Henry Hector Bolitho (28 May 1897 – 12 September 1974) was a New Zealand writer, novelist and biographer, who had 59 books published. Widely travelled, he spent most of his career in England.

Biography

Hector Bolitho was born and educated in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand, the son of Henry and Ethelred Frances Bolitho. He travelled in the South Sea Islands in 1919 and then through New Zealand with the Prince of Wales in 1920. Bolitho lived in Sydney from 1921 to 1923, where he became editor of the ''Shakespearean Quarterly'' and literary editor and drama critic of the '' Evening News'' in Sydney. He also travelled in Africa, Canada, America, and Germany in 1923-4, finally settling in Britain where he was to remain for the rest of his life. On his arrival in Britain he worked as a freelance journalist; in 1927 he also provided a glowing introduction to (former journalist of the ''Evening News'' and future crime writer) Max Murray's first book, a sea voyage called ''The World's Back Doors'' (Jonathan Cape, 1927), the sixty-first book in

Jonathan Cape Jonathan Cape is a British publishing firm headquartered in London and founded in 1921 by Herbert Jonathan Cape, who was head of the firm until his death. Cape and his business partner Wren Howard (1893–1968) set up the publishing house in ...

's Traveller's Library series. At the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

he joined the

Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve The Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) was established in 1936 to support the preparedness of the U.K. Royal Air Force (RAF) in the event of another war. The Air Ministry intended it to form a supplement to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force ( ...

(RAFVR) as an

intelligence officer An intelligence officer is a member of the intelligence field employed by an organization to collect, compile or analyze information (known as intelligence) which is of use to that organization. The word of ''officer'' is a working title, not a r ...

with the rank of

squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...

, editing the ''Royal Air Force Weekly Bulletin'', which in 1941 became the ''Royal Air Force Journal''. In 1942 he was appointed editor of the ''Coastal Command Intelligence Review''. Bolitho undertook several lecture tours of America (in 1938–39, 1947, 1948, and 1949) and he also revisited Australia in later years. Bolitho was contracted by the Government of Pakistan to write a biography of Jinnah. The project became complicated as access to the archives was restricted and the government required changes to the draft prior to publication. The book was published to mixed reviews in 1954. Nevertheless the book has been widely cited. In his forties, Bolitho shared his life and his home with John Simpson. Hector described John as his ‘secretary’, which was then a common euphemism for gay partner. Simpson later died and his long-term partner was Derek Peel, an army officer. They met in 1949 and were together until Bolitho's death in 1974. Bolitho is referenced in fictional form as "Hector Bolithiero" in the Denton Welch short story " Brave and Cruel". The name Bolitho is of Cornish origin.

Bibliography

References

Biographies

Fairgray, Joyce. ''Windsor Reserve to Windsor Castle: Hector Bolitho 1897-1974'', Devonport Library Associates, Auckland 2009.

External links

Dictionary of National Biography

''Hector Bolitho'' at Dunedin Public Library website

World War I New Zealand Army military personnel file
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bolitho, Hector 1897 births 1974 deaths English biographers English gay writers New Zealand people of Cornish descent New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom New Zealand LGBTQ novelists Gay novelists English male novelists English monarchists 20th-century English novelists 20th-century English historians 20th-century English male writers Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve personnel of World War II Royal Air Force squadron leaders British male biographers 20th-century English LGBTQ people