Nationality British Period 1902-1931 | Name William Dunkerley Role Journalist | |
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Born 12 November 1852Manchester, England ( 1852-11-12 ) Pen name John Oxenham, Julian Ross Occupation Journalist, Novelist & Poet Spouse Margery Anderson (m. ?–1925) Movies Hearts in Exile, A Maid of the Silver Sea Children Elsie J. Oxenham, Roderic Dunkerley, Theo Oxenham, Erica Oxenham, Maida Oxenham Books Bees in Amber, A Maid of the Silver Sea, Carette of Sark, All's Well!, Pearl of Pearl Island Similar People James Young, Michael Curtiz, Owen Davis | ||
William Arthur Dunkerley (12 November 1852 – 23 January 1941) was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. He was born in Manchester, spent a short time after his marriage in America before moving to Ealing, west London, where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s, and he then moved to Worthing in Sussex in 1922, where he became the town's mayor.
He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem Greatheart. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross, for journalism. Dunkerley was a major contributor to Jerome K. Jerome's The Idler magazine.
He had two sons and four daughters, of whom the eldest, and eldest child, Elsie Jeanette, became well known as a children's writer, particularly through her Abbey Series of girls' school stories. Another daughter, Erica, also used the Oxenham pen-name. The elder son, Roderic Dunkerley, had several titles published under his own name.