John Sandes facts for kids

John Sandes (born 1863, died 1938) was an Australian writer. He was a poet, a journalist, and an author.

Early Life of John Sandes

John Sandes was born in Cork, Ireland. His birthday was February 26, 1863. His father was Rev. Samuel Dickson Sandes. His mother was Sophia Julia Besnard.

In 1872, John moved to England. He went to several schools there. These included King's College London and Oxford University. He finished his studies at Oxford in 1885.

John Sandes' Career as a Writer

In 1887, John Sandes moved to Melbourne, Australia. He started working for a newspaper called The Argus. He wrote about music and plays for the paper.

John Sandes was one of three journalists who started a special column. It was called "Passing Show" and was written under the name 'Oriel'. This column was very popular. It continued for over 50 years.

Published Works and Popular Poems

In 1898, a book of John Sandes' poems was published. It was called Rhymes of the Times. In 1900, another collection of his poems came out. This one was called Ballads of Battle.

One poem from Ballads of Battle became very famous. It was titled "With Death's Prophetic Ear." This poem helped John Sandes become well-known.

In 1903, he moved to Sydney. He worked for the Sydney Daily Telegraph newspaper. He wrote important articles and reviews. In 1919, he even reported for the paper at a peace conference. His first novel, Love and the Aeroplane, was published in 1910.

Later Life and Other Writings

From 1925, John Sandes was the editor of a magazine. It was called The Harbour. This magazine was about shipping. He worked there until shortly before he passed away.

John Sandes also wrote several short novels. He used his own name and a pen name, "Don Delaney." These books were published between 1910 and 1917.

John Sandes passed away on November 29, 1938. He had been sick with cancer. He was a very good journalist. He was especially talented at writing poems for special occasions.