Author's News

Added 27-Nov-2008

John Lyons of Nerberth, Pembrokeshire, has kindly sent me cuttings from local newspapers, mainly about Will Haggar Junior and his Theatrical company. In 1902, he was presented by Maesteg Football club with a silver-mounted walking stick and a revolver, both suitably engraved. In the same year, he gave a charitable performance of "Ingomar the Barbarian" to raise money for the St Michael's Church building fund (also in Maesteg). Jenny Lindon'a acting the part of Parthenia was particularly praised.

A cutting from the South Wales Evening Post of 2 December 1931 pictures the cast in the "big scene" outside the church in "The Maid of Cefn Ydfa", produced at the Grand Theatre Swansea by "the famous Denville players" who had specially engaged Miss Jennie Haggar and Mr. Wally Thomas (her second husband) to play the parts of Gwyneth (as Jennie had done in William Haggar's film 17 years before) and of Lewis Bach (played in the film by Will Fyffe).

Still on the topic of "The Maid of Cefn Ydfa", Cliff Horton from Wakefield, a member of the Ebley family who were in portable theatres at the same time as the Haggars, has told me that a Playbook containing the script of "The Maid" is in the Ebley Archive at the University of Swansea. Unfortunately it is too fragile to be handled, but perhaps after it has been conserved, we will be able to identify the lines "spoken" by Will and Jenny in the film.

Bryony Dixon of the British Film Institute has sent me thirteen photographs from Haggar films, which were registered for copyright by Gaumont, stating that the author was William Haggar. Gaumont did not give film titles, so detective work was needed. Two photos were from the newly-discovered "Revenge!". Five were from known, but lost films, "The Sign of the Cross" (one picture shows the villainous Tigellinus supervising the torture of the christian Stephen to reveal the whereabouts of the other christians in hiding from Nero's perscecution), "Mirthful Mary in the Dock", "Snowballing" and "A Message from the Sea" (a lost scene of Will Haggar Junior and the boy on the raft). Four can be identified as being from the the hitherto unattributed short comedies "Auntie's Cycling Lesson", "Cook's Lovers", "Jack's Rival" and "Married Bliss". These photos are thus a major addition to what is known about the Haggar films.

Picture: Stephen on the Rack ("The Sign of the Cross")



I notice that, when the French IMDB is translated into English, not only does Voilet Haggar turn Purple, but "The Sign of the Cross" turns into "The Sign of the Cross-roads"!

I was delighted to receive a note from Dr John Barnes, historian of the beginnings of the cinema in England, saying how much he admired my book: it was a great contribution to film history, he wrote, and would long remain the definitive work on the subject. Betty and I had the priviledge of meeting John at his home in St Ives in April 2008, and later I was also welcomed by his brother, William Barnes, at his home in London.

Do far the book has sold more than 600 copies, and I have given nine talks about William Haggar to Women's Institutes and other clubs, with the proceeds of about £200 going to the Salisbury-based charity Hope and Homes for children.