John Cromar
John "Jock" Cromar (1859/1860-1942) was a Scottish-Australian seaman and author, who wrote the book Jock of the Islands, a supposed retelling of his experiences in Melanesia during the late 19th century.[1] Born in Aberdeen, Cromar entered into sailing "at a young age".[1] At the age of 23, Cromar was recruited onto the schooner Forest King, which recruited kanaka labour for sugar and cotton plantations in Queensland.[2] Cromar claimed in Jock of the Islands that during this voyage, he had been told a story of the murder of John Gibson Paton and his wife, who in actuality died peacefully.[2] Cromar also claimed to have seen an islander with an eight-inch tail.[2] From 1885 to 1886, Cromar was a recruiting officer on the ship Helena.[3] Throughout his life, he managed numerous plantations on the Solomon Islands, and was the captain of several small ships.[1] Cromar continued to sail until the age of 75.[1] In his later years, he mostly operated as a trader on Marovo Island.[2]
John Cromar | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1859/1860 |
| Died | 1942 (age 82) |
| Nationality | Australian |
| Occupation | Sailor and author |
| Years active | unknown-1935 |
Notable work | Jock of the Islands |
In 1935, Cromar's book Jock of the Islands, published by Faber & Faber, was released. The book was noted as one of the few first-hand accounts of experiences in Melanesia during the time period it covered.[2] Jock of the Islands was well received by critics. The Melbourne-based newspaper The Australasian gave a positive review of the book, describing it as "a tale of romance and strange adventure", and "though dark with tragedy...an entertaining book", while also praising its illustrations, and noting Cromar's frankness when discussing sexual liaisons between sailors and local women.[2] H.M. Hall, whose comments were published in The Worker, described it as "interesting", declaring that it would "be of interest to old-school Laborites".[4] In their review of the book, The Sun declared that Cromar "tells picturesquely the story, as he saw it, of an almost forgotten phase of our industrial story", and declared that "There is not much literary grace in the writing, but it is a lively narrative, and well worth reading."[5] As a work, Jock of the Islands is not focused on the routine work of recruiting, instead being focused more on stories of the dangerous and romantic encounters Cromar claims to have experienced during his career.[6]
Cromar passed away shortly prior to 4 December 1942 in Brisbane, of unspecified causes at the age of 82.[1] He remained unmarried throughout his life.[1]
References
- "Mr. J. Cromar dead". The Telegraph. December 4, 1942. p. 3. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Books of the Day: Island Adventures". The Australasian. 30 March 1935. p. 5. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- Bennett, Judith A. (October 2012). Tim Bayliss-Smith (ed.). An Otago Storeman in Solomon Islands. ANU Press. p. 79. ISBN 9781922144218. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
- Hall, H.M. (6 August 1935). "Jock of the Islands". The Worker. p. 6. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Recruiting Labor: Island Stories". The Sun. August 18, 1935. p. 18. Retrieved 18 December 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
- "Introduction: Islanders trading and trading" (PDF). Australian National University.
Further reading
- Cromar, John (1935). Jock of the Islands. London: Faber & Faber. ASIN B007Q80SSS.