As Guy Deakin, he contributed a number of stories to other annuals, including the Daily Mail Boys Annual, Daily Sketch Modern Boys Annual, Super Thriller Annual and Our Own Schoolboys Annual. I believe he also adopted the name Beryl Deakin for a story in Cherry Ames Girls Annual.
He also penned five adventure stories for Collins' Spitfire Books range of short novels, two under female pen-names.
Basil Frederick Deakin was born in Aston, Warwickshire, on 21 August 1906. His birth was registered as Frederick Basil Deakin, named after his father, Frederick Montague Deakin (1878-1973), but I suspect that, like many families, he was known to his family as Basil as 'dad' would have been called Fred or Frederick. It is not uncommon to find people switching their Christian names for this reason.
Basil Deakin married Hilda Rose Gore (1898-1988) in 1926 and had a number of children, including Mimi Hazel (later long, 1922-2001), Kym Leslie (1924-2001), Keith Warwick I. (1927-1994), Trevor Hugh Guy (1929), who seems to have been the source of numerous pen-names, and Michael A. B. (1933). At the time, the family lived at 24 Tangier Road, Richmond [fl. 1929/31) before moving to 16 Copthall Gardens, Twickenham [fl.1934/57].
Before the Second World War, Deakin was working as a representative for an advertising firm and an industrial technical journalist. He was an ARP warder during the war.
In the 1960s he was the author of various syndicated features ranging from cricket commentary to TV talk.
Basil died in Louth, Lincolnshire, in February 1989, shortly after the death of his wife.
PUBLICATIONS
Novels
Sally and That Strange New Mistress (as Rosemary Gordon). London, Fleetway (Schoolgirls' Own Library 195), Oct 1954.
The Menace of Mask. London & Glasgow, Collins (Spitfire Books), 1967.
Secret of Zarb. London & Glasgow, Collins (Spitfire Books), 1967.
The Terror of Tiba. London & Glasgow, Collins (Spitfire Books), 1967.
The Idol of El Abra (as Rosemary Marsden). London & Glasgow, Collins (Spitfire Books), 1967.
Secret of the Shadow (as Lesley Lingard). London & Glasgow, Collins (Spitfire Books), 1967.
Collections
Walt Disney’s Zorro Annual. London, Daily Mirror, 1960.
True Adventure Stories for Girls. London, Spring Books, 1961.
Bonanza. Paulton & London, Purnell, 5 vols., 1964-68.
These three novels, do you have a character in common?
ReplyDeleteHi Johny,
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I don't have any of them, so I don't know.
Johny, are you referring to the three Spitfire books ("The Terror of Tiba", "The Menace of Mask", and "Secret of Zarb")?
ReplyDeleteIf so, I can tell you that the first two do, being about two British spies (named Rod Renton and Mat Malloy, if I recall the names correctly) who are sent to investigate various threats to Britain's security.
Tiba is a small nation on a tropical island which some sinister power (just known as the Eastern Power) is interfering with; the ruler is a good and fair ruler, but has had his power undermined by the Eastern Power for unknown reasons. Mask is the name of a mad scientist based in the desert in Egypt who becomes a threat to world peace, owing to his scientific and technological genius and his unquenchable thirst for power. His technological feats include things that may be impossible according to the laws of science as they are generally understood.
I don't know about "Secret of Zarb", but I would hazard a guess that it may be about the same two spies, and is very likely a similar story.
They are quite good, exciting stories, if you can go along with the slightly improbable premises behind the plots.
Thank you very much for the information, MJE.
ReplyDeleteHe Also wrote at least 2 more in the Spitfire books range " The Idol of El Abra" under the name Rosemary Marsden and " Secret of the Shadow " under the name Lesley Lingard,
ReplyDeleteDo you know if he wrote under any other pen-names?
ReplyDeleteI have just purchased some of his manuscripts and a couple of hand written journals which lists his works and names he used, I have only just started to go through them but so far I have found out he wrote as Rosemary Gordon for Schoolgirls Own Library and wrote a handful of westerns under the name Zed Montana,
DeleteHe also writes as Rosemary Gordon for Schoolgirls own Library and Girls Crystal, Also has written a handful of Westerns under the name Zed Montana.
ReplyDeleteI have recently bought some manuscripts of his which also came with a couple of journals detailing what he has written under which name and where it was published, along with a load of his comics and annuals he had stories in, I'm still going through it so I'm sure there will be other names he wrote under.
That sounds fascinating. I'd love to come across a haul like that. I hope you'll keep us informed of your progress – maybe even write something up so we can expand on the piece above.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that he wrote 5 volumes of the Bonanza annual for Purnell, He wrote the 1964 as well as the 4 you have menioned
ReplyDelete