Sir Richard Vincent Sutton c. 1913
George Calderon c.1901
Frontis piece by Frank Calderon
Figure from Gauguin’s 1899 painting ‘Tahitian Women with Mango Blossoms’ (left); George Calderon’s pencil sketch ‘Manu’ (right)
Christmas 1901 Cartoon by George Calderon
Patrick Miles in his summer house, 11 December 2016
K.N. Das Gupta and Margaret Mitchell in an Indian Dramatic Society production of The Maharani of Arakan, 1913?
The entrance to Fort Brockhurst (picture from Britain’s Past)
Jean Ryckaert, May 1916.
Basic form of the Calderon coat of arms
George Calderon, 1912
George and Kittie Calderon 1905
Book sent to George Calderon in Russia by his mother, Christmas 1895.
Captain of the 11
Unpublished watercolour by George Calderon, Tahiti 1906
A happy memory of Trinity College: undergraduates breakfast together in Downy V. Green, p. 77.
Michel and Vera Fokine in “Scheherazade”, 1914 (The Music And Theatre Library of Sweden, creative commons)
Colonel Sir Walter Coote Hedley c. 1920
Monarch Butterfly Madeira
Recent Comments
- Jim D G Miles on From the diary of a writer-publisher: 28 Excellent entry, Dad. I like the escape room picture, of course, but the story about the Russian and the hole-in-the-wall is exceptional! (28/03/2024 at 9:58 PM)
- Patrick Miles on Short story: ‘Crox’ Thank you, dear anonymous Theo...it is so refreshing to hear the reaction of a Man of the People! Keep a good grip on those cords! 'Part II'?! The rest is secreted in lines (18/12/2023 at 10:33 PM)
- Theo on Short story: ‘Crox’ Delicious! "Are you being Served?" meets "Keeping up Appearances" via Calderotica. But Patrick, you cannot leave us dangling like that just before Christmas! One thing - c (18/12/2023 at 1:35 PM)
- Patrick Miles on Cambridge Tales 8: ‘Black Tie’ Thank you, Damian, for sharing your problem with us. It's difficult to know what to prescribe. Perhaps try examining the facts of the story (e.g. there are not 6 medics in the (20/11/2023 at 9:44 AM)
- Damian Grant on Cambridge Tales 8: ‘Black Tie’ Patrick: I read your story 'Black Tie' on Monday, and knew immediately that it didn't work for me. There was something forced, factitious; something that didn't let the elemen (17/11/2023 at 2:26 PM)
Tag Archives: Sir Roland James Corbet
Three women follow the Somme
After Kittie Calderon had done all she could to establish George’s fate at Gallipoli on 4 June 1915, and accepted that she would live by the faith that he was in a Turkish prisoner of war camp, she suffered a … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian marriage, Heroism and Adventure, Modern parallels, Personal commentary
Tagged Battle of the Somme, biographies, Captain Charles Evelyn Pym, comments, Constance Astley, Constance Sutton, Dardanelles, Dick Sutton, Evey Pym, Foxwold, Gallipoli, General Henry Rawlinson, George Calderon, Givenchy, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, Nina Astley, Nina Corbet, Sir Richard Sutton, Sir Roland James Corbet, Verdun, Violet Pym, Wimereux
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Life at Hoe Benham
We may assume, then, that two days ago Kittie arrived at The Cottage at the Crossways, Hoe Benham, to stay for an indefinite period with the closest woman friend in her life, Nina Astley (Corbet). She would have travelled to … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian marriage
Tagged Acton Reynald, Benham Valence, Boxford, Constance Sutton, Dardanelles, Gallipoli, George Calderon, Hoe Benham, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, Lesbia Corbet, Nina Astley, Percy Lubbock, Reginald Astley, Sir Richard Sutton, Sir Roland James Corbet, The Crossways, The Great War, World War I
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‘We’re the Jims’
Hunter-Weston’s VIII Corps (in effect, all the British forces on the Helles front) issued its orders today, Thursday 3 June 1915. They were meticulous and ‘for the first time accompanied by a trench diagram, showing the various objectives to be … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian character, Edwardian marriage, Personal commentary
Tagged 29th Indian Brigade, Achi Baba, Battle of the Brickstacks, Colonel Hawkins, comments, Dardanelles, Elizabeth Ellis, Gallipoli, George Calderon, Gully Ravine, Jim Corbet, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Kittie Calderon, Krithia, Shady, Sir Roland James Corbet, The Great War, Third Battle of Krithia, Tommy, World War I
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4 May 1915
On this day (a Tuesday) at Fort Brockhurst George received the following letter from Kittie’s lifelong friend Nina Astley, née Stewart, Nina Corbet by her first marriage: The Cottage at the Crossways Hoe Benham Newbury … Continue reading
Kittie’s story
As I have said before, none of George and Kittie’s letters to each other written whilst he was at Fort Brockhurst has survived (there is an envelope addressed to her by George and postmarked Gosport 3 May, but no letter … Continue reading
The note darkens
I did not notice it when I got to this point in writing the chapter in my biography, but the day-by-day ‘real time’ of the blog has brought it home to me: the note has definitely darkened by this date … Continue reading
20 April 1915
Brinsop Court. Hereford. (Statn Credenhill. Tels Burghill.) Tuesday Darling Dina, It’s absolutely unthinkable that you are not here, and I do know how you are feeling about it, but time and space are nothing, and your dear spirit just wraps me round … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian marriage
Tagged 'Phyllis', Colonel Geoffrey Feilding, Constance Astley, Constance Sutton, Dick Sutton, Edward Brooke, Eliza Stewart, Father Waggett, Fort Brockhurst, George Calderon, Hubert Astley, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, Nina Astley, Sir Richard Sutton, Sir Roland James Corbet, The Great War, World War I
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17 April 1915
This morning, at Brinsop Court in Herefordshire, Nina Astley (Lady Corbet by her first marriage) received a telegram from the War Office informing her that her son Sir Roland James Corbet (Jim) had been killed at Givenchy (see my post … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian character, Personal commentary
Tagged Acton Reynald, Brinsop Court, Constance Astley, Constance Sutton, Dick Sutton, Elizabeth Hayes, Fort Brockhurst, George Calderon, Givenchy, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, Lesbia Corbet, Nina Astley, Shropshire, Sir Richard Sutton, Sir Roland James Corbet, telegrams, The Great War, World War I
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15 April 1915
April 15. 1915 [France] Dear Mrs Astley — it is with the greatest grief that I write to you to tell you of your son’s death which took place at 8 a.m. this morning. It was very foggy, and your … Continue reading
1 February 1915
Tel.: Stockcross Benham Valence, … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian marriage
Tagged Benham Valence, Constance Astley, Dick Sutton, Eliza Stewart, Fort Brockurst, George Calderon, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, Lesbia Corbet, Nina Astley, Reginald Astley, Sir Richard Sutton, Sir Roland James Corbet, The Great War, Torquay, World War I
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Visitors and ‘victory’
The fact that Calderon wrote to Daniel and Henriette Sturge Moore on Sunday 22 November 1914, but not, as far as we know, to their parents, implies that their parents actually visited George in hospital. This is in any case … Continue reading
Posted in Edwardian literature
Tagged Belgium, Daniel Sturge Moore, Dr Albert Tebb, George Calderon, Henriette Sturge Moore, Inns of Court Regiment, Kittie Calderon, Louise Rosales, Manolo Ordoño de Rosales, Max Hastings, Nina Astley, Reginald Astley, Royal Horse Guards, Sir Roland James Corbet, The Blues, The Great War, Thomas Sturge Moore, William Caine, World War I, Ypres
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22 September 1914
On this day Kittie had lunch with Nina and Reginald Astley at the Royal Automobile Club and visited Nina’s son Sir Roland Corbet (Jim) in hospital at Grosvenor Gardens. He had a lot of visitors, so, as Kittie wrote George … Continue reading
A friend is wounded
On 8 September 1914 the B.E.F. moved towards the Marne and began to be attacked by von Kluck’s rearguard. In one such engagement a dear friend of the Calderons was hit by shrapnel. This was the 22-year-old Sir Roland James … Continue reading
Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged Acton Reynald, Alexander von Kluck, Battle of the Marne, British Expeditionary Force, Coldstream Guards, George Calderon, Jim Corbet, Kittie Calderon, La Trétoire, Lady Caroline Corbet, Nina Astley, Nina Corbet, Reginald Astley, Sir Roland James Corbet, Sir Walter Corbet, The Great War, World War I
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Guest Post: Laurence Brockliss, ‘George Calderon and the Demographic Revolution’
George Calderon married Kittie shortly before his thirty-second birthday. For a professional man at the turn of the twentieth century, this was not an uncommon age to wed. For the last ten years I have been leading a cross-generational study … Continue reading →