Vol 12.6 Edward Home-Gall

Non-Hampton & Richmond Borough related posts.
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Les1949
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Joined: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:59 pm

HAMPTON, AROUND AND ABOUT

Things you may not know, or didn’t know you knew!

No 6 EDWARD HOME-GALL (1897-1974)
Author son of William Home-Gall

The previous article covered the life of William Home-Gall, author and Vice-President of the club in 1921. This article looks at Edward, his son, who was born in Hampton, lived in Nightingale Road and was also a writer. Edward was born in 1897, and was baptised in St Marys – though his father and mother, Edith, did not marry until 1898.

Edward joined the Amalgamated Press in 1914 where he started his writing career. In WWI, Edward volunteered and saw action in Gallipoli where he was invalided home with a fever, recovering, he then joined the Royal Fusiliers and was at Messines in the Battle of Arras in 1917 (as was one of my relatives). In 1918 he was awarded the Military Cross, for gallantry.

In the early 1920s, Edward took the decision to go freelance, after a year of struggle and little income, he found his market and submitted stories for many publications belonging to DC Thomson including; Rover and Wizard (ah yes, I remember those comics, still going strong in the 60s and 70s..TOH).

Between 1923 and 1953 Edward wrote regularly for another paper Champion, he also had time to write novels. One of his creations was the detective, Colwyn Dane. Edward also started writing stories about Speedway which attracted the attention of a young Australian who wrote to Edward on how he could become a speedway rider. Following the advice received the young man came to England – his name Bluey Wilkinson, who became World Speedway Champion in 1938.


After the Second World War, Edward set up Panmura Press (named after his home in Hampton).



Edward moved away from Hampton to live in France, created
a new character Shirley Flight – Air Hostess.

Edward died in France in 1974.

The Old Historian
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