Little Darwin has an unusual link with a court case which rocked Melbourne when Channel 9’s award winning crime series Underbelly was not even in swaddling clothes. It is a battered 1950 copy of Communist author Frank Hardy’s controversial novel Power Without Glory containing newspaper clippings from the sensational court case it provoked .
Hardy, 33, was charged with having criminally libelled Mrs Ellen Wren, wife of John Wren, described as a Melbourne financier. Mrs Wren claimed the novel stated she had committed adultery with a bricklayer and given birth to an illegitimate child. She regarded the book as a “Communist plot”. There was an allegation that an attempt had been made to “ blackmail " her husband for $200,000 before publication of the book . The case had the populace rushing to read the newspapers , just as Underbelly had eager viewers glued to their TV screens.
During the hearing , two witnesses , John Wren junior and barrister and solicitor John Bernard Nolan, the latter a close friend of the Wrens, said they had read the book and identified 27 characters . They were : Dr Malone –Dr Mannix, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne; John Carr-John Cain , Parliamentary leader of the Labor Party in the Victorian parliament; “Snoopy” Tanner –“Squizzy”Taylor , Melbourne gunman who was shot dead in a Carlton gun battle; “Slasher” Cutting-“Snowy” Cutmore, a former Melbourne criminal; Alfred Davison –the late Sir Albert Dunstan, a former premier of Victoria; Mr Kenneth Murkett - Keith Murdoch (Rupert’s father ) , chairman of directors of The Herald and Weekly Times Limited ; “Snowy” Parker-Clyde Palmer, A Melbourne journalist; Mr Ron Lassiter-father of Con Loughnan, a member of Richmond City Council; Mr David Gartside-David Gaunston, solicitor who defended Ned Kelly and former adviser to John Wren ; “Red Ted ” Thurgood-the late E.J. Theodore , Labor Federal Treasurer and Acting Prime Minister of Australia; Lou Darby- the late Les Darcy , former middle and heavyweight boxing champion of Australia; Mr D. Lamb –Richard Lean, general manager of Stadiums Limited ; Barney Robinson –the late Barney Reynolds , a business associate of John Wren; Sol Solomons-the late Sol Green, philanthropist and well-known Melbourne racing identity ;Sugar Renfrey-Robert ( Sugar) Roberts, an associate of John Wren ; Bill Squeers – a former heavyweight boxing champion of Australia ; Frank Lammence-Frank Lawrence, former secretary of John Wren; Godfrey Dwyer –Sir Gilbert Dyett, a former president of the RSL; Thomas Real- Thomas Ryan-former premier of Queensland; T.Trumbleward-T. Tunnecliffe, who until his death was the member for Collingwood in the Legislative Assembly; Pat Cory- Pat Cody, a friend of John West; Vera Maguire –the late wife of witness Bernard Nolan; Arty West-Wren junior’s Uncle Arthur; Mrs Nellie West –Mrs Ellen Wren and Mr John West – John Wren.
An exhibit in the case was a heavily upholstered chair with a crest and Gaelic motto , “Wren to Victory”. It had been given by Archbishop Mannix to Wren senior. In Power Without Glory, there was mention of a chair bearing a Gaelic inscription “West to Victory.”
Hardy was acquitted of the charge. The author’s note in this the second (unexpurgated ) edition of the book said it was the first of a series of novels to give a picture of mainstream Australian life in the 20th century. By its very nature Power Without Glory contained material that was directly political . Novels, he believed , should be more than entertainment, having a political, social and artistic purpose. Hardy had a a long association with the Northern Territory , beginning with his time in the Army at Mataranka during WW11 and included his campaign for the Gurindjis.
Hardy, 33, was charged with having criminally libelled Mrs Ellen Wren, wife of John Wren, described as a Melbourne financier. Mrs Wren claimed the novel stated she had committed adultery with a bricklayer and given birth to an illegitimate child. She regarded the book as a “Communist plot”. There was an allegation that an attempt had been made to “ blackmail " her husband for $200,000 before publication of the book . The case had the populace rushing to read the newspapers , just as Underbelly had eager viewers glued to their TV screens.
During the hearing , two witnesses , John Wren junior and barrister and solicitor John Bernard Nolan, the latter a close friend of the Wrens, said they had read the book and identified 27 characters . They were : Dr Malone –Dr Mannix, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne; John Carr-John Cain , Parliamentary leader of the Labor Party in the Victorian parliament; “Snoopy” Tanner –“Squizzy”Taylor , Melbourne gunman who was shot dead in a Carlton gun battle; “Slasher” Cutting-“Snowy” Cutmore, a former Melbourne criminal; Alfred Davison –the late Sir Albert Dunstan, a former premier of Victoria; Mr Kenneth Murkett - Keith Murdoch (Rupert’s father ) , chairman of directors of The Herald and Weekly Times Limited ; “Snowy” Parker-Clyde Palmer, A Melbourne journalist; Mr Ron Lassiter-father of Con Loughnan, a member of Richmond City Council; Mr David Gartside-David Gaunston, solicitor who defended Ned Kelly and former adviser to John Wren ; “Red Ted ” Thurgood-the late E.J. Theodore , Labor Federal Treasurer and Acting Prime Minister of Australia; Lou Darby- the late Les Darcy , former middle and heavyweight boxing champion of Australia; Mr D. Lamb –Richard Lean, general manager of Stadiums Limited ; Barney Robinson –the late Barney Reynolds , a business associate of John Wren; Sol Solomons-the late Sol Green, philanthropist and well-known Melbourne racing identity ;Sugar Renfrey-Robert ( Sugar) Roberts, an associate of John Wren ; Bill Squeers – a former heavyweight boxing champion of Australia ; Frank Lammence-Frank Lawrence, former secretary of John Wren; Godfrey Dwyer –Sir Gilbert Dyett, a former president of the RSL; Thomas Real- Thomas Ryan-former premier of Queensland; T.Trumbleward-T. Tunnecliffe, who until his death was the member for Collingwood in the Legislative Assembly; Pat Cory- Pat Cody, a friend of John West; Vera Maguire –the late wife of witness Bernard Nolan; Arty West-Wren junior’s Uncle Arthur; Mrs Nellie West –Mrs Ellen Wren and Mr John West – John Wren.
An exhibit in the case was a heavily upholstered chair with a crest and Gaelic motto , “Wren to Victory”. It had been given by Archbishop Mannix to Wren senior. In Power Without Glory, there was mention of a chair bearing a Gaelic inscription “West to Victory.”
Hardy was acquitted of the charge. The author’s note in this the second (unexpurgated ) edition of the book said it was the first of a series of novels to give a picture of mainstream Australian life in the 20th century. By its very nature Power Without Glory contained material that was directly political . Novels, he believed , should be more than entertainment, having a political, social and artistic purpose. Hardy had a a long association with the Northern Territory , beginning with his time in the Army at Mataranka during WW11 and included his campaign for the Gurindjis.
