Nevil Shute(1899-1960)

Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, England. Decided early on an aeronautical career, and went to work for the de Havilland Aircraft Company as an engineer, where he was heavily involved in the construction of the airship R100. After the disastrous loss of the R101, built by the government in direct competition with his design, he changed to aeroplane contruction, founding his own firm Airspeed Ltd in 1931. First novel, Marazan (1926) written at this time. Did secret work for British Admiralty during WWII. He still wrote in this period. Visited Australia for 2 months in 1948, a trip that inspired A Town Like Alice. With his family he settled in Australia, where he later died.