Captain C. H. Dent

Born in Croydon on 7 July 1889, Cecil Hudleston Dent was the second son of Herbert Wilkinson Dent and his wife Mabel Maxwell (née Boisragon). He was a boarder at Hill House School, Filsham Road, St. Leonard, Sussex.

He served in the East Africa Mounted Rifles attached to the Indian Army Reserve in 1914-15, coming to England in 1916 and subsequently became a Captain in the Indian Army.

Captain C. H. Dent was a prolific writer for the Amalgamated Press and D. C. Thomson, writing for the Champion and Triumph group under various pen-names (Cecil Fanshaw, John Hudleston, Robert Hudleston, and house names Mark Grimshaw and Hal Wilton) in the 1920s and 1930s and anonymously to The Wizard and other Thomson papers.

After the war he found some success under his own name (Captain C. H. Dent) writing novels about horse racing which are nowadays very collectable thanks to their illustrations by Lionel Edwards.

He died in Hove, Sussex, in 1951, aged 62.

PUBLICATIONS

Novels as Captain C. H. Dent
Long Odds. Dublin, Mellifont Press, 1933.
False Colours. London, Eldon Press, 1937.
The Sweepstake Colt. London, John Hamilton, 1940.
Fate's Handicap. Dublin, Mellifont Press, 1944.
The Copper Horse. The story of a steeplechasing horse from his point of view, illus. Lionel Edwards. London, Hutchinson & Co., 1948.
Head High, Hands Low: A story of horses, ponies and riders, illus. Lionel Edwards. London, Hutchinson & Co., 1949.
Second Fiddle, Son of Viola, illus. Lionel Edwards. London, Hutchinson & Co., 1951.

Novels as Cecil Fanshaw
The Rebel Jockey. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 5), Apr 1929.
Trooper Ted of the S.A. Police. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 10), Jun 1929.
Stunters of the Airway. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 22), Dec 1929.
Mountie Mike of the Yukon Trail. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 27), Mar 1930.
With the Legion of Adventure! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 36), Jul 1930.
Pirate Plunder. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 40), Sep 1930.
Fighters of the Foreign Legion. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 45), Dec 1930.
Galloper Dan o' the Mounted. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 52), Mar 1931.
The Toughest Ranger in the Rockies! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 60), Jul 1931.
Highwayman Ned. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 69), Dec 1931.
Crashing Through the Jungle Line! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 74), Feb 1932.
Forward the Legion! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 81), Jun 1932.
The 1930 Robinson Crusoes! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 86), Aug 1932.
Sea-Wolves! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 91), Nov 1932.
The Fighting Shadow; or, Detective Jim’s Biggest Case. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 96), Jan 1933.Hammerfist (Hammersfist). London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 101), Apr 1933.
Barred from Mystery Ranch. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 108),  Jul 1933.King of the Gladiators. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 116), Nov 1933.
Hammerfist on the Trail of Yukon Gold (Hammerfist). London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 120), Jan 1934.
Captain Moonlight: the Iron-Fisted Highwayman. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 130), Jun 1934.
Boss of the Outlawed Legion. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 134), Aug 1934.
The Dandy Pirate. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 142), Dec 1934.
Black Cheetah. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 148), Mar 1935.
The Hiking Jockey. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 154), Jun 1935.
The Racing Highwayman. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 172), Mar 1936.
The Curse Of Ka! London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 174), Apr 1936.
Bare-Fist Benson—The Battling Gypsy. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 183), Sep 1936.
Kazan—The Racing Cossack. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 189), Dec 1936.
The Sporting Pirate. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 201), Jun 1937.
Boss of the Timber Toughs. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 211), Nov 1937.
The $1,000,000 Legionnaires (Husky King). London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 221), Apr 1938.
Husky & Co.—The Toughest Trio on the Turf (Husky King). London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 223), May 1938.
The Robinson Crusoe Heavyweight. London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 229), Aug 1938.
“President” Husky (Husky King). London, Amalgamated Press (Champion Lib. 236), Nov 1938.

Novels as Robert Hudleston
The Ivory Trail. London, Amalgamated Press (BFL2/361), Dec 1932.

Non-fiction as Captain C. H. Dent
The Horse Has Four Legs. Some reminiscences and suggestions. London, Hutchinson & Co., 1944.