. The magazine was based in Sydney. History ''The Lone Hand'' was founded in 1907 by J. F. Archibald and Frank Fox as a monthly Austral ...

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. *

(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 Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

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.

Campaigner

Australia

* Championed

Australian Federation The Federation of Australia was the process by which the six separate British self-governing colonies of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia (which also governed what is now the Northern Territory), and Western A ...

(as Editor of National Advocate)

Britain

* Warned of Danger of War in Europe (1909-1914) and urged preparation – in Print and Public Platform *

MI7 MI7 was a branch of the British War Office’s Directorate of Military Intelligence with responsibilities for press liaison and propaganda. The branch was originally established in the First World War and disbanded after the signing of the Ar ...

(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 The British Empire Exhibition was a colonial exhibition held at Wembley Park, London England from 23 April to 1 November 1924 and from 9 May to 31 October 1925. Background In 1920 the British Government decided to site the British Empire Exhibi ...

(for which he was Knighted - 1926)

Family and personal life

He married Helena Clint (d. 1958) on 13 June 1894; they had a son and two daughters. Helena Clint was granddaughter of

Alfred Clint Alfred Clint (1807–1883) was an English marine painter. Life Clint was the fifth and youngest son by the first marriage of George Clint, A.R.A. He was born in Alfred Place, Bedford Square, London, on 22 March 1807. He acquired the technic ...

, President of the

Society of British Artists The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy. History The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...

, great-granddaughter of

George Clint George Clint (12 April 1770 – 10 May 1854) was an English portrait painter and engraver, especially notable for his many theatrical subjects. Life Clint was born in Brownlow Street, Drury Lane, Covent Garden, London, the son of Michael Cl ...

ARA, and great-niece of Scipio Clint. Former British Conservative Member of Parliament Dr.

Charles Goodson-Wickes Charles Goodson-Wickes, DL (born 7 November 1945) is a company director, business consultant and consulting physician. From 1987 to 1997 he was the British Conservative Member of Parliament for Wimbledon. He served in The Life Guards in the B ...

is Frank Fox's great-grandson and literary executor.

Bibliography

* 1902 - Bushman and Buccaneer: a memoir of Harry Morant, Frank Renar, HT Dunn, Australia * 1908 - From the Old Dog, Lothian, Melbourne, Australia * 1909 - The Australian Crisis; written under the pseudonym of CH Kirmess. * 1910 - Australia (Illustrations by

Percy Spence Percy Frederick Seaton Spence (14 December 1868 – 3 August 1933) was an Australian artist. Spence was born in Sydney, seventh child of English parents Francis Spence, civil servant, and his wife Hannah, ''née'' Turnbull. Spence spent his y ...

) Black * 1910 - Ramparts of Empire; a view of the Navy from an Imperial Standpoint, Black
1911 - Australia; Peeps at many lands, Black
via gutenberg.org * 1911 - The British Empire: peeps at many lands, (new 1915; 2nd 1929) * 1911 - Oceania; Peeps at many lands, Black, new edition 1915
1912 - Problems of the Pacific, Williams and Norgate
via gutenberg.org * 1912 - The Tyranny of Trade Unions, Eveleigh Nash * 1913 - Naturalist in Cannibal Land, AS Meek (Ed. F Fox) Fisher, Unwin * 1913 - Our English Land Muddle; an Australian view, Nelson
1915 - The Balkan Peninsular, Black
via gutenberg.org * 1915 - The Agony of Belgium: (being Phase 1 of the Great War), Hutchinson (republished in 2014 by

, Great Grandson and Literary Executor of Sir Frank Fox.) Reviewed July 2016 in The Guards Magazine.
1915 - Bulgaria, Black
via gutenberg.org
1914 - England, Black
via gutenberg.org * 1915 - Italy, Black
1914 - Switzerland, Black
via gutenberg.org * 1918 - The Battle of the Ridges; Arras, Messiness (March–June 1917) Pearson * 1918 - The British Army at War, Unwin * 1920 - "GHQ" (Montreuil-sur-mer), "GSO" P Allan. (French edition republished in 2015. English Edition in 2016 by

, Great Grandson and Literary Executor of Sir Frank Fox.) Reviewed in

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...

on 16/7/16 as one of the six best War Reads. Reviewed July 2016 in The Guards Magazine Reviewed in The RUSI Journal December 2016 Vol. 161 No. 6 pp. 58.63] * 1922 -

The King's Pilgrimage "The King's Pilgrimage" is a poem and book about the journey made by King George V in May 1922 to visit the World War I cemeteries and memorials being constructed at the time in France and Belgium by the Imperial War Graves Commission. Note 1 Thi ...

, Hodder & Stoughton (Sir Frank Fox accompanying

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936. Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...

and Field Marshal Earl Haig to opening of Belgian & French Military Cemeteries 1922.) – to be republished 2017 * 1923 - The History of the Royal Gloucestershire Hussars Yeomanry 1898 - 1922 (The Great Cavalry Campaign in Palestine), P Allan * 1923 - Beneath an Ardent Sun, Hodder & Stoughton * 1923 - The English 1909–1922; a gossip, Murray * 1924 - The British Empire Exhibition, Wembley, Official Guide, in collaboration with Grant Cook * 1926 - Finland Today, Black; new edition 1928 * 1927 - Italy Today, H Jenkins * 1928 - The Mastery of the Pacific: can the British Empire and the United States agree? Seams, NY 1928 * 1928 - The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the World War, Constable * 1930 - Parliamentary Government - a failure, S Paul * 1937 - The Royal House of Windsor 1837-1937 (edited), Royal Warrant Holders Association * 1951 - The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers in the Second World War, 1939–45

References

External links

* * *
C. H. Kirmess
(pseudonym) at ''

The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction ''The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' (SFE) is an English language reference work on science fiction, first published in 1979. It has won the Hugo, Locus and British SF Awards. Two print editions appeared in 1979 and 1993. A third, continu ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Frank 1874 births 1960 deaths Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Writers from Adelaide Australian journalists Australian soldiers Australian Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian Knights Bachelor