Australian Naval History on 3 November 1917

The prolific naval author, James Edmond MacDonnell, was born in Mackay, QLD. He joined the RAN in 1934, and served until 1948, reaching the rank of Acting Gunner, (Warrant Officer). During the war he served in HMAS CANBERRA, (cruiser), and HMA Ships NEPAL and NIZAM, (destroyers), and these provided the settings for many of his books. During a 30 year writing career he produced over 200 fiction books, with most concentrating on the RAN. He died at Kuluin, QLD, on 13 September 2002.