Oh what a lovely war – or was it?

Abstract

By any measure Don Bradman had a lovely war. His military service was limited to a brief stint at the Melbourne beachside town of Frankston. ‘Demobbed’ because of persistent fibrositis, he spent the remainder of the war at home campaigning for war bonds and building up his business and social networks. He purchased a seat on the South Australian Stock Exchange and joined his employer Harry Hodgetts as a South Australian delegate to the Board of Control for Cricket. Hodgetts bankruptcy in 1945 was a major turning point in Bradman's career. Bradman built a business on the ruins of Hodgetts business. The resultant scandal led to Bradman's ostracism from provincial Adelaide society. This was camouflaged by his continuing career in cricket as a player and captain of the Australian team. Bradman contended that his return to cricket after the war stemmed from his desire to assist in the game's resurrection. This chapter suggests that this was not entirely the case. Bradman's post-war career stemmed from his need to reinvent himself in the wake of the Hodgetts scandal. By 1948, his reinvention was complete with a knighthood from the King.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.