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Verily Anderson (12 January 1915 – 16 July 2010) was a British author, best known for writing the screenplay of the 1960 film ''
No Kidding'',
[Eloise Miller]
"Verily Anderson obituary"
''The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' (London), 29 July 2010. based on her 1958 book ''Beware of Children'', for writing
Brownie books and writing genealogical books about the
Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families.
Biography
Born as Verily Bruce on 12 January 1915
in
Edgbaston, Birmingham, she was the daughter of
Francis Rosslyn Courtenay Bruce
Francis Rosslyn Courtenay Bruce (14 August 1871 – 19 January 1956) was an English Anglican priest, naturalist and writer.
Biography
Bruce was the grandson of Sir James Bruce, 2nd Baronet who fought at Waterloo; son of Lloyd Stuart Bruce, a ...
and Rachel Gurney, the fourth of her parents' five children.
[Janie Hampton]
"Verily Anderson: Writer of humorous, optimistic children's books and memoirs"
(obituary), ''The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'', 3 August 2010.
Verily Bruce was educated at
Edgbaston High School for Girls
Edgbaston High School for Girls is a private day school for girls aged to 18 in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England.
History
In 1846, Elizabeth Brady founded a school in Edgbaston for the daughters of Quakers in 1846 and this ran for 21 ...
,
Birmingham
Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1. ...
, between the ages of four and seven, then she attended Normanhurst School in
Battle, Sussex. At 16, she attended the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performanc ...
in London. She was in the
First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal's Volunteer Corps) (FANY (PRVC)) is a British independent all-female registered charity formed in 1907 and active in both nursing and intelligence work during the World Wars. Its members wear a mili ...
between 1938 and 1941.
On 2 August 1940 she married
Captain Donald Clive Anderson (1897–1957), son of
Frank Anderson, thereafter using the name Verily Anderson for her writing. She achieved success at the age of 41 in 1956 with the publication of ''Spam Tomorrow'', "a deft and frequently uproarious account of her wartime experiences on the home front...a new kind of memoir, one of the first to explore the lives of women in wartime."
The Andersons ran a holiday home in Sussex catering for children of parents living abroad – characterised by one newspaper as "infant pandemonium" because of its no-rules philosophy.
After her husband died, leaving five children aged from three to 15, Anderson wrote with increased vigour, and her 1958 book, ''Beware of Children'', was adapted for the film ''
No Kidding'' (1960) by the producers of the ''
Carry On
Carry On may refer to:
* ''Carry On'' (franchise), a British comedy media franchise
*Carry-on luggage or hand luggage, luggage that is carried into the passenger compartment
* ''Carry On'' (film), a 1927 British silent film
* ''Carry On'' (novel), ...
'' series, starring
Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...
,
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...
and
Joan Hickson
Joan Bogle Hickson, OBE (5 August 1906 – 17 October 1998) was an English actress of theatre, film and television. She was known for her role as Agatha Christie's Miss Marple in the television series ''Miss Marple''. She also narrated a number ...
.
Between 1946 and 2002, Anderson also worked with the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
in TV and radio, on ''
Woman's Hour
''Woman's Hour'' is a radio magazine programme broadcast in the United Kingdom on the BBC Light Programme, BBC Radio 2, and later BBC Radio 4. It has been on the air since 1946.
History
Created by Norman Collins and originally presented by ...
'' and writing TV plays.
On 10 August 1971, she married
Paul Edward Paget
Paul Edward Paget CVO (24 January 1901 – 13 August 1985) was the son of Henry Luke Paget, Bishop of Chester
The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.
The diocese exten ...
(1901–1985).
She last resided in
Frogshall
Frogshall is a small hamlet within the civil parish of Northrepps in the English county of Norfolk. The hamlet is southeast of Cromer, north of Norwich and north of London. Craft Lanruns through the hamlet between Northrepps and Southrepps ...
,
Northrepps
Northrepps is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is southeast of Cromer, north of Norwich and north of London. The village lies west of the A149 which runs between Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The nearest rail ...
, Norfolk, where she died at home on 16 July 2010, aged 95, just after completing a book, ''Castellans of Herstmonceux (1911-2010)'' (Bader International Study Centre, 2011). She is buried with her husband
Paul Paget in neighbouring
Sidestrand
Sidestrand is a village and a civil parish on the coast of the English county of Norfolk. The village is north of Norwich, south east of Cromer and north-east of London. The nearest railway station is at North Walsham for the Bittern Line whi ...
.
Children
Children of Verily Bruce and Captain Donald Clive Anderson:
# Marian O'Hare, designer.
#
Rachel Anderson, a writer mostly of children's literature.
#
Eddie Anderson, a television producer.
# Janie Anderson (now
Janie Hampton), a writer and radio presenter.
# Alexandra Walker (''née'' Anderson), a literacy tutor to young people.
Gurney family history and genealogy
Verily Anderson was the author two books about the
Gurney, Barclay and Buxton families:
*''Northrepps Grandchildren'', published in 1968 ()
**
Northrepps
Northrepps is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. It is southeast of Cromer, north of Norwich and north of London. The village lies west of the A149 which runs between Kings Lynn and Great Yarmouth. The nearest rail ...
Hall is a converted farmhouse near
Cromer
Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the English county of Norfolk. It is north of Norwich, north-northeast of London and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline.
The local government authorities are Nor ...
, Norfolk, which has been occupied by the same family for more than eight generations and is now Grade II listed. This family now has thousands of members, many of whom have made their mark on British society. Notable are
Thomas Fowell Buxton
Sir Thomas Fowell Buxton, 1st Baronet (1 April 1786Olwyn Mary Blouet, "Buxton, Sir Thomas Fowell, first baronet (1786–1845)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004; online ed., May 201accessed 25 April 20 ...
, of slave-emancipation fame, and
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 ...
, the social reformer. For the Buxton, Barclay and Gurney families, Northrepps Hall has been a focus for many years; Verily Anderson recalls living there and provides a close-up account of family life through the eyes of the many children who used the house over generations.
*''Friends and Relations'', published in 1980 (). A detailed family history of the Gurney family, using information from family records.
Books
Brownie books
*''Towards the Golden Hand''. A play for Brownies; 1948.
[British Library Catalogue](_blank)
/ref>
*''Magic for the Golden Bar'', 1953.
Other children's books
*''Vanload to Venice''. Illustrated by Margaret Ingram; 1961.
at Amazon.
Autobiography
*''Spam Tomorrow'', 1956.
*''Our Square'', 1957.
*''Beware of Children'', 1958.
*''Daughters of Divinity'', 1960.
*''Nine Times Never''. Illustrated by Edward Lewis; 1962.
*''The Flo Affair'', 1963.
*''The Yorks in London''. Illustrated by Nathaniel Mayer; 1964.
*''Scrambled Egg for Christmas''; line drawings by Marian O'Hare; 1970.
Biography
*''The Northrepps Grandchildren'', 1968.
*''The Last of the Eccentrics: A Life of Rosslyn Bruce'', 1972.
*''Friends and Relations'', 1980.
*''The De Veres of Castle Hedingham'', 1993.
*''Castellans of Herstmonceux (1911–2010)'', 2011 ().
Film
''
Beware of Children'', 1960, renamed ''
No Kidding'' in North America.
Directed by
Gerald Thomas
Gerald Thomas (10 December 1920 – 9 November 1993) was an English film director, best known for the long-running '' Carry On'' series of British film comedies.
Biography
Born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, Thomas was educated i ...
and starring
Leslie Phillips
Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...
,
Geraldine McEwan
Geraldine McEwan (born Geraldine McKeown; 9 May 1932 – 30 January 2015) was an English actress, who had a long career in film, theatre and television. Michael Coveney described her, in a tribute article, as "a great comic stylist, with ...
,
Julia Lockwood
Julia Lockwood (born Margaret Julia Leon; 23 August 1941 – 24 March 2019) was a British actress. Daughter of Margaret Lockwood, her career began as a child actress at the age of four and spanned 30 years in film, television and the theatre. ...
.
See also
www.janiehampton.co.ukwww.rachelanderson.co.uk
References
External links
The De Vere Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Verily Bruce
1915 births
2010 deaths
Alumni of the Royal College of Music
English children's writers
People from Northrepps
20th-century English novelists
Burials in Norfolk