J.C. Esmonde was born near Hobart in 1914. His father was a reservist of the Imperial Army and was killed during the capture of Wyschaete Ridge in the Great War in 1917. Esmonde had to leave State School at an early age and he soon found employment working on the land. His mother died just before the Great Depression and soon after Esmonde hit hard times and was unemployed for long spells. It was while working on a road crew that he first thought of writing. (Source: The Australian Journal, 'In Passing', 1 September, 1939 p1254)