Edward George Honey
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Edward George Honey (18 September 1885 – 25 August 1922) was an Australian journalist who suggested the idea of five minutes of silence in a letter to a London newspaper in May 1919, about 6 months before the first observance of the
Two-minute silence In the United Kingdom and other countries within the Commonwealth, a two-minute silence is observed as part of Remembrance Day to remember those who lost their lives in conflict. Held each year at 11:00 am on 11 November, the silence coinci ...
in London. The Australian government officially credits him with being the originator of this tradition, observed on Armistice Day (now known as
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in t ...
), but no original sources from that time have been found to confirm this, and most non-Australian sources attribute its origin to
Sir Percy FitzPatrick Sir James Percy FitzPatrick, (24 July 1862 – 24 January 1931), known as Percy FitzPatrick, was a South African author, politician, mining financier and pioneer of the fruit industry. He authored the classic children's book, ''Jock of the Bus ...
. It is not known whether Honey was aware of the practice started in
Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
on 14 May 1918, nearly a year earlier.


Family

The son of Edward Honey, and Mary Honey, née Bolton, Edward George Honey was born at Elsternwick, Victoria, on 18 September 1885. Edward Senior ran an indenting agency at 31 Queen St, Melbourne. His only brother, William Henry Honey (1879–1959) was an author and publisher (W.H. Honey Publishing Co., Margaret-street, Sydney), who also worked in advertising. One of his three sisters, was the talented and successful artist Constance Winifred Honey who moved to London after being awarded the (Melbourne) National Gallery's Travelling Scholarship, had works hung in the National Gallery annual exhibitions, never returned to Australia and later died in an accident in London in 1944. Honey married Amelia Josephine "Millie" Toomey (1885–1969), the daughter of Thomas Toomey and Helena Toomey, née Mee, in England on 24 June 1915.


Education

As was the case with his older brother William, Honey was educated at
Caulfield Grammar School Caulfield Grammar School is an Independent school, independent, co-educational, Anglican Church of Australia, Anglican, International Baccalaureate, day school, day and boarding school, located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1881 as ...
, in East St Kilda, and he attended from 1895, when he was 10 years old. He completed his education at
Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin *Wellington College, Wellington, New Z ...
, in Mount Victoria, New Zealand.


Journalism career

In early 1904, at the age of 18, Honey became part owner of a small magazine called ''Spectre'' in Palmerston North, New Zealand which went bankrupt. He then worked as journalist for a paper which folded. He returned to Australia and worked for his father trying to attract new clients in Queensland, without success. He returned to Melbourne to work for '' The Argus'' newspaper for a while. In 1909 he moved to London and worked for the ''
Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...
''. He suffered from poor health and, after many weeks in hospital was sent by Lord Northcliffe, owner of the newspaper, to recuperate at a
hydro Hydro from Ancient Greek word ὕδωρ (húdōr), meaning ''water''. Hydro may also refer to: Energy technologies * Water-derived power or energy: ** Hydropower, derived from water ** Hydroelectricity, in electrical form * "Hydro", AC mains ...
in
Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...
. Before going there, however, Honey went to the races at Epsom the next day, where he was spotted by other journalists, and upon his return to London found his pay cheque and dismissal notice ready for him. Honey was employed on staff at the '' Daily Citizen'', a newspaper launched in 1912 by the Labour Party. The ''Daily Citizen'' folded in 1915. He appeared as a visitor staying at a hotel in Bourton-on-the-Water in the
Cotswolds The Cotswolds (, ) is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale. The area is defined by the bedrock of Jur ...
in the 1911 Census, aged 26 and occupation shown as "author journalist". He apparently missed an opportunity for an assignment as a war correspondent in late 1914 working for one of London's leading editors, when his wife could not find him in all of "his usual haunts in Fleet Street". On discharge from the military, Honey returned to
Fleet Street Fleet Street is a major street mostly in the City of London. It runs west to east from Temple Bar at the boundary with the City of Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the London Wall and the River Fleet from which the street was na ...
as a freelance journalist. His work was widely published including in; the ''Daily Mail'', the ''Evening News'', ''
The Daily Sketch The ''Daily Sketch'' was a British national tabloid newspaper, founded in Manchester in 1909 by Sir Edward Hulton. It was bought in 1920 by Lord Rothermere's Daily Mirror Newspapers, but in 1925 Rothermere sold it to William and Gomer Berry ...
'', '' The Chronicle'' and the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print ...
''. Honey used multiple nom de plumes for his freelance articles e.g. Warren Foster, Margaret Graham and Joan Sinclair. In 1919 his biography of the Minister of Food Control, and future leader of the Labour Party, ''From mill boy to minister : an intimate account of the life of Rt. Honourable J.R. Clynes, M.P'', was published by J M Dent. Honey published the biography using the pen name Edward George.


Military service

He enlisted in the Middlesex Regiment on 16 April 1915 as a clerk. He was not sent abroad and was discharged on 17 April 1916 under para 392, XXV (Services no longer required).


The concept of minutes of silence in remembrance of war

On 8 May 1919 a letter Honey wrote to ''
Evening News Evening News may refer to: Television news *''CBS Evening News'', an American news broadcast *''ITV Evening News'', a UK news broadcast *'' JNN Evening News'', a Japanese news broadcast *''Evening News'', an alternate name for '' News Hour'' in so ...
'' newspaper, was published under the headline "A Peace Day Essential." Honey used the pen name ''Warren Foster''. He suggested silence was an appropriate commemoration for the first anniversary of the
Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
which signalled the end of
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 ...
, on 11 November 1918: the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month". In "A Peace Day Essential" Honey said, ::"Five little minutes only. Five silent minutes of national remembrance. A very sacred intercession ... Communion with the Glorious Dead who won us Peace, and from the communion new strength, hope and faith in the morrow. Church services, too, if you will, but in the street, the home, the theatre, anywhere, indeed, where Englishmen and their women chance to be, surely in this five minutes of bitter-sweet silence there will be service enough." Honey had been prompted to make the suggestion as he had been angered by the way in which people had celebrated with dancing in the streets on the day of the Armistice, and believed a period of silence to be a far more appropriate gesture in memory of those who had died at war. He also drew upon the experience he had in a train travelling in the west of England during a silent interlude for the funeral of King
Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria an ...
. All trains and traffic stopped at noon on the day. Five people in his train compartment "sat uncovered" for 3 minutes. There is no record of Honey's letter having officially inspired the Remembrance Day tradition. However, his wife Millie said that journalists in Fleet Street believed Honey was the instigator of the silence.
Sydney Horler Sydney Horler (18 July 1888 – 27 October 1954) was a prolific British novelist specialising in thrillers. He was born in Leytonstone, Essex, and educated at Redcliffe School and Colston School in Bristol. His first job was with ''Western Dai ...
<> was one who agreed as was British literary editor W. E. Hayter Preston. ''Italic text''In an article published one year after Honey's death Hayter Preston described Honey's role in the silent tribute as, " A forgotten genius who conceived a dramatic masterpiece."
Nearly 7 months after Honey's letter, records close to King George V show that on 27 October 1919, a suggestion from South African author and politician
Sir Percy Fitzpatrick Sir James Percy FitzPatrick, (24 July 1862 – 24 January 1931), known as Percy FitzPatrick, was a South African author, politician, mining financier and pioneer of the fruit industry. He authored the classic children's book, ''Jock of the Bus ...
for a similar idea for a moment of silence was forwarded to
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...
, then
King of the United Kingdom The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Bailiwi ...
. The letter was sent though Lord Milner, who had previously held high office in South Africa, On 7 November 1919, King George V formally requested the observance of the two minutes' silence throughout the British Empire.


Death

Honey died on 25 August 1922 at the age of 36, whilst a patient at the
Mount Vernon Hospital Mount Vernon Hospital is located in Northwood, an area of north-west Greater London. It is one of two hospitals run by The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History The hospital was founded as The North London Hospital for Cons ...
.'Armistice', "Two Minutes Silence (Letter to the Editor)", ''The Australasian'', (Saturday, 3 January 1925), p.39.
/ref> He was buried in 'Section B' at
Northwood Cemetery Northwood Cemetery is a cemetery located in the West Oak Lane neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It was established in 1878. Notable interments * George Bradley (1852–1931) Major League Baseball player. * Duke Esper (1 ...
in North West London. A small brass plaque commemorates his life and role in the two minutes silence. In 1937, his widow reported to a journalist that she had been left penniless after her husband's death. A monument to Honey was erected by Eric Harding near the Shrine of Remembrance in
St Kilda Road, Melbourne St Kilda Road is a street in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is part of the locality of Melbourne which has the postcode of 3004, and along with Swanston Street forms a major spine of the city. St Kilda Road begins at Flinders Street, in ...
in 1965. It was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Melbourne, Leo Curtis on 7 May 1965.


Conflicting sources of information

Although the
Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...
officially recognises Honey as having first raised the idea in the public domain,
George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...
officially thanked Fitzpatrick for his contribution of the Two Minute Pause in 1920. A letter to an Australian newspaper in 1925 suggests that Honey may have been inspired by silences observed in the United States when the
Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
was finally sunk in 1912. The contribution of Honey was recognised by the then-principal of Caulfield Grammar School,
Walter Murray Buntine Walter may refer to: People * Walter (name), both a surname and a given name * Little Walter, American blues harmonica player Marion Walter Jacobs (1930–1968) * Gunther (wrestler), Austrian professional wrestler and trainer Walter Hahn (born 19 ...
, in the school's 1931
golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali ''"সু ...
publication: ::"It may not be generally known, but Edward George Honey, who attended the school in the year 1895; and thereafter proceeded to England, where he became a leading journalist, was the founder of the Two Minutes Silence of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month." Eric Harding's booklet written in support of the monument to Honey erected in 1965 acknowledges that other silences had been held before (upon the death of King Edward, the silences in South Africa "when the war was going badly for the Allies", ceremonies in Australia for lost miners, in the US when the Maine was sunk, amongst others), but in his words "the originality of Honey's suggestion is based on the fact that this was the first time in history that a victory had been celebrated as a tribute to those who sacrificed their lives and their health to make the victory possible". Harding also acknowledges that, despite extensive research, no evidence of Honey's attendance at any rehearsal at Buckingham Palace, nor any record of an official communication mentioning Honey's letter having played a part in the adoption of the remembrance tradition, could be found, and that the only "proof" was that the letter preceded the formal approach to the King by several months. However he also writes that "Sir Percy's right to recognition for bringing the matter to official notice does not detract in any way from Honey's right to recognition as the first to make the suggestion." According to an
Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...
article, Honey attended a trial of the event with the
Grenadier guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...
at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
, as did Fitzpatrick (although it was not known whether they ever actually met or discussed their ideas). However, Honey's wife (whom he called "Millie"), as reported by her friend M.F. Orford's 1961 article, states that he "never went out into the streets near the crowds at any time during the observance of the Silence...”, and they only heard about the observance of the first Two Minutes' Silence when the order was announced by Buckingham Palace. An unidentified ''Age'' reporter describes a visit to the Shrine of Remembrance in 2005 and being told by the Senior Custodian, Tony Bowers, as recorded in an article written by a Shrine researcher, that the Silence had not in fact been invented by Honey, but by Fitzpatrick based on the Cape Town Mayor's practice.


See also

*
Two-minute silence In the United Kingdom and other countries within the Commonwealth, a two-minute silence is observed as part of Remembrance Day to remember those who lost their lives in conflict. Held each year at 11:00 am on 11 November, the silence coinci ...
* List of Caulfield Grammar School people


Footnotes


Citations


Other references

*


External links


A period of silence
– an
Australian War Memorial The Australian War Memorial is Australia's national memorial to the members of its armed forces and supporting organisations who have died or participated in wars involving the Commonwealth of Australia and some conflicts involving pe ...
article on the two minutes' silence {{DEFAULTSORT:Honey, Edward George 1885 births 1922 deaths Australian people of World War I People educated at Caulfield Grammar School People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) Journalists from Melbourne British Army personnel of World War I Middlesex Regiment soldiers People from Elsternwick, Victoria Military personnel from Melbourne