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Biographical Notes on Frank Richards
 Peter McCall
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Charles Hamilton was always secretive about his private life. His Autobiography The Autobiography of Frank Richards contains no details of his early years; indeed, in this Frank Richards appears fully formed aged 17! Thus, much of the following must be conjectural. Such facts as are known were meticulously unearthed by Maurice Hall and Bill Lofts in researching their books about the most prolific writer of all time.
These notes are expanded from the Appendices of Bang 'em Up Young, by Peter McCall (University of Reading, 1995). Further references are to be found in the Book List
   

FAMILY HISTORY:

  
12th May 1838 Father – John Hamilton jnr., born.
1862 John jnr. listed in census as "Stationer"; living in Ealing area.
11th May 1864

John jnr., (aet 25), marries Mary Ann Trinder, (aet. 16), daughter of fly-driver. Wedding took place at Congregational Church, Ealing. (This was situated between Oak Street and St. Mary’s place.) Service conducted by Revd. William Jones and registered by William Jones, esq., (presumably the local Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages. (The latter was also to register the births of many of their children.
They lived at 25 Oak Street, Ealing (now demolished).

1st Apr. 1865 First child born – Maude Marion Margaret. Mother’s name now given as Marion.
5th May 1867 Second child born – Alexander Llewellyn Patrick. Living at 15 St. Mary’s Place, Ealing.
16th Oct. 1869 Third child born – Archibald Reginald Percy. At this stage, the family were probably living rent-free in empty houses provided by Stephen Trinder, a relative of Marion’s, who was an estate agent. Now living at Avenue Road.
1871 According to census, now living at 2 Park Lodge, in Castlebar, Ealing. Also registered at same address Walter Hamilton Trinder - Marion’s younger brother.
9th Apr. 1872 Fourth child born – Edith Hilda May. Family again living in Oak Street, Ealing - this time No. 15, having been at 25 earlier. This seems to have been a fairly settled time, for the rest of the children were born at this address.
24th Aug. 1874 Fifth child born - Richard Lionel Walter
8th Aug. 1876 Sixth child born - Charles Harold St. John, (CH), to become world renowned as Frank Richards.
10th Mar 1879 Seventh child born – Hugh Douglas Percy. Died aged 23.
11th Apr. 1881 Eighth child born – Una Isabel Gertrude.
   
EDUCATION
            & EARLY LIFE:		  
  Probably educated at Thorn(e) House School, Ealing. CH never forthcoming about his schooling, so this is conjectural, but basically agreed by researchers.
20th Feb. 1884 Father died of tuberculosis, aet. 45 after 2-3 year illness. To CH, this meant the end of 'drunken rages’. but "untreated tuberculosis commonly affects the brain, - [causing] delusions, depression, and pain, relieved only by alcohol and morphine, (both easily available in those days), - giving the picture of a cruel drunken father. Obviously, FR knew nothing of this, - and may have blackened the memory of his father through no fault of either". (Peter McCall)
  CH is on record as saying "my father was always writing. But, he never had anything published, as far as I know". This is in direct contrast to Carpenter & Prichard, and his grand niece, Patricia Hamilton, grand daughter of Dickie, (CH’s favourite brother), who both state John jnr. was a journalist, and, according to Cadogan, a regular contributor to the "Freethinker".
  After father’s death, Walter Trinder provided financial support to the family. (This was to be a recurrent theme in the Magnet – a rich inconnu repaying the debt owed a youthful saviour, usually a waif, by sending him to Greyfriars.)
  After leaving school, CH had private tuition, in French, Spanish, and German. His classics were already good, and all languages appeared at some time in the Magnet.
  FR’s Mother was a 'go-getter’, aggrandizing herself from Mary Anne, to Marion, to Marianne. Were the family told to keep quiet about the fly-driving father? Was CH’s future reticence due to this hiding of humble origins?" (according to Chris Lowder)
1893 First story published. His fee was reduced from £5/5/0 to £4/4/0 when the agent, (Dowling Maitland), discovered his age! His first story had been written when he was 7, and he had been a constant story teller to his baby sister, Una.
1890’s Song writing with brother-in-law, Percy Harrison, (father of Una Hamilton Wright).
1903 Mother remarried - only to be widowed in 1904.
   
CREATION OF
                   BILLY BUNTER		  
1899 First story written in which Bunter appeared. Rejected by publisher who "shook a sage head over him."
1894-1906 1,000’s of stories written for, and published by, Trapps Holmes Magazines - including Smiles, Funny Cuts, World’s Own Picture Fun, Vanguard, Coloured Comic, & Larks.
1901 Learns to type to cope with enormous output.
3rd May 1902 Earliest known school story published in Best Budget.
Feb. 1906 St. Jim’s School created in Pluck - published under own name
7th Mar. 1907 First Greyfriars story published in Best Budget.
  At this stage also writing for Harmsworth Press, (later to become Amalgamated Press).
16th Mar. 1907 Clavering School created in Gem number 3. Introduction of Tom Merry. Clavering School 'closed’ & Tom Merry goes to St. Jim’s in Gem No. 10, after which regular St. Jim’s stories in Gem.
Takes name of Martin Clifford as Gem author - derived from Martin Rattler, and Paul Clifford.
1907 "Inky", (Hurree Jamset Ram Singh), created in Marvel - at Netherby School. At this time still writing for Trapp Holmes, Aldine, Diamond Library, under pen-name of Owen Conquest.
  Griffiths, controlling editor for AP, trying to get him to write full time for him. Pay is £18/18/0 per story.
  However, heavy gambler. Hall contends this not true - see later.
8th Feb. 1908 First issue of Magnet: The Making of Harry Wharton.
  Frank Richards derived from Frank Osbaldistone, and pluralizing of favourite brother’s name
  Billy Bunter derived from three people: Higgins, the editor of Chuckles, who "overflowed his chair"; his sister, Una, who "peered over her glasses like an inquisitive owl"; and his brother, Alex, who, Micawber-like, was always expecting a cheque.
1909 First substitute story published in Gem.
1909 Much time spent in continental travel until the First World War. Often at casino in Monte Carlo. "I had a long session there once. I had to stick my editor for cheques in advance. When I’d paid my bills, there was just enough to escape into Italy!" (It is not clear when this quote applies to. I think likely later [vide infra: Copyright].
1913 Engaged for a time to unknown American, "Miss New York". He didn’t like being organised & so broke it off.
1914 Arrested by Germans in Austria on way home from Italy on outbreak of First World War. St. Jim’s story passed by censor!
  On way home through Kent, discovers village of Hawkinge where he rented a cottage for several years.
  About this time first met Edith Hood. She later became his housekeeper & companion until his death.
20th Feb. 1915 Creation of Rookwood School, attended by Jimmy Silver & Co., for Boys’ Friend Library.
1920  First Holiday Annual published.
1921? The date is not certain, but FR sold the copyright to the Greyfriars characters sometime in the early ’20’s. Probably to pay his gambling debts. Possibly when he "stuck his editors for cheques in advance". Hall disagrees with me; Lofts agrees! FR considered that he had always kept the copyright.
1930-38  'Golden Age' of Magnet.
1939 Circulation falls.
   
THE LATER YEARS  
18th May 1940 Last edition of Magnet. No mention made of closure: "Don’t miss next week’s exciting episode "The Battle of the Beaks". In fact FR had written & been paid for four further episodes. No trace has been discovered of them.
Mar. 1940  George Orwell publishes "On Boys’ Weeklies".
May 1940 Incensed, FR demands & gets the right to reply.
11th May 1946 "Do You Remember Billy Bunter?" - article in Picture Post by Sydney Jacobson
4th Oct. 1946 As a result:  Contract signed for hard back book "for old time’s sake". Skilton could not afford the cash for FR’s request for £1/1/0 per 1,000 words, and persuaded him to accept royalties! Amalgamated Press permitted Hamilton to use names and places that were their copyright. Whether the copyright was returned to Hamilton or he was simply allowed to continue using his creations is not certain.
1946-61 Total of 39 Bunter books published. First six by Skilton; the remainder by Cassells.
1952 Autobiography of Frank Richards published. First draft worried AP. Rewritten to their satisfaction.
19th Feb. 1952 First television Bunter show with Gerald Campion as Bunter. "He [Frank Richards] didn’t approve of them" (Edith Hood).
1953-4  Further T. V. series.
1958 First Greyfriars play at Victoria Palace. Gerald Campion still playing the part of Billy Bunter.
30th June 1961 Greyfriars story in Latin published in T.E.S. - Ultio Bunteri.
1961  "Blind. Completely blind". [Letter to Charles Skilton]
24th Dec. 1961  Death of Frank Richards. Seventy-eight obituaries in press.
1965 Publication of Greyfriars Prospectus by J. S. Butcher.
1969 First Howard Baker Reprint of Magnet. The choice was made on the basis that Bill Baker had been reading the Egypt Series last as a teenager and had never discovered how it ended!
1991 Bill Howard Baker dies. Last Magnet reprint published - still over 100 not done.
1992 Hawk Books begin reprints of "Cassell" Bunter Books. Sixteen reprinted to date.
1995 Since the death of Robert Maxwell, the ownership of the Copyright in the Magnet stories is unknown. Many hours of research have produced no answers. As a result, it is almost certain that, until the 75th anniversary of CH's death, the remaining Magnets cannot be reproduced.
2003 Death of Gerald Campion.
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