Leslie James Fitz-Henry : War Correspondent

Inscribed on the oculus of the War Correspondents Memorial at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, are the words: “amid dangers known and unknown, war correspondents report what they see and hear. Those words and images live beyond the moment and become part of the history of Australia.”

Leslie James Fitz-Henry was one of the approximate 250 war correspondents who contributed during World War II. A journalist for the Courier Mail, Les wrote under ‘L. J. Fitz-Henry' on his Underwood Standard Four Bank typewriter. Les wrote of the events happening on the front line in Papua New Guinea, communicating much needed information to families home in Australia who were anxiously awaiting news.

For me, Leslie James was Uncle Les, and it was only after starting in the Information Services team that I began to truly know him as a war correspondent. While honing my family history skills, I discovered a deeper understanding of his work and his life.

Born in 1906 to parents Albert Fitz-Henry and Elizabeth Oddy, and the elder brother to my grandfather, Les was Brisbane born and bred and the first in his lineage to go to war. He was older than many first-time enlisters at 37 years of age when he touched down in Papua New Guinea.

For his contributions to the war effort, Les received a letter and a medal of service from General McArthur who wrote “You have added luster to the difficult, dangerous and arduous profession of War Correspondent.”

Les wrote for the Courier Mail long after World War II ended, writing odes to his stamp collections, and documenting political movements across Queensland. He lived a colourful life, with his parties, his nuptials and his divorce court proceedings all gracing the pages of the Courier Mail.

Very dear to my mother and her sisters, and with no children of his own, Les left his home and the belongings housed inside it to them. I proudly wore  his medals pinned to my chest each Anzac and Remembrance Day, and his photo hangs on our wall. After years hidden away and gathering dust in my parent’s garage, we unearthed his typewriter. This typewriter and Les’s medals have now found a new home at State Library as part of the John Oxley Heritage Collections – a small part of Queensland history that can live another life. If you’d like to view the Leslie Fitz-Henry collection, you can find the catalogue guide here.

If you’d like to find out more about your family’s history, submit an enquiry via our Ask a Librarian service or visit the team onsite at State Library.