Hazel Patricia Bellamy (née Forrest; circa 1883–1918), is a fictional character in the British television series, '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She was portrayed by

Meg Wynn Owen Margaret Wright ( Shuttleworth, 8 November 1939 – June 2022), better known as Meg Wynn Owen, was a British actress known for her role as Hazel Bellamy in '' Upstairs, Downstairs''. She also appeared in ''Gosford Park'', ''Love Actually, Pride ...

. On 15 April 1912 Richard hires Hazel Forrest to type the biography of his father-in-law, the old Earl of Southwold, which he is writing. She is a middle class young woman who has been earning a living as a secretary for ten years, against her parents' wishes. This character gives the viewer a rare view of the interior of her parents' middle class home, one of the few locations other than the Bellamys' home. James is immediately attracted to her. The class divide between James and Hazel causes early conflicts with Hazel's parents, the Bellamys' staff and in the marriage. After about seven months of courting, James proposes in November, but Hazel tearfully refuses him. She does not tell him that she was married before to a violent alcoholic named Patrick O'Connor. Hazel's sad past is now the Forrest's family secret. This leads Hazel's father, Arthur Forrest, to visit James and reveal the family secret. He explains that Hazel was previously married to a drunkard, Patrick O'Connor, who beat her. They

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

d and Hazel moved back in with her parents. Mr. Forrest wants his daughter to be happy, while the prickly Mrs. Forrest is sure the Bellamys would never accept Hazel as a divorced woman (there being such a stigma against divorce in 1912). James asks Hazel again, and after talking, during which he informs Hazel that his own sister Elizabeth divorced and remarried, she accepts his second proposal. They marry in late 1912 or early 1913, and honeymoon in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

. James and Hazel Bellamy are going for a weekend hunting party to Somerby Park in 1913, the country house of James' school-friend Lord "Bunny" Newbury. The other guests encourage her to surprise James and join the hunt, something she has never done before. Diana Newberry, a childhood friend and love interest of James Bellamy, is jealous and contemptuous of James' middle class wife. Diana secretly switches the horses and gives Hazel a spirited mount. The horse bolts and runs away with Hazel. She is nearly killed. She and James then argue, as he feels humiliated. This, in addition to Major Cochrane-Danby claiming that James and Diana are sleeping together, leads Hazel to flee Somerby with

Rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...

. James follows her back to

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and they soon make up. The tea party that was arranged by Hazel and Lady Prudence in '' Home Fires'' takes place in the Morning Room of 165 Eaton Place, and only three officers are there, along with Lady Berkhamstead and Mrs Vowles. Hazel befriends a shy, young

airman An airman is a member of an air force or air arm of a nation's armed forces. In certain air forces, it can also refer to a specific enlisted rank. An airman can also be referred as a soldier in other definitions. In civilian aviation usage, t ...

called

Jack Dyson Jack Dyson (8 July 1934 – 22 November 2000) was both an English first-class cricketer and a professional footballer. He was born and died in Oldham, Lancashire. He started his sporting career as a footballer and spent four seasons with Manc ...

, who, like her, has risen from the

middle class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Com ...

. They soon start going out with each other. They go boating, see a show and go dancing, where they kiss passionately. The day before he goes back to the Front, Dyson goes to Eaton Place to say goodbye, but Hazel is out at the canteen. He then writes her a note, calling her his "only girl in the World". In the episode The Glorious Dead Rose gets a letter from Captain Peter Graham, Gregory's company commander telling her that her fiancé has been killed. Hazel comforts Rose and tells her that she know what she is feeling, because she read in the

newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as p ...

that Lt. Jack Dyson MC had been killed in an aerial battle: "One grief-stricken woman urges another to be strong and to seek comfort in prayer. Ultimately, Hazel tells Rose – and herself – that time will help accommodate bereavement and loss."''Upstairs, Downstairs Season Four''
/ref> James Bellamy comes home on leave. When he opens a drawer he sees the letters from

and photo of him, but he closes the drawer and says nothing. It is November 1918 and James and Hazel argue. It is implied that James strikes her, and Hazel runs out crying. When Rose comforts her on the stairs, she realises that Hazel has a temperature. Dr Foley arrives, examines her and tells Hazel that she has caught the

Spanish flu The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case wa ...

that is currently a pandemic. She and James make up, but on 9 November 1918 Hazel dies at Eaton Place. Rose is greatly upset by her death. The funeral is held on 11 November, the day the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

ends, at St Mark's Church in Wimbledon. Hazel's parents go also to the funeral. Her mother is cold, but her father Arthur Forrest weeps.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bellamy, Hazel Upstairs, Downstairs characters Fiction set in 1907

See also

References