William Arthur Dunkerley (12 November 1852 – 23 January 1941) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
,
novelist
A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire to ...
and
poet
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
. He was born in
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
, spent a short time after his marriage in the US before moving to
Ealing
Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan.
Ealing was histor ...
, West London, where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s. In 1922 he moved to
Worthing
Worthing () is a seaside town in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 111,400 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Brighton and Hov ...
in
Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
, where he became the town's
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
.
Dunkerley wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes ''Bees in Amber: A Little Book of Thoughtful Verse'' (1913), which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem "Greatheart". In 1918, wrote the foreword and assessed the poetry of the administrator of the
Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service
The Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Services (SWH) was founded in 1914. It was led by Dr. Elsie Inglis and provided nurses, doctors, ambulance drivers, cooks and orderlies. By the end of World War I, 14 medical units had been outfitted and ...
,
Mary H. J. Henderson
Mary H J Henderson (born 1874 – 6 November 1938) was an administrator with Elsie Inglis's Scottish Women's Hospitals for Foreign Service in the Balkans in World War I, earning five medals. She founded social work and civic groups led by women, ...
''In War and Peace: Songs of a Scotswoman.''
He used the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
Julian Ross for journalism.
His novel ''A Mystery of the Underground'' (1897) is notable both as an early murder story about a serial killer and a very early crime story set on the
London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
(District Line). The
District Railway
The Metropolitan District Railway, also known as the District Railway, was a passenger railway that served London from 1868 to 1933. Established in 1864 to complete an " inner circle" of lines connecting railway termini in London, the first par ...
complained that it was "too realistic", and it is said to have led to a reduction of passengers on Tuesdays (the murderer always strikes on a Tuesday) while it was being serialised.
In February 1892
Robert Barr and Dunkerley founded ''
The Idler'', a monthly "general interest magazine, one of the first to appear following the enthusiastic reception of
''The Strand'', but not a slavish imitation". Barr and Dunkerley/Oxenham both contributed as writers. The editors were Barr and
Jerome K. Jerome
Jerome Klapka Jerome (2 May 1859 – 14 June 1927) was an English writer and humourist, best known for the comic travelogue ''Three Men in a Boat'' (1889). Other works include the essay collections '' Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow'' (1886) an ...
initially.
[
Dunkerley had two sons and four daughters, of whom the eldest, and eldest child, Elsie Jeanette, became well known as a children's writer, particularly through her Abbey Series of girls' school stories. Another daughter, Erica, also used the Oxenham pen-name.
]
Published books
* ''A Mystery of the Underground '' (1897, serialised in ''Today'' magazine)
* ''God's Prisoner'' (1898)
* ''A Princess of Vascovy'' (1899)
* ''Under the Iron Flail'' (1902)
* ''Barbe of Grand Bayou'' (1903)
* ''Bondman Free'' (1903)
* ''Hearts in Exile'' (1904)
* ''John of Gerisau'' (1904)
* ''A Weaver of Webs'' (1904)
* ''White Fire'' (1905)
* ''Giant Circumstance'' (1906)
* ''Profit and Loss'' (1906)
* ''The Long Road'' (1907)
* ''Carette of Sark'' (1907)
References
External links
Biography
at the Cyber Hymnal (archived)
*
*
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunkerley, William Arthur
1852 births
1941 deaths
English Congregationalists
English male journalists
English male poets
People from Ealing
People from Worthing
Writers from Manchester