Charles Henry Bovill (28 September 1878 – 24 March 1918), professionally known as C. H. Bovill, was an English writer, songwriter and lyricist, known for his collaborations with

P. G. Wodehouse Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, ( ; 15 October 188114 February 1975) was an English author and one of the most widely read humorists of the 20th century. His creations include the feather-brained Bertie Wooster and his sagacious valet, Jeev ...

George Grossmith Jr. George Grossmith Jr. (11 May 1874 – 6 June 1935) was an English actor, theatre producer and Actor-manager, manager, director, playwright and songwriter, best remembered for his work in and with Edwardian musical comedies. Grossmith was also a ...

and others. His career was cut short by the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

in which he died while serving in the British army in France.

Life and career

Bovill was born at

Coonoor Coonoor, natively spelt as Kunnur (), is a Taluk and a municipality of the Nilgiris district in the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494. Demographics According to 2011 census, Coonoor had a population ...

, India, the only son of Major Charles Edward Bovill,

Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment o ...

, and his wife, Ellen Marie. He was educated at

Bedford Grammar School :''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.'' Bedford School is a public school (English inde ...

, after which he entered the civil service in 1900, serving there until 1912."Roll of Honour," ''The Times'', 28 March 1918, p. 4 He married Ethel Rachel Kay at St Augustine's,

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

on 30 September 1907; they had three sons. In the early 1900s while still a civil servant, Bovill began writing song lyrics, collaborating with, among other composers,

Ernest Shand Ernest Shand (born Ernest William Watson; 31 January 1868 – 29 November 1924) was an English performer and composer for the classical guitar, and a music-hall singer and actor. Biography Ernest William Watson was born into a musical family in ...

and

Philip Braham Philip Braham (18 June 1881 – 2 May 1934) was an English composer of the early twentieth century, chiefly associated with theatrical work. From 1914, he composed music for such musicals and revues as ''Theodore & Co'' (1916) and '' London Call ...

. In 1905 his short play ''Goodbye, Pierrot'' was given as a

curtain raiser A curtain raiser is a short performance, stage act, show, actor or performer that opens a show for the main attraction. The term is derived from the act of raising the stage curtain. The first person on stage has "raised the curtain". The fashio ...

in provincial performances. In 1907 he and

contributed lyrics for

Seymour Hicks Sir Edward Seymour Hicks (30 January 1871 – 6 April 1949), better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, actor-manager and producer. He became known, early in his career, for writing, starring in and p ...

's musical '' The Gay Gordons''. For

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

s contributed lyrics to

's ''Come Inside'' (1909), and was co-author of ''Mr Manhattan'' and ''Half Past Eight'', and was writer of the

Theatre Royal, Drury Lane The Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, commonly known as Drury Lane, is a West End theatre and Grade I listed building in Covent Garden, London, England. The building faces Catherine Street (earlier named Bridges or Brydges Street) and backs onto Dr ...

's 1912 pantomime, ''The Sleeping Beauty''. Among later West End revues of which Bovill was the author were ''Everybody's Doing It'' (1912), ''All the Winners'' (1913), ''

Nuts and Wine ''Nuts and Wine'' was a theatrical revue, with lyrics by C. H. Bovill and P. G. Wodehouse and music by Frank E. Tours, with additional numbers by Guy Jones and Melville Gideon, from a book by Bovill and Wodehouse. It was performed at the Empi ...

'' (1914, with contributions from Wodehouse), and ''Honi Soit'' (1915). He wrote the words for what was billed as a "vaudeville", ''The Gay Lothario'' (1913). In addition to his theatrical work, Bovill wrote humorous prose for publications including '' The Globe'', where for some time Wodehouse was a colleague. While working on ''Nuts and Wine'' they wrote a series of short stories based on Bovill's idea of a young man who comes into a lot of money and finds himself in a succession of adventures.Jasen, pp. 50–51 The stories appeared in ''

The Strand Magazine ''The Strand Magazine'' was a monthly British magazine founded by George Newnes, composed of short fiction and general interest articles. It was published in the United Kingdom from January 1891 to March 1950, running to 711 issues, though the ...

'' in Britain and ''

The Delineator ''The Delineator'' was an American women's magazine of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, founded by the Butterick Publishing Company in 1869 under the name ''The Metropolitan Monthly.'' Its name was changed in 1875. The magazine was publis ...

'' in the US, and were later published as a book. Other publications for which Bovill wrote short stories included ''

The Grand The Grand may refer to: Buildings Official names * The Grand (Calgary), a theatre in Alberta, Canada *The Grand (Ellsworth, Maine), an arts center in Maine, U.S. * The Grand Doubletree, condominium and hotel skyscraper in Miami, U.S. * The Grand C ...

'', '' Pearson's'', ''

The London "The London" is a song by American rapper Young Thug featuring fellow American rappers J. Cole and Travis Scott. It was released through Atlantic Records and 300 Entertainment as the lead single and closing track from Thug's debut studio album, ...

'', and other magazines."C. H. Bovill"
''Who's Who and Who Was Who'', Oxford University Press, 2007. Retrieved 24 October 2020 During the

, Bovill volunteered for the army and was commissioned as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the 1st battalion,

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

in 1916. He was mortally wounded on 21 March 1918 and died three days later. He was buried in the Duisans British Cemetery, Etrun."War Graves of the British Empire"
Imperial War Graves Commission, 1925, p. 16. Retrieved 24 October 2020

References

Sources

External links

*
Bovill, C.H. (Charles H.), b. 1878
Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia *
A Man of Means
', Project Gutenberg *
Plays by C.H. Bovill on Great War Theatre
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bovill, C H Lyricists American musical theatre lyricists 1878 births People educated at Bedford School 1918 deaths English writers British Army personnel of World War I Coldstream Guards officers British military personnel killed in World War I British people in colonial India