Clare Hoskyns-Abrahall, née ''Drury'' (31 January 1900 – 29 November 1990) was a British writer as C.H. Abrahall, Clare H. Abrahall or occasionally as C.M. Drury. She wrote biographies and historical fiction for children and young adults, school stories, stage plays which she sometimes helped produce, and more. She is known for her book ''Prelude'' about the pianist

Eileen Joyce Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG (died 25 March 1991) was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years. Her recordings made her popular in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly during World War I ...

which was turned into a film, ''

Wherever She Goes ''Wherever She Goes'' is a 1951 Australian feature film that tells the early part of the life story of pianist Eileen Joyce. Directed by Michael Gordon, it stars Suzanne Parrett, Eileen Joyce, Nigel Lovell and Muriel Steinbeck. Synopsis Eileen ...

''.

Biography

Clare Constance Maria Drury was born on 31 January 1900 in London to Gertrude Elizabeth (''née'' Holt) and Lieutenant-Colonel Richard Frederick Drury, a civil engineer who was in the RAF during

World War I 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 ...

. They were living in

Wheathampstead Wheathampstead is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England, north of St Albans. The population of the ward at the 2001 census was 6,058. Included within the parish is the small hamlet of Amwell. History Settlements in this area were ...

by the time Clare (sometimes Clara) Drury was eleven and this was still the family home in 1925.''The Times'', marriages, 25 February 1925 She was educated at St Helen's School, Abingdon and then at the

Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music is a music school, conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the Undergraduate education, undergraduate to the Doctorate, doctoral level in a ...

.Rosemary Auchmuty, Joy Wotton, ''The Encyclopaedia of School Stories'', Ashgate 2000
/ref> Towards the end of the First World War she served as a driver in the parachute section of the

Women's Royal Air Force The Women's Royal Air Force (WRAF) was the women's branch of the Royal Air Force. It existed in two separate incarnations: the Women's Royal Air Force from 1918 to 1920 and the Women's Royal Air Force from 1949 to 1994. On 1 February 1949, the ...

.Ann Evory, ''Contemporary Authors New Revision Series'', Volumes 29–32, Gale 1978
/ref> During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

she was a commandant in the British

Red Cross The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 97 million Volunteering, volunteers, members and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ensure re ...

. On 21 February 1925 she married Theo Chandos Hoskyns-Abrahall (1896–1975), who worked in the

Colonial Service The Colonial Service, also known as His/Her Majesty's Colonial Service and replaced in 1954 by Her Majesty's Overseas Civil Service (HMOCS), was the British government service that administered most of Britain's overseas possessions, under the aut ...

, mainly in

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. They had three Children: Priscilla (b. 1926), Robin Chandos (b. 1928) and Follett Peter Mark (b. 1934). They divorced in 1944. The same year her ex-husband remarried Lois Jennet Ogle. In 1950 T. C. Hoskyns-Abrahall was made a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

. After his knighthood Clare Hoskyns-Abrahall was sometimes called Lady Clare Hoskyns-Abrahall, despite the divorce and the prevailing conventions. In 1953 newspapers reported her shouting repeatedly at a political meeting because she felt the speaker "was saying such horrible things about England". She described her politics as "

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

". Clare Hoskyns-Abrahall survived her daughter Priscilla and son Follett and died on 29 November 1990.Hertfordshire Burials and Memorials
/ref> Her other son Robin died in 1995.

Writing and drama

Books for children and young adults

* ''Kit Norris: Schoolgirl Pilot'', Juvenile Productions, Runnymede series, 1937 ~ A combination of a school story friendship plot with a "flying melodrama". * ''From Serf to Page'', Harrap, 1939 ~ During the

Peasants' Revolt The Peasants' Revolt, also named Wat Tyler's Rebellion or the Great Rising, was a major uprising across large parts of England in 1381. The revolt had various causes, including the socio-economic and political tensions generated by the Black ...

in 1381 a young boy has split loyalties between his father, Clod, and an aristocratic benefactor. * ''Priscilla's Caravan'', Epworth, 1939 * ''Chris of Crighton's'', Parrish 1964 ~ A "more mature" story of a girl settling into a new school. * ''Looking after wild birds'', Corgi mini-book 1971

Biographical books for children and young adults

After meeting at a charity concert around 1945, Hoskyns-Abrahall persuaded the concert pianist

to let her tell her story, in which she incorporated imaginative sections about Joyce's early life. They became friends and in the 1950s Hoskyns-Abrahall accompanied Joyce on concert tours, overseas and in the UK. The biography, ''Prelude'', was her most successful book. Originally aimed at children, it was also read by adults. Not only was it re-published several times in English, it was translated into other languages too, including German (''Ein Mädchen macht Karriere'') and Dutch.''Dundee Courier'', 1 March 1950 After the film version, ''

'', stage and radio adaptations followed. * ''Prelude'',

OUP Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

1947 ~ "An imaginative account of the early life of Eileen Joyce." * ''

Boadicea Boudica or Boudicca (, known in Latin chronicles as Boadicea or Boudicea, and in Welsh as ()), was a queen of the ancient British Iceni tribe, who led a failed uprising against the conquering forces of the Roman Empire in AD 60 or 61. She ...

, Queen of the

Iceni The Iceni ( , ) or Eceni were a Brittonic tribe of eastern Britain during the Iron Age and early Roman era. Their territory included present-day Norfolk and parts of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, and bordered the area of the Corieltauvi to the we ...

'', Harrap 1949 ~ Boadicea is portrayed as someone who died for the "cause of freedom". * ''Finale'',

Adelina de Lara Adelina de Lara OBE (23 January 1872 – 25 November 1961) was a British classical pianist and composer. Early life She was born Lottie Adelina Preston in Carlisle, Cumberland on 23 January 1872 to parents George Matthew Tilbury (aka Prest ...

in collaboration with Clare H. Abrahall, Burke 1955 * ''The young

Marie Curie Marie Salomea Skłodowska–Curie ( , , ; born Maria Salomea Skłodowska, ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934) was a Polish and naturalized-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first ...

'', Parrish 1961 (also in Spanish) * ''The young

Elizabeth Barrett Browning Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime. Born in County Durham, the eldest of 12 children, Elizabet ...

'', Parrish 1962 * ''The young

Louis Braille Louis Braille (; ; 4 January 1809 – 6 January 1852) was a French educator and the inventor of a reading and writing system, named braille after him, intended for use by visually impaired people. His system is used worldwide and remains virtua ...

'', Parrish 1964 * ''The young

John Bunyan John Bunyan (; baptised 30 November 162831 August 1688) was an English writer and Puritan preacher best remembered as the author of the Christian allegory ''The Pilgrim's Progress,'' which also became an influential literary model. In addition ...

'', Parrish 1968 In the 1950s a newspaper reported on a forthcoming book by Hoskyns-Abrahall, ''Kate Fox and the Princesses'', the story of the nanny to Princesses Olga, Elisabeth and Marina. It is listed in a reference book but not in authoritative library catalogues.

Plays

Hoskyns-Abrahall was a member of the Arts Theatre Club, and of the Hovenden Theatre Club, both in London. She was sometimes involved in production as well as writing. * ''Palissy the Potter'' in ''Short plays from history'', edited by A. E. M. Bayliss, 1940 * ''The Light Within'', wth Ross Mackenzie, staged at the Hovenden Theatre Club ~ The story of

Elizabeth Fry Elizabeth Fry (née Gurney; 21 May 1780 – 12 October 1845), sometimes referred to as Betsy Fry, was an English prison reformer, social reformer, philanthropist and Quaker. Fry was a major driving force behind new legislation to improve the tr ...

* ''Pitchblende'', with Justine Glover, staged at the Hovenden Theatre Club ~ The story of Marie Curie * ''

Florence Nightingale Florence Nightingale (; 12 May 1820 – 13 August 1910) was an English Reform movement, social reformer, statistician and the founder of modern nursing. Nightingale came to prominence while serving as a manager and trainer of nurses during t ...

'' * ''Butler in a Box'', Steele's Play Bureau, c1963 ~ "Set in a Scottish castle, with thunder and lightning outside and murder within."''Drama: The Quarterly Theatre Review'', Issues 68–75, p6
/ref> * ''Amateur Dramatics'', Collins nutshell, 1963 ~ Advice on producing plays.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoskyns-Abrahall, Clare English women novelists English children's writers English women dramatists and playwrights 1900 births 1990 deaths 20th-century English women writers