Brinley Newton (John) Newton-John (1914 - 1992)

Born 5 Mar 1914 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Husband of Irene Helene Kathe Hedwig (Born) Newton-John — married 5 Apr 1937 (to 1958) in Kensington, London, England, United Kingdom

Husband of Gay Mary Jean Holley (McOmish) Newton-John — married 21 Aug 1983 in Manly, New South Wales, Australia

Descendants

Died 3 Jul 1992 at age 78 in Sydney, City of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

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Biography

Bryn (John) Newton-John was born in Wales.

Brinley 'Bryn' Newton John, son of Oliver John and Daisy Newton, was born 5 March 1914 at Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales, United Kingdom. ^[1][2][3]

He attended Canton Municipal Secondary School, Cardiff, winning a scholarship to Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge (BA, 1935; MA, 1939), where he achieved a double first in the modern and medieval languages tripos. After graduating, he became Assistant Master at Christ’s Hospital (1936–38), then at Stowe School (1938–40).^[1]

Brin married Irene (Born) Newton-John (see: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/142333597/irene-helene-newton-john) on 5 April 1937 in the Registry Office, Kensington, London. ^[4]

During World War II he was commissioned in the Royal Air Force on 30 September 1940. Being a fluent speaker of German, his first role was to interrogate captured German pilots. He was involved in identifying and apprehending Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess.^[5] In 1942 he was seconded to the Intelligence Unit (MI5) at Bletchley Park. After demobilisation late in 1945, Newton-John returned to teaching as headmaster of Cambridgeshire High School for Boys. ^[1]

Bryn (John) Newton-John migrated from England to Victoria, Australia.

Brinley Newton-John emigrated from England to Australia with his wife and their three children in 1953.^[6] He was Master of Ormond College, University of Melbourne, from 1954 for five years.^[1][7]

He moved to Newcastle University College, then part of the University of New South Wales, as associate professor of German and head of the department of arts. He became Deputy Warden of the college (1963), Vice-Principal of the new university (1965), and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (1968). He retired in 1974.^[1]

His first marriage ended in divorce. He married Valerie Ter Wee (née Cunningham) on 28 June 1963 in the Registry Office, Hamilton, Newcastle. ^[8] They had a further two children. This second marriage also ended in divorce. Brin married a third time on 21 August 1983 in Manly, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, to Gay Mary Jean Holley (née McOmish). ^[1]

Aged 78 years, Professor Brin Newton-John died on 3 July 1992 at his home in Manly. ^[9][10] He was survived by his wife and five children and his sister Rona. ^[11]

As an MI-5 officer during World War II, Bryn took Rudolf Hess into custody near the end of the Second World War.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} John Stowell and Jill Stowell, 'Newton-John, Brinley (Bryn) (1914–1992)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/newton-john-brinley-brin-18243/text29835, published online 2016, accessed online 9 August 2022.
2. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915 Record details Name Brinley N John Registration Date 1914 Quarter of the Year Apr-May-Jun Registration Place Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales Mother Newton Volume 11a Page 826
3. ↑ Birth Registration: "England & Wales General Register Office", database
   GRO Online Indexes - Birth (accessed 15 September 2022)
   John, Brinley Newton (Mother's maiden name: Newton).
   GRO Reference: 1914 Apr-May-Jun in Cardiff Volume 11A Page 826.
4. ↑ England & Wales, Civil Registration Marriage Index, 1916-2005 Record details Name Brinley N John Registration Date Apr 1937 Registration Quarter April-May-June Registration District Kensington Inferred County London Spouse Irene H K H Born Volume Number 1a Page number 356
5. ↑ Rogovoy, Seth. "The secret Jewish history of Olivia Newton-John." Forward, 8 August 2022.
6. ↑ The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; BT27 Board of Trade: Commercial and Statistical Department and Successors: Outwards Passenger Lists; Reference Number: Series BT27-162670 Name Brinley Newton-John Gender Male Departure Age 39 Birth Date 1914 Departure Date 30 December 1953 Departure Port England Ship Name Strathaird Shipping Line P and O Destination Port Melbourne, Australia Ancestry Record 2997 #140782067
7. ↑ New Master of Ormond (1953, October 14). The Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957), p. 6. Retrieved August 10, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article23314781
8. ↑ New South Wales Marriage Index #14170/1963
9. ↑ New South Wales Death Index #12205/1992
10. ↑ Obituary: "A Life in Literature: Obituary, Brinley Newton-John," The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, New South Wales, Australia), Saturday 4 July 1992, page 6, column 7-8. Newspapers.com : 19 September 2022.
11. ↑ Advertising (1992, July 4). The Canberra Times (ACT : 1926 - 1995), p. 22 (SECTION 2). Retrieved August 10, 2022, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article126932869

• The WikiPedia entry for Bryn's daughter, Olivia Newton-John, is here (he does not have his own WikiPedia page): [1]

• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 06 August 2019), memorial page for Brinley “Bryn” Newton-John (5 Mar 1914–3 Jul 1992), Find A Grave Memorial no. 101241715, ; Maintained by Pat McArron (contributor 47348594) Unknown. Find A Grave: Memorial #101241715

Notes

Quoting from daughter Rona's FindAGrave page, "Rona's paternal grandparents, Oliver John and Daisy Newton, were Welsh."