Charles Bateson

Charles Bateson (4 August 1903 – 5 July 1974) was a maritime historian, journalist and author.

Early life Charles Henry Bateson was born in Wellington, New Zealand, son of Charles Bateson, a company manager born Liverpool, England, and mother Alice Lowe, née Rossiter, from Wales. He was educated at Hurworth school, Taranaki, before migrating to Australia in 1922.

Another publishing success came with Australian Shipwrecks (1972). Bateson completed the first volume in what was to be a six volume series of books on maritime disasters in Australia. After his death the series was completed by Jack Loney.

Bateson bequeathed his collection of 1300 books and his personal papers to the Mitchell Library, State Library of New South Wales.

List of works Spitfires over Malta (1943) First into Italy (1944) The Convict Ships 1788–1868 (1959) Gold fleet for California: forty-niners from Australia and New Zealand (1964) Patrick Logan – tyrant of Brisbane Town (1966) The War with Japan: a concise history (1968) Early sailor (1968) Early soldier (1968) Early surveyor (1970) A Chartmaker (1972) A Gold commissioner (1972) Australian Shipwrecks v1: 1622–1850 (1972) Dire Strait: a history of Bass Strait (1973)

Personal life Shortly after arriving in Australia, Bateson met and married journalist Coy Catherine Foster-Lynam on 27 August 1923 at St Peter's Anglican Church East Sydney. Bateson pursued his interests in military, naval and maritime history throughout his life particularly in retirement and was a member of the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Bateson died of coronary vascular disease at Vaucluse in Sydney on 5 July 1974, survived by his second wife Ann and daughter Louise of his first marriage.