Frederic Cutlack
Frederic Cutlack | |
---|---|
Born | Frederic Morley Cutlack 30 September 1886 Upper Lancing, Sussex, England |
Died | 27 November 1967 Burwash, Sussex, England | (aged 81)
Academic work | |
Main interests | Australian military history First World War |
Notable works | Volume VIII of Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 |
Frederic Morley Cutlack (30 September 1886 – 27 November 1967) was an Australian journalist and military historian. He was an author of a number of books on aspects of Australian military history, including one of the volumes of the official history series Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918.
Born in England in 1886, Cutlack's family emigrated to Australia in 1891. After he finished his schooling he began working as a journalist for a newspaper in South Australia. He was studying law in England when the First World War broke out and immediately joined the British Army. He served on the Western Front, including a period attached to the Australian 3rd Division where he made the acquaintance of Charles Bean. In late 1917, he was recruited as an official war correspondent for the Australian Imperial Force by Bean and worked in this capacity until the end of the war. He resumed his career in journalism, having become a barrister. He wrote the history of the Australian Flying Corps, a volume of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 as well as other books on aspects of Australian military history. He died in England in 1967, having moved there in his later years.
Early life
Frederic Morley Cutlack was born in Upper Lancing, Sussex, in England on 30 September 1886 to Frank Cutlack, a dredging contractor, and his wife Elizabeth née Hall. When Cutlack was 5 years old, the family emigrated to South Australia. He attended school at Renmark before going on to University College in North Adelaide. He joined the staff of the Register in 1904, working as a journalist. In 1911, he went to London and began working for the Daily Chronicle.[1] When HMAS Australia made its maiden voyage to Australia, Cuttack was aboard as a correspondent.[2]
First World War
On the outbreak of the First World War, Cutlack enlisted in the
In his new role, Cutlack wrote numerous reports from the frontlines, often exposed to danger.[2] With Bean he visited Villers-Bretonneux while it was under shellfire during the German spring offensive,[3] started a new magazine for AIF troops,[4] and in addition to his correspondent work reporting on the activities of the AIF, collected material for the war museum that Bean had proposed for Australia.[1][5] In July 1918, he was injured in a motorbike accident and during his convalescence published a narrative of the exploits of the Australian Corps.[2] On his recovery he continued to report on the doings of the Australian troops although by early 1919 Bean had departed for Gallipoli as part of the Australian Historical Mission. Cutlack was discharged from his duties in March 1919.[1]
Postwar period
Returning to civilian life, Cutlack was called to the bar in 1919, becoming a barrister. He and his wife moved to Australia the following year where he joined the staff of The Sydney Morning Herald. He left the same year when he was commissioned to write the volume of the Official History of Australia in the War of 1914–1918 that dealt with the Australian Flying Corps.[1] His former colleague Charles Bean was the editor of the official history and worked closely with all the authors writing the various volumes.[6] Cutlack's book, The Australian Flying Corps in the Western and Eastern Theatres of War, 1914–1918, was published in 1923 and sold around 18,500 copies.[1]
With his book completed, Cutlack then joined the staff of
Later life
Cutlack's marriage to Elizabeth was annulled in early 1937 and later that year he remarried, to Pauline Curr at Sydney. He continued to work in journalism and for several years was the associate editor at the Herald. He retired in 1947, having worked his final months at the Bulletin. His marriage to Pauline had ended the previous year.[1]
In his final years, Cutlack lived in
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Sweeting, A. J. "Cutlack, Frederic Morley (1886–1967)". Biography: Cutlack, Frederic Morley (1886–1967). Australian National University. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b c Dennis et al. 1995, p. 195.
- ^ Coulthart 2014, p. 304.
- ^ Coulthart 2014, p. 287.
- ^ Dennis et al. 1995, p. 77.
- ^ Dennis et al. 1995, pp. 441–442.
- ^ Langer, William L. (January 1936). "Capsule Review: The Manchurian Arena". Foreign Affairs (January 1936). Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
References
- Coulthart, Ross (2014). Charles Bean. Sydney, New South Wales: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7322-97879.
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (1st ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press Australia & New Zealand. ISBN 0-19-553227-9.