Nevil Shute Nevil “Shute” Norway was born on January 17,1899 as the son of Arthur Hamilton Norway, a writer of travel books, in Ealing, Middlesex, England (Locker 396). Nevil Norway spent his early years during the early parts of the Sinn Fein Rebellion, where he helped served with the Red Cross. He later served as a soldier in France during World War I. After the war's end in 1918, he returned home and went to Oxford to finish his studies (Kunitz 1034). He had gained an interest in engineering and aeronautics after being influenced through the many years of war. He also had a craving for writing and describing things on paper, which would later help him in hi