Hordern, Marsden 1922- (Marsden Carr Hordern)

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Hordern, Marsden 1922- (Marsden Carr Hordern)

PERSONAL:

Born March 26, 1922, in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia; son of Frederick Hugh (a minister) and Iris Mary (a homemaker) Hordern; married Lesley Frances Mary Spooner (a journalist and librarian), July 4, 1953; children: Rosemary Frances, Nicholas Marsden. Education: University of Sydney, B.A., 1947. Religion: Christian. Hobbies and other interests: Sailing, ocean cruising, bowls, book collecting, beekeeping, flying light aircraft.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Warrawee, New South Wales, Australia.

CAREER:

Hilton Hordern (fine art print gallery), Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, proprietor, 1958-96. Member of board of directors, Hodgsons Holdings Ltd. and Hydro Majestic, Medlow Bath. Military service: Royal Australian Naval Reserve, active duty as bombardier and as commander of a patrol boat, beginning 1942; served in Pacific theater; became lieutenant commander; received Naval Volunteer Reserve Decoration.

MEMBER:

Royal Australian Historical Society (member of council), Naval Historical Society of Australia, United Services Institution, Australian Club.

AWARDS, HONORS:

Book of the year citation, Age, Victoria Premiere's Literary Award, and Maritime History Prize, all for Mariners Are Warned! John Lort Stokes and H.M.S. Beagle in Australia 1837-1843; General History Prize, New South Wales Premier's Literary award, 1998, for King of the Australian Coast: The Work of Phillip Parker King in the Mermaid and Bathurst 1817-1822; honorary doctorate, University of Sydney, 2004.

WRITINGS:

Mariners Are Warned! John Lort Stokes and H.M.S. Beagle in Australia 1837-1843, Melbourne University Press (Carlton, Victoria, Australia), 1989.

King of the Australian Coast: The Work of Phillip Parker King in the Mermaid and Bathurst 1817-1822, Melbourne University Press (Carlton, Victoria, Australia), 1997.

A Merciful Journey: Recollections of a World War II Patrol Boat Man (memoir), Miegunyah Press (Carlton, Victoria, Australia), 2005.

SIDELIGHTS:

Marsden Hordern told CA: "My books were stimulated by my service at sea fighting the Japanese in the South Pacific in World War II, during which time I commanded a ship and worked closely with the U.S. Navy. Some of the charts we used were made by nineteenth-century seamen whose warning voices on several occasions saved our lives."