James Aldridge
Encyclopedia
Harold Edward James Aldridge (born 10 July 1918) was a multi-award–winning Australia
n author
and journalist whose World War II
despatches were published worldwide and formed the basis of several of his novels, including the prize-winning The Sea Eagle about Australian troops in Crete
.
Aldridge was born in White Hills
, a suburb of Bendigo
, Victoria
. By the mid 1920s the Aldridge family had moved to Swan Hill
, and many of his Australian stories are based on his life growing up there. Aldridge moved to London
in 1938; he currently lives in Battersea
, South West London
.
The stories that are based on the real living conditions of his hometown of Swan Hill include his 1995 Children's Book Council of Australia
book of the year The True Story of Lilli Stubeck, one of his St Helen series of children's books. He lived in Cairo
for many years, writing several books about the Middle East, including Cairo - Biography of a City and the novels The Diplomat and Heroes of the Empty View. His 1973 children's novel A Sporting Proposition was adapted for the 1975 Disney film Ride a Wild Pony
.
He won a Lenin Peace Prize
in 1972 for 'his outstanding struggle for the preservation of peace'. He has also won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
, the World Peace Council
Gold Medal, and was awarded the Gold Medal for Journalism by the Organisation for International Journalists in 1972.
His book My Brother Tom was made into a telemovie in 1986.
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and journalist whose World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
despatches were published worldwide and formed the basis of several of his novels, including the prize-winning The Sea Eagle about Australian troops in Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
.
Aldridge was born in White Hills
White Hills, Victoria
White Hills is a suburb of the City of Bendigo in central Victoria, Australia. At the 2006 census, White Hills had a population of 2,626.White Hills Post Office opened on 21 August 1857 during the gold rush....
, a suburb of Bendigo
Bendigo, Victoria
Bendigo is a major regional city in the state of Victoria, Australia, located very close to the geographical centre of the state and approximately north west of the state capital Melbourne. It is the second largest inland city and fourth most populous city in the state. The estimated urban...
, Victoria
Victoria (Australia)
Victoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
. By the mid 1920s the Aldridge family had moved to Swan Hill
Swan Hill, Victoria
Swan Hill is a city in the northwest of Victoria, Australia. It is located on the Murray Valley Highway, on the south bank of the Murray River, downstream from the junction of the Loddon River. At the 2006 census, Swan Hill had a population of 9,684.-History:...
, and many of his Australian stories are based on his life growing up there. Aldridge moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1938; he currently lives in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, South West London
South West (London Assembly constituency)
South West is a constituency represented in the London Assembly. It has been represented, since its creation in 2000, by Tony Arbour, a Conservative from Richmond upon Thames....
.
The stories that are based on the real living conditions of his hometown of Swan Hill include his 1995 Children's Book Council of Australia
Children's Book Council
According to their website, the Children's Book Council is a United States "nonprofit trade association of publishers and packagers of trade books and related materials for children and young adults."...
book of the year The True Story of Lilli Stubeck, one of his St Helen series of children's books. He lived in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
for many years, writing several books about the Middle East, including Cairo - Biography of a City and the novels The Diplomat and Heroes of the Empty View. His 1973 children's novel A Sporting Proposition was adapted for the 1975 Disney film Ride a Wild Pony
Ride a Wild Pony
Ride a Wild Pony, also known as Born to Run, is a 1975 Walt Disney Productions film directed by Don Chaffey adapted from the James Aldridge novel A Sporting Proposition.-Plot:...
.
He won a Lenin Peace Prize
Lenin Peace Prize
The International Lenin Peace Prize was the Soviet Union's equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize, named in honor of Vladimir Lenin. It was awarded by a panel appointed by the Soviet government, to notable individuals whom the panel indicated had "strengthened peace among peoples"...
in 1972 for 'his outstanding struggle for the preservation of peace'. He has also won the John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
John Llewellyn Rhys Prize
The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize is a literary prize awarded annually for the best work of literature by an author from the Commonwealth aged 35 or under, written in English and published in the United Kingdom...
, the World Peace Council
World Peace Council
The World Peace Council is an international organization that advocates universal disarmament, sovereignty and independence and peaceful co-existence, and campaigns against imperialism, weapons of mass destruction and all forms of discrimination...
Gold Medal, and was awarded the Gold Medal for Journalism by the Organisation for International Journalists in 1972.
His book My Brother Tom was made into a telemovie in 1986.
External links
- Penguin Books Australia biography
- Photograph: 1940-10. J. ALDRIDGE. (NEGATIVE BY ILLIDGE).http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/003749
- Photograph: ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT. 1941-04-27. A GROUP OF AUSTRALIAN WAR CORRESPONDENTS AND OTHERS RETURNING FROM CRETE ON BOARD THE R.F.A. "CHERRYLEAF", A BRITISH NAVY OILER ... http://cas.awm.gov.au/photograph/023807