Hugh Anthony St Leger

A Writer of Adventure Stories

HUGH ANTHONY ST LEGER  1857 – 1925

Hugh St Leger wrote adventure stories in the period between 1896 and 1924… A list of book titles can be found below. Twice married (1889 and 1913), his second wife, Henrietta Fraser Williamson, was a local widow living at Albion View in the Endway.  The 1911 census has him listed as a boarder at this address.  Sadly he lost a nephew, Dennis Claude Grant St Leger, in 1918, towards the end of the first world war.

His book titles include “Ocean outlaw”,  “Hallowe’en ahoy”(1896), “Sou’wester and sword”, “Jack Rollock’s adventures” (1924), “Rover’s quest” (1897), “Billets and bullets” (1902), “Zillah the little dancing girl” (1906) and “Shipmates” (1910).  A review of “Rover’s quest” taken from the Spectator of 23rd October 1897 and the cover of “Ocean outlaw” give an idea of the sort of books he wrote.

AUTHOR ASSAULTED AT BENFLEET – Headline from the Chelmsford Chronicle, Friday 4th September, 1914…

The newspaper report :

On Tuesday at Southend, Thomas Wilson, Burrard Road, Custom House; Henry Gibbs, Riles Road, Plaistow; and George Belton, Humberstone Road, Plaistow, were charged with being drunk and disorderly at South Benfleet and further with assaulting Hugh St Leger, author, South Benfleet.

P.C. Monk said he saw prisoners in a drunken condition.  He thought they were going to attack him, and he pushed one down.  They refused to give their names and witness handcuffed two of them, got hold of the other one and put the three of them into the waiting room at the railway station.

Mr St Leger stated that prisoners were at the barrier at Southend station, having an altercation with the ticket collector.  He asked them to move and they threatened to “smash him”.  Both at Westcliff and at Leigh accused threatened him.  At Benfleet prisoners rushed at him.  Mrs St Leger was knocked down and witness received a nasty blow in the eye and several bruises .

Prisoners declared that Mr St Leger struck them with a stick, but Mr St Leger denied having a stick.

The charge against Gibbs of assaulting Mr St Leger was dismissed. Wilson and Belton were each sentenced to 14 days hard labour for the assault and the three defendants were each fined 10s and costs for being drunk and disorderly.

No Comments

Start the ball rolling by posting a comment on this page!

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.