| L. A. Hayter | |
| Birth Name: | Lawrence Ambrose Hayter |
| Birth Date: | 13 April 1893 |
| Birth Place: | Upper Holloway, London, England |
| Death Place: | Hollebeke, Belgium |
| Burial Place: | Plot I, Row H, Grave 8, Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery |
| Burial Coordinates: | 50.8053°N 2.8389°W |
| Occupation: | Illustrator, draughtsman, writer |
| Known For: | Contributions to The Children's Realm |
| Spouse: | Gladys Cawston |
Lawrence Ambrose Hayter (13 April 1893 – 30 December 1917) was an English illustrator, draughtsman, and writer. He was a significant contributor to The Children's Realm, a children's magazine about vegetarianism published, from 1906 to 1914, by the Vegetarian Federal Union and London Vegetarian Society. Following the outbreak of the First World War, Hayter initially identified as a conscientious objector, before changing his mind and enlisting in the Bedfordshire Regiment, 6th Battalion. He was killed in action in Belgium, in 1917.
Lawrence Ambrose Hayter was born on 13 April 1893,[1] in Upper Holloway, London, to Arthur William Hayter, an organ builder, and his wife Edith Rose. At school he was friends with Gerald Bullett and was known for publishing a jellygraphed school magazine, which he edited and illustrated with cartoons. Hayter lived in Letchworth, where he worked as a draughtsman.[2] He was engaged to Gladys Cawston, who was a musician.[3]
Hayter was the main illustrator of The Children's Realm, a vegetarian-themed children's magazine, published by the Vegetarian Federal Union and London Vegetarian Society;[4] his first illustration appeared in the Christmas 1908 issue. Hayter also contributed a large number of articles and stories,[5] some of which he co-wrote with Bullett. In 1912, Bullett published an article in the magazine, in which he praised Hayter's artistic talent, describing him as a "born artist". The Children's Realm ceased publication in 1914.[6] In the same year, George Bedborough who had been editor of The Children's Realm, published Stories from the Children’s Realm, a children's story book with animal rights, anti-vivisection, and vegetarian themes, containing several illustrations by Hayter.
During the First World War, Hayter was originally a conscientious objector, but changed his mind and enlisted at Bedford;[7] he was a private in the Bedfordshire Regiment, 6th Battalion.[8] In the summer of 1917, he was buried by a shell and mistakenly presumed dead. In November of the same year, he had a letter published in the Christian Science Sentinel, describing his experiences in the trenches and how he had cured himself of dysentery, using the teachings of Christian Science, proving its healing power.[9]
Hayter was killed in action by shelling in the trenches near Hollebeke, Belgium, on 30 December 1917; he was buried at Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery, Plot I. Row H. Grave 8. His name is recorded on the Letchworth Cross memorial.[10]
