Jacquemine Charrott Lodwidge
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Jacquemine Francesca Anastasia Charrott Lodwidge (born Jacqueline Lodwidge)Register of Births for Langport Registration District, vol. 5c , p. 441: "Lodwidge, Jacqueline other's maiden surnameKermaree" (20 July 1919 – 20 February 2012) was an English writer on crime and magic who also worked as an art director in British-made films and as a bookseller. During the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
, she served with the
Free French Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
forces in the Syrian desert and with the
British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
as a welfare officer in the
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to Lebanon–Syria border, the north and east and Israel to Blue ...
.


Early life

Born at
Langport Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 1,081. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate ...
,
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...
, in July 1919, Lodwidge was the daughter of Dr William Charrott Lodwidge MRCS LRCP, medical officer of health to the Langport Rural District Council, who at the end of the
First World War 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 ...
had retired as a Captain from the Royal Army Medical Corps.''Justice of the Peace and Local Government Review'' (Justice of the Peace, Limited, 1928), p. 296: "Dr. William Charrott Lodwidge, medical officer of health to the Langport Rural District Council, has resigned, owing to ill-health." Originally from Basingstoke, her father's first wife had died in 1917; in 1918 he had married secondly, in France, Louise Elise Marie Kermarec (1894–1977), known as Lisette. Dr Lodwidge, born in 1864, was thirty years older than his second wife.Register of Deaths for Yeovil Registration District, vol. 23, September quarter of 1977, p. 1400: "Charrott-Lodwidge Louise Elise M orn 13 October 1894 Jacquemine Lodwidge was their only child and was born in 1919. In July 1925, the young Jacquemine won a prize for playing a Dutch girl in a carnival at Langport. In 1928, Dr Lodwidge retired on the grounds of ill health and died in April 1929, aged 65, when his daughter was nine, leaving an estate valued at £883, . She was thus brought up by her French mother, and they continued to live in Langport.


Career

At the beginning of the
Second World War 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 opposi ...
, Lodwidge was a student. A French speaker, she decided to join first the
Auxiliary Territorial Service The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS; often pronounced as an acronym) was the women's branch of the British Army during the Second World War. It was formed on 9 September 1938, initially as a women's voluntary service, and existed until 1 Februa ...
and then, in February 1942, the army of
Free France Free France (french: France Libre) was a political entity that claimed to be the legitimate government of France following the dissolution of the Third Republic. Led by French general , Free France was established as a government-in-exile ...
(''France Libre'').Une Française Libre parmi 51449 Jacqueline Lodwidge
(Resistance file GR 16 P 374733) at francaislibres.net, accessed 7 November 2017
As a result, she spent two years working with the Bedouins in the Syrian desert,Roy Harley Lewis, ''The Book Browser's Guide to Secondhand and Antiquarian Bookshops'' (1982), p. 188 distributing medical supplies from an ambulance, and by September 1945 was a
British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...
welfare officer for Syria and the Lebanon. After the war, Lodwidge returned home to Somerset, and in 1947 was helping to produce school plays there. She went on to study the history of architecture and spent several years in Greece. In the early 1950s she lived in Kensington, and in 1955 was in
Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, where she began to use the name Charrott-Lodwidge. By 1960 she was working as a researcher for BBC television, and one bemused ''
Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...
'' reviewer commented on a new programme about everyday London life called ''Our Street'': "I find myself intrigued to notice that the research was done by one Jaquemine Charrott-Lodwidge." In 1962 she was writing television scripts and was then living in a flat on the Thames at Duke Shore, Limehouse Reach. She built up a substantial collection of books for reference, especially children's and illustrated books.
Andrew Sinclair Andrew Annandale Sinclair FRSL FRSA (21 January 1935 – 30 May 2019) was a British novelist, historian, biographer, critic, filmmaker, and a publisher of classic and modern film scripts. He has been described as a "writer of extraordinary flu ...
credited her as researcher for his book ''The last of the best: the aristocracy of Europe in the twentieth century'' (1969). She researched the pictures for
George Woodcock George Woodcock (; May 8, 1912 – January 28, 1995) was a Canadian writer of political biography and history, an anarchist thinker, a philosopher, an essayist and literary critic. He was also a poet and published several volumes of travel wri ...
’s ''The British in the Far East'' (1969) and ''The British in the Middle East'' (1970). In 1974 Ivor Powell acknowledged Lodwidge's help with his book ''Astrology in the kitchen'', and the same year with David Norris she published a book about magic called ''The Book of Spells''. In 1970 Lodwidge began to develop a career in the movie business, first as a fashion co-ordinator, later as an art director in films and television. However, she became a less active traveller after the death of her mother in 1977. She continued to work as a researcher. In 1980 she moved into a cottage in Langport called Underwall, by a 14th century wall on Langport Hill. She decided to supplement her income between filming assignments by becoming a bookseller and selling some of her own books. Installing her stock in a gazebo, the new enterprise was called Pelekas Books, taking its name from a place Lodwidge had known in Corfu. In ''The Book Browser's Guide'' (1982), R. H. Lewis comments "There are herons at the bottom of the terraced garden, and a river from which excellent rough fishing can be had; accompanying husbands or wives not interested in books are invited to bring fishing rods. The building has been redesigned with film-set type features such as a spiral staircase and a gazebo, where the books are now housed... Normal hours, when Jacquemine is not on location, so ''strictly by appointment''.” Pelikas Books was still listed in 1984. She first worked with the director Henry Herbert as art director on his '' Malachi's Cove'' (1973), and worked with him again in the same role on '' Emily'' (1976), starring
Koo Stark Kathleen Norris Stark (born April 26, 1956), better known as Koo Stark, is an American photographer and actress, known for her relationship with Prince Andrew. She is a patron of the Julia Margaret Cameron Trust, which runs the museum of the Vic ...
. Lodwidge helped
Daniel Farson Daniel James Negley Farson (8 January 1927 – 27 November 1997) was a British writer and broadcaster, strongly identified with the early days of commercial television in the UK, when his sharp, investigative style contrasted with the BBC's mor ...
with research into the case of
Jack the Ripper Jack the Ripper was an unidentified serial killer active in and around the impoverished Whitechapel district of London, England, in the autumn of 1888. In both criminal case files and the contemporaneous journalistic accounts, the killer w ...
and caused some surprise by claiming that the serial killer may have been none other than King Leopold II of the Belgians. Her reasons for suspecting him were that his life was scandalous, that he was sadistic in his treatment of the people of the
Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (french: Congo belge, ; nl, Belgisch-Congo) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colo ...
, and that his house in London may have been the one to which a medium,
Robert James Lees Robert James Lees (12 August 1849 – 11 January 1931) was a British spiritualist, medium, preacher, writer and healer of the late Victorian era and early twentieth century known today for claims that he knew the identity of Jack the Ripper, ...
, led the police after a psychic experiment to find the killer.


Personal life

On 22 February 1992, Lodwidge married Commander Derek George Harbroe ('Jake') Wright
DSC DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...
of Shillingford in Oxfordshire. Her husband, a
Brooke Bond Brooke Bond is a brand of tea owned by Ekaterra, formerly an independent tea- trading and manufacturing company in the United Kingdom, known for its PG Tips brand and its Brooke Bond tea cards. History Brooke Bond & Company was founded by ...
tea trader who had had a distinguished wartime naval career in motor-torpedo-boats, died in 2008, aged ninety-two. Lodwidge died in Somerset in February 2012 at the age of 92.


Films

*''
The Breaking of Bumbo ''The Breaking of Bumbo'' is a 1970 British comedy film written and directed by Andrew Sinclair, a former Coldstream Guards National service officer that was updated from his 1959 novel of the same name that featured the Suez Crisis. It star ...
'' (1970) : fashion co-ordinator *''
Under Milk Wood ''Under Milk Wood'' is a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, commissioned by the BBC and later adapted for the stage. A film version, ''Under Milk Wood'' directed by Andrew Sinclair, was released in 1972, and another adaptation of ...
'' (1972) : production researcher *'' Blue Blood'' (1973) : art directorHarris M. Lentz, ''Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits'' (2001), p. 915 *'' Malachi's Cove'' (1973) : art director *'' Autobiography of a Princess'' (1975) : setting *''
Spanish Fly The Spanish fly (''Lytta vesicatoria'') is an aposematic emerald-green beetle in the blister beetle family (Meloidae). It is distributed across Eurasia. The species and others in its family were used in traditional apothecary preparatio ...
'' (1975) : art director *'' Emily'' (1976) : art directorMike Kaplan, ed., ''Variety International Showbusiness Reference'' (1981), p. 388 *'' The Ups and Downs of a Handyman'' (1976) : art director *'' Keep It Up Downstairs'' (1976) : art director


Publications

*David Norris, Jacquemine Charrott-Lodwidge, ''The Book of Spells'' (Lorrimer, 1974)


Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lodwidge, Jacquemine Charlotte 1919 births 2012 deaths Auxiliary Territorial Service soldiers British art directors British booksellers English people of French descent Free French military personnel of World War II People from Langport Military personnel from Somerset