Sir Howard Handley Spicer

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

, (1872 in

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, Kent – 16 August 1926 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

) was a prominent papermaker and wholesale stationer and a magazine editor. He was the founder of the Empire League, a patriotic movement for British boys, and editor of the League's magazine, ''Boys of the Empire''.

Life and works

Howard Spicer was the eldest son of James Spicer (1846-1915), a wealthy paper merchant, and Jane Anne Powell. His uncles were Albert Spicer (1847–1934) and

Evan Spicer Sir Evan Spicer (20 April 1849 – 22 December 1937) was a British Liberal and London Progressive politician who served for 30 years on the London County Council. Background Spicer was the son of James Spicer. He was educated at Mill Hill Sch ...

. Howard Spicer entered his father's firm in 1890. The family residence was North Park Perry House,

Eltham Eltham ( ) is a district of South London, southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three ...

, Kent. In 1911, Spicer and his wife were living at Brooklands House,

Chobham Chobham is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Surrey Heath, Borough of Surrey Heath in Surrey, England. The village has a small high street area, specialising in traditional trades and motor trades. The River Bourne ...

Woking Woking ( ) is a town and borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in north-west Surrey, England, around from central London. It appears in Domesday Book as ''Wochinges'', and its name probably derives from that of a Anglo-Saxon settleme ...

and his occupation was stated as paper merchant and manufacturer. Spicer edited ''Boys of the Empire'', which was published in London by his friend

Andrew Melrose Andrew Melrose (5 February 1860 - 6 November 1928''The Times'' obituary; 7 November 1928) was a British publisher. Although he was noted for publishing theological works, he was also active in promoting new fiction, and offered a substantial cas ...

from 1901 to 1903. It called itself “A Magazine for British Boys All Over the World” but its published aim was “To promote and strengthen a worthy imperial spirit in British-born boys." It was "arguably the most

jingoistic Jingoism is nationalism in the form of aggressive and proactive foreign policy, such as a country's advocacy for the use of threats or actual force, as opposed to peaceful relations, in efforts to safeguard what it perceives as its national inter ...

of all the juvenile periodicals". The League attracted over 10,000 members, under the Presidency of

Arthur Conan Doyle Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (22 May 1859 – 7 July 1930) was a British writer and physician. He created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for ''A Study in Scarlet'', the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Hol ...

, and provided "lectures, sermons and cultural visits, all on an imperial theme." A sports enthusiast, Spicer edited books on sport for both boys and girls, published by Andrew Melrose, and was also editor of "The Sports Library", a series of books promoting a wide range of sports. While he was the editor of '' Sandow's Magazine of Physical Culture'', he introduced the Scottish writer

George Douglas Brown George Douglas Brown (26 January 1869 – 28 August 1902) was a Scottish novelist, best known for his highly influential realist novel ''The House with the Green Shutters'' (1901), which was published the year before his death at the age of 33 ...

to Melrose. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he was a technical advisor to the

War Office The War Office has referred to several British government organisations throughout history, all relating to the army. It was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, at ...

and was later knighted for his services. He assisted in the design and manufacture of an improved

gas mask A gas mask is a piece of personal protective equipment used to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. The mask forms a sealed cover over the nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft ...

. He was an authority on dogs, in particular the

bloodhound The bloodhound is a large scent hound, originally bred for hunting deer, wild boar, rabbits, and since the Middle Ages, for tracking people. Believed to be descended from hounds once kept at the Abbey of Saint-Hubert, Belgium, in French it is ...

and griffon. In 1920, Spicer's wife Dame Muriel Eleanor Barrett Handley Spicer filed a Divorce Court petition for restitution of conjugal rights. Spicer was vice-chairman and joint managing director of the paper firm James Spicer & Sons (since 1922 Spicers Ltd.), and a director of

United Newspapers UBM plc was a British business-to-business (B2B) events organiser headquartered in London, England, before its acquisition by Informa in 2018. It had a long history as a multinational media company. Its main focus was on B2B events, but its pr ...

and the

Edinburgh Evening News The ''Edinburgh Evening News'' is a daily newspaper and website based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded by John Wilson (1844–1909) and first published in 1873. It is printed daily, except on Sundays. It is owned by National World, whic ...

, at the time of his death in 1926. He was found dead in a hotel near the

Strand Strand or The Strand may refer to: Topography *The flat area of land bordering a body of water, a: ** Beach ** Shoreline * Strand swamp, a type of swamp habitat in Florida Places Africa * Strand, Western Cape, a seaside town in South Africa * ...

, having shot himself . The inquest recorded a finding of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

while of unsound mind."Hotel Tragedy", London August 20,''The Argus'', Monday 23 August 1926
/ref> His portrait by

Walter Stoneman Walter Ernest Stoneman (6 April 1876 – 14 May 1958) was an English portrait photographer who is known for taking photographs for the National Portrait Gallery, London, National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London. Career as a photographe ...

is in the

National Portrait Gallery National Portrait Gallery may refer to: * National Portrait Gallery (Australia), in Canberra * National Portrait Gallery (Sweden), in Mariefred *National Portrait Gallery (United States), in Washington, D.C. *National Portrait Gallery, London ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Spicer, Howard Papermakers English magazine editors People from Bexley Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire Suicides by firearm in England 1872 births 1926 deaths People from Eltham 1926 suicides Suicides in Westminster Knights_Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire