40 Facts About Percival Lancaster

Percival Lancaster was a British civil engineer and a writer of boy's adventure fiction, whose progress was derailed by the First World War.

Percival Lancaster's father was William Joseph Cosens Lancaster, a civil engineer better known as Harry Collingwood, a writer of boys' adventure fiction, usually with a nautical setting.

Percival Lancaster attended Dulwich College, at a time when Arthur Herman Gilkes, who promoted scholarship and public service, was the master, and Dulwich was one of the leading public schools.

Percival Lancaster described himself as being one of the school's prizemen.

Percival Lancaster went on a tour of the continent to perfect his French and German.

Percival Lancaster prided himself on his linguistic ability and said in a 1909 interview that he could speak French, German, and Zulu.

Percival Lancaster then began work for Sir John Jackson on the extension of the Keyham Yard at Devonport Royal Dockyard, near Plymouth.

In later years Percival Lancaster said that he had served in the Boer War, but in his profile interview in the Canadian Bookseller, he does not refer to the war, but only to strange experience and unpleasant adventures centering on strike-breaking and hunting.

Percival Lancaster was invalided home from South Africa in late 1905 or early 1906 and began writing stories.

Percival Lancaster married his maternal first cousin, Evelyn Mary Hall Oxley, in a registry office in Devenport.

The Bookseller and Stationer of February 1911 gave notice of the formation of the Waverly Book Company of Canada, of which Percival Lancaster was one of the principals and was shown as the manager in the Toronto City Directory.

In July 1912 Percival Lancaster was working for the Toronto Harbour Commissioners.

In December 1907, Percival Lancaster published the story "Mun Sami's Revenge: A Story of the Natal Sugar Plantations" in The Wide World Magazine.

In 1909, Percival Lancaster wrote a short story, "Ship of Silence: A Tale of the New Canadian Navy" for MacLeans Busy Man's Magazine.

In July 1912, Percival Lancaster said that a further book of his, The Serpent, set in New Zealand, had been accepted by Sampson Low, and that the manuscript of a fourth was taken to England by the managing director of Sampson Low.

In 1925, Sampson Low finally published In the Power of the Enemy which Percival Lancaster had written together with his father and which had appeared as a serial in 1912.

In 1933, Percival Lancaster wrote Vanished Lands: Atlantis and Lemuria, a very short essay, for the New Zealand Herald.

Percival Lancaster returned to England in time to enlist on 14 December 1914 at Cockspur Street.

Percival Lancaster was posted as a private to the 16th battalion of the Middlesex Regiment.

However, Percival Lancaster was discharged with three months on 2 March 1915 as "not likely to become an efficient soldier".

However, Percival Lancaster persevered and was commissioned in the Royal Engineers as a Lieutenant on 25 May 1915.

The Gallipoli Campaigns petered out in early 1916, but Percival Lancaster had ended his military service before this, resigning his commission with effect from 22 December 1915.

On 28 August 1916, Percival Lancaster was brought by the Police to Chelsea Workhouse for observation.

On 5 September 1916 Percival Lancaster was discharged as insane from the Chelsea Workshouse to Colney Hatch Asylum.

Percival Lancaster was found to be in possession of an out-of-date munitions pass, and was arrested.

Percival Lancaster was apparently under the impression that he was to conduct an inspection at a nearby munitions works.

The court heard that Percival Lancaster had shell shock, but had later complications from a blow to the head.

Percival Lancaster was discharged into the care of a Ministry official who undertook to take him to London to put in the care of his wife.

Percival Lancaster stated the Lancaster had insomnia and took morphine and cocaine.

Collingwood further stated that if Percival Lancaster could be prevented from taking drugs he would recover his moral strength.

The court said that it was difficult to know what to do, but bound over Percival Lancaster to appear if called upon, and bound over Collingwood to produce him if required.

Percival Lancaster arrived with his wife in New Zealand on 16 May 1929 aboard the SD Ruapehu with the intention to settle in New Zealand.

Percival Lancaster initially worked on the South Island Main Trunk Railway extension between Wharanui and Parnassus.

In January 1934, Percival Lancaster had a lucky escape while fishing at sea.

Percival Lancaster's punt sprung a leak and was quickly swamped.

Percival Lancaster was swept over the bar of an East African river while fishing from a raft.

Percival Lancaster was the beneficiary of her sister Augusta's will on her death on 20 January 1932.

Percival Lancaster was the next-of-kin contact for her younger half-brother Alan Rice-Oxley when he was a civilian detainee of the Japanese during World War Two.

Percival Lancaster died suddenly, aged 57, in New Zealand on 25 October 1937.

Percival Lancaster's wife survived him for another 30 years, dying, aged 85, on 21 June 1967 in Auckland, New Zealand.