Cry Out "Help"
p. 91 · Read in the full issue
And Lew Friday's Cry Out "Help"
• A Brett Hilder Profile
Herbert Ernest Lewis
FRIDAY is well-known to PIM readers as a writer of authority on the Pacific islands, especially New Caledonia.
IUSED to wonder whether he was French, but his surname is pro nounced as the English “Friday”, and he was born at Warwick in old England in 1897.
After attending Warwick School he went off to World War I in the Royal Irish Rifles, later serving as lieutenant in the Duke of Wellington’s Regi ment. Finally he was wounded and taken prisoner in 1918.
After the war Lewis spent four years teaching in New Zealand, before going to English-language newspapers in Germany, Italy, and France. He then joined Britannia & Eve in London, and was later film critic on Daily Film Renter, leading trade paper of the British film industry. In 1932 he joined the staff of the West Australian, and in 1938 arrived once more in New Zealand.
When the Pacific War started Lew became a war correspondent in New Caledonia, with headquarters in Noumea, first for Reuter’s and later for the American UP, covering the South Pacific area.
After this war he joined the Aus tralian Broadcasting Commission, where he worked for 15 years, on the ABC Weekly. He left Australia in 1960 to revisit England and Europe for a couple of years, but now is back in Australia, for the time being at least. At this moment he is vege tating and fishing on the beautiful foreshore of Lake Macquarie, but ex pects to make for Europe again next year.
Apart from journalism, Lew is deeply interested in Shakespeare, Southern Italy and historical research on the Pacific, in that order. He is the author or translator of the following books: Yesterdays in Maoriland; Pioneer Days in New Caledonia; Migration Without Tears (for the Fairbridge Farm Schools Scheme); Murder in the Rue Monge; Cannibal Island; and The War from Cococnut Square.
H. E. L. Friday (his initials spell HELP) has several manuscripts in hand, and a very good film script, so we may look forward to further en tertaining and valuable contributions from his wide experience and erudition.— Brett Milder.
Lew Friday.