Tuesday, Dec 12, 2023

As a teenager who loved to read, I would usually gravitate to novels. It was my father, Leslie Craddock, who led me to an appreciation of the short story, introducing me to writers such as Saki, O. Henry and Damon Runyon, as well as stories that he had written. In time, I discovered the wonderfully absurd short stories of James Thurber. Ironically, none of these writers are listed in most current internet searches for lists of best short story writers.

My father began writing during his years at Kadina High School in South Australia, where he was head Prefect and co-Vice President of the Literary and Debating Society. He also  contributed poetry and prose pieces to the school magazine. In the 1930s, Les enrolled with the International Correspondence School in Sydney for a course on short story writing, submitting several of his efforts to Adelaide newspapers and to The Australian Women’s Weekly magazine. Whilst the rejection slips outnumbered the acceptance slips, he did have some of his stories published in the Adelaide Register and Express under the pen name ‘Kay Lesley’ (being my second name and that of my sister, Patricia).

Les Craddock, Service Number SX15743, reached the rank of Staff Sergeant during World War II, serving in northern Australia and south-east Asia. For most of the Pacific War he worked in an ordnance section supplying parts for army vehicles. Les was a man of many interests, most of which he embraced enthusiastically. These stood him in good stead during his time in Darwin, which was mostly spent anticipating a push north, to Timor, or anywhere.

‘To pass the time, Les played baseball, volleyball, football, cards and chess. He wrote letters and poems, spotted comets, pinned insects, played the piano in the mess, and fashioned figures of Churchill, Hitler, Tojo and the seven dwarves from 50-calibre cartridges. Reverting to his role in the Literary and Debating Society, he inspired his fellow soldiers to write short stories.’ [Extract from Rare. A life among antiquarian books by Stuart Kells. Folio, Sydney, 2011].