Virtual
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Australia

Edward Vivian Timms (1895-1960) author, was born on 7 April 1895 in Queensland. His father was William Henry Timms, a chemist from Worcester, England, and his mother was Victorian-born Bertha Bawden. His mother moved to Western Australia where she married a Presbyterian minister, Angus King, who served at Coolgardie and Fremantle before coming back to Sydney in 1906. Timms attended public schools in Sydney and then studied electrical engineering. Using his stepfather's surname, he signed up and joined the 1st Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force, on 27 August 1914 and was then promoted lieutenant on 15 March 1915 (Australian Military Forces, Application for a commission in the Australian Imperial Forces, https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/362594). His Battalion took part in the landing on Gallipoli on 25 April but he was wounded later and discharged and so he came home early.

After returning home Timms married Alma McRobert in St David's, Haberfield, on 19 August 1916. After marrying, they took up a piece of land the government gave to soldiers on the Richmond River, but due to their inexperience in drought they were forced to leave. Returning to Sydney, Timms published his first ever novel, The Hills of Hate, in 1925; which was follwed by a humor novel (James! Don't be a Fool) and Lawrence, Prince of Mecca (1927) was written under the false name of David Roseler, The Cripple in Black (1930), set in the seventeenth century, was the first of his many historical romances novels(University of Queensland, Edward Vivian Timms Collection, https://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer-library/ms/uqfl380.pdf).

 On top of twenty-two novels, Timms wrote lots of short stories and countless plays, serials, scripts and adaptations of popular novels for the cinema and radio. He wrote a script for The Hills of Hate novel adpation film in 1926, he alse wrote the scripts for movies, The Grey Glove (1928) and The Squatter's Daughter (1933) and Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940). Timms began working on a Tv program called 'The diggers' session' on January 1938 for the Australian Broadcasting Commission and wrote a serial for it until 1940 (University of Queensland, Edward Vivian Timms Collection, https://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer-library/ms/uqfl380.pdf).

During World War II he was called upon by his country to fight so he joined the Australian Garrison battalions from June 1940. He had the rank of temporary major and from October 1943 Timms oversaw the Italian’s POWs of C Camp, No.12 Prisoner of War Compound in Cowra. On the night of the mass Japanese break-out (5 August 1944), he led his C company in defending from a rear attack by the Japanese prisoners and gave the order to fire. He later testified at the military court of the Japan attack and published a description in his book ‘As You Were’(1946) called  'Bloodbath at Cowra'. In 1945-46 he was demoted to inspection officer for POW camps.

Timms was a tall and strongly built man, with brown hair, Timms was essentially an Australian family man. He had no illusions in his novels and considered himself a good story-teller not a good artist. (Australian Military Forces, Application for a commission in the Australian Imperial Forces, https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/362594). His novels were quite popular and some were translated into other languages such as Spanish, Dutch, German, French and Norwegian; Forever to Remain was even turned into a stage musical.

After the war Timms started his 'Australian saga', a twelve book sequence of historical novels that began with the novel Forever to Remain (1948) and was about the lives of an English immigrant family, the Gubbys. In 1954 he went into retirement and settled in Budgewoi, near Gosford, where he enjoyed fishing, leisure walking and gardening. He was cared for by his wife, two sons and daughter until he died on 14 June 1960 of heart disease and was buried in Northern Suburbs cemetery in Sydney (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._V._Timms). His widow completed his unfinished novel The Big Country(1962) and wrote the final novel of the 'Australian saga', Time and Chance (1971).

 Daniel Yu

Sydney Technical High School

Biography

https://www.library.uq.edu.au/fryer-library/ms/uqfl380.pdf                              

https://discoveringanzacs.naa.gov.au/browse/person/362594

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._V._Timms

Edward Vivian Timms (King) was born on the 7th April 1895 at Charters Towers, Queensland. His parents, William Timms and Bertha Timms, were both of British descent. Timms’ father was a chemist who worked in Worcester, England, however no public information is available about his mother. Upon enlistment in the army Edward Timms stood almost 1.8m and weighed approximately 65kg.[i]

When Edward was only three  years old, his father passed away. Edward’s mother Bertha Timms remarried a Presbyterian Reverend named Angus King and the family moved to Coolgardie, Western Australia.[ii] In his early years, Edward Timms attended Fremantle Boys’ School and was educated by Field Marshal Sir Thomas Albert. In 1906, his family relocated to Haberfield in Sydney, and Edward Timms attended Sydney Technical College (STHS) specialising in electrical engineering.[iii] Even before the Great War, Timms would provide support for the Australian military, spending two years as a Senior Cadet, seven months being a part of the 29th Infantry (Australian Rifles), as well as the Citizens Force.[iv] He was a commissioned officer for the Senior Cadets and the Citizens Force.

At the outbreak of WW1, Edward Vivian Timms signed up to be a part of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He recorded his name as “Edward Vivian King”, which was his step-father’s family name. Edward Vivian ‘King’ joined the 1st Infantry Battalion of the AIF on the 27th of August 1914. His service number was B2455 and he would be placed under the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.[v] On the 18th of October 1914 in Sydney, King would embark on the HMAT A19 Afric to Egypt for training and preparation of the war.[vi] Edward trained for approximately two months before leaving Egypt to travel to Gallipoli, where one of the most significant battles in Australian history would happen. He was promoted to the position of Lieutenant on the 15th March 1915.[vii] On the 25th of April 1915, King, as well as his battalion and the rest of the ANZAC forces, would land at Gapa Tepe on the Gallipoli Peninsula, later to be re-named as Anzac Cove. On the first day of landing, Edward King was struck by a shell explosion, wounding him and killing several others. On the 30th of April, he was taken out of combat and moved to the 19th General Hospital in Alexandria, Egypt.[viii] According to his medical records he was suffering with “shock and deafness”. He was once again moved on the 11th of May, this time to the United Kingdom to convalesce staying to the 18th of May.[ix]

In mid-March 1916, Edward Vivian would be discharged from the 1st Infantry Battalion, ending his service in the Great War. In 1918 and 1919, he was awarded the 1914-15 Star medal, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal for his participation in World War One. He was engaged to Alma McRoberts and married her in his stepfather’s church on the 19th of August 1916.[x] In the years following the war Edward King changed his name to Edward Timms and in his spare time began writing, successfully having his first book published in 1925, “The Hills of Hate”.[xi] He would write more novels, as well as other stories and plays. His books were featured in many radio shows and cinemas, which helped him gain popularity as a novelist and scriptwriter.

When the Second World War came he enlisted on the 7th of June 1940 in the Australian Garrison battalion. He was promoted to a Major and was placed in control of Cowra Prison.[xii] Inside the P.O.W. camp, thousands of Axis military forces and civilians consisting of Italians, Koreans, Japanese and Indonesians were kept prisoners. Edward Timms would be assigned to the No. 12 Compound where Italian prisoners were held. During the Cowra breakout, he would defend against the Japanese escapees, giving orders to his group of men. Subsequently, Timms discovered a bugle on the ground which was used by a Japanese escape leader Toyoshima Hajime, who was also known to be the first Prisoner of War to have been put into the Cowra Camp. Timms retrieved the bugle and brought it home.[xiii] After this significant event, Major Timms would be an inspection officer for P.O.W camps until the 21st of June 1946.

After the end of World War Two he went back to his career as a writer and would continue producing books until he semi-retired in 1954. The first novel in a series, he wrote titled “Australian saga”, would be “Forever to Remain”. The series was based on a fictional English family who moved to Australia, hoping to start a new life. However, near the end of the volume, he was unable to continue writing “The Big Country”, which was the 11th book of the 12 volume. He passed away in Budgewoi, NSW on the 14th of June 1960 due to heart disease.[xiv] He was buried in the Northern Suburbs cemetery, Sydney. His wife, Alma Timms, would finish writing his 12 volume ‘Australian Saga’ with the concluding book “Time and Chance” being completed by 1971.[xv]

Thien Pham
Year 9 - Sydney Technical High School

References

Adb.anu.edu.au. (1990). Biography - Edward Vivian Timms - Australian Dictionary of Biography. [online] Available at: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/timms-edward-vivian-8818 [Accessed 9 Jul. 2018].

Google Docs. (1916). king 1916 name change to TIMMS.pdf. [online] Available at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1CBkwEYP1F1xH2JS4IrEeeI8T6GJ8VGYG [Accessed 13 Jul. 2018].

Google Docs. (2018). KING Edward Vivian.docx. [online] Available at: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1ICwbR9I8MO1l9-kkcUvmlvOq6YsMg73w [Accessed 14 Jul. 2018].

National Archives of Australia. (2006). NAA: B2455, TIMMS EDWARD VIVIAN. [online] Available at: https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8391372 [Accessed 9 Jul. 2018].

Ww2roll.gov.au. (2018). WW2 Nominal Roll - Certificate for EDWARD VIVIAN TIMMS. [online] Available at: http://www.ww2roll.gov.au/VeteranCertificate.aspx?VeteranID=249264 [Accessed 17 Jul. 2018].

Memorial, T. (2018). Bugle used to signal the start of Japanese POW breakout at Cowra: Toyoshima Hajime. [online] Awm.gov.au. Available at: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C115060 [Accessed 23 Jul. 2018].

[i] “TIMMS Edward Vivian: [AKA KING Edward Vivian]” in NAA: B2455, TIMMS EDWARD VIVIAN”, National Archives of Australia, Australia, 1914-1920, p. 1.
[ii] Anthony Barker, 'Timms, Edward Vivian (1895–1960)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, 1990.
[iii]ibid.
[iv] ‘LT Edward Vivian King’, Australian Commonwealth Military Forces, Australia.
[v] op. cit, National Archives of Australia, p. 1.
[vi] op. cit, Australian Commonwealth Military.
[vii] ibid.
[viii] op. cit, National Archives of Australia, p. 3.
[ix] ibid.
[x]Anthony Barker, op. cit, Australian Dictionary of Biography.
[xi] ibid.
[xii] ibid.
[xiii] “Bugle used to signal the start of Japanese POW breakout at Cowra: Toyoshima Hajime”, Australian War Memorial, Australia.
[xiv] Anthony Barker, op. cit, Australian Dictionary of Biography.
[xv] ibid.

Edward Vivian Timms was an Australian soldier, author and notable figure in Australian literature. His life spanned two world wars and his literary contributions, including acclaimed “Australian Saga” series, reflect his deep connection to Australian history and culture. He was born on the 7th of April 1895 at Charters Towers, Queensland Australia. His father, William Timms was a chemist from Worcester, and his mother, Bertha Timms were both of English descent. His early years were marked by hardship as when Edward was only 3 years old, his father passed away. Timms’ mother moved over to Western Australia where she married a Presbyterian minister, Angus King. (5)

In his early years, Edward attended the public school “Fremantle Boys highschool” before moving to Haberfield, Sydney. Edward attended Sydney Technical College where he studied and specialised in electrical engineering (1). Even before WW1 had started, based on the Australian Military forces application, Timms had participated in cadet training for over 2 years as a senior cadet, and also part of the 29th Infantry. (3)

On the 3rd September 1914 Edward Vivian Timms enlisted to the Australian Imperial Force. According to his AIF documents, he signed up to the 1st Infantry Battalion using his step fathers last name ' ‘King” and was placed under the rank of lieutenant with the service number B2445 (2) (1). Edward would take part in the landing on the Gallipoli peninsula, with only 2 months of prior training. The Gallipoli campaign was one of the most remarkable battles in Australian history, where Timms, his battalion and the rest of ANZAC forces would land on the 25th of April 1915 (2).

On his first day of landing, Timms and the rest of his battalion were hit with an artillery shell, which killed many others, but luckily only injured him (2). He was then taken out of combat and transferred to 19th General Hospital in Alexandria Egypt on the 30th of April. According to the “Casualty Form Active Service” Timms was admitted to shock and deafness. He was then relocated to Western General Hospital in England on the 18th of April 1915 unfit for any further active service (3). He was struck off strength and returned to Australia.

After the war, Timms would go on to marry Alma Timms, whose full name was Alma May Sullivan in St Davids Haberfield on the 19th of August 1916 (5). She would play a major role and be involved in her husband's literary and professional life. Timms would find a passion for writing in his free time and would write his first book called “The Hills of Hate” which was published in 1925 (5) , marking the beginning of a prolific writing career. The book follows the lives of settlers, indigenous Australians and convicts. It covers the harsh experiences of the Australian frontier wars and was backed up by his own life experiences. Edward Timms went on to write and publish 22 more novels (2). Not only novels, but Timms also wrote many short stories, film scripts for cinema and radio plays which helped him gain popularity.

When WW2 broke out, Timms enlisted in the Australian Garrison Battalion in June 1940 . He was promoted to the rank of major where he was in charge of the Prisoner of War camp Cowra. The camp contained thousands of axis military troops, Korean, and Japanese escapees. On the night of 5th of August 1944, there was a mass outbreak of Japanese soldiers. It was Timms’ job and the rest of the guards to contain the escapees and as a result, he was given orders to fire. (2) (3) 

After WW2, when Edward returned home to Australia, he continued to focus on his writing career. He started writing a book series called “The Australian Saga”. It was a collection of historical books depicting various periods and events throughout Australian history. Timms started with the book “Forever to remain” in 1948, which focused on the early days of settlement in Australia (2).The other notable books that were in this series were “The Fury” (1954), “Shining Harvest” (1956) and“Dark Interlude” (1958).

Edward Vivian Timms retired in 1954 and his death by heart disease was followed shortly after on the 14th of June 1960 (3). Edward was unable to publish and release many novels, scripts and radio plays, and these were recovered and named “The Edward Vivian Timms Collection”. Timms’ wife, Alma, finished the last book of the series “Time and Chance”, and would have the series finished by 1971 (4). Edward Vivian Timms’s contributions to both Australian military history and literature are significant. His service in two world wars and his extensive body of literary work, particularly the “Australian Saga” series, ensure his lasting legacy as a distinguished Australian author and soldier. 

Bibliography:

1.https://www.aif.adfa.edu.au/showPerson?pid=165293

2.https://vwma.org.au/explore/people/102770

3.https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=8391372

4.https://manuscripts.library.uq.edu.au/downloads/uqfl380.pdf

5.https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/timms-edward-vivian-8818