S. P. B. Mais Explained

Stuart Petre Brodie Mais (4 July 1885 – 21 April 1975), known publicly as S. P. B. Mais, was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was an author of travel books and guides, and had an informal style that made him popular with the general public.[1]

Biography

Petre Mais, as he was known in his personal life,[2] was the son of Rev. John Brodie Stuart Mais, curate of St Margaret's, Ladywood, Birmingham and his wife Hannah Horden (née Tamlin). He was born at Ladywood, but raised in Tansley, Derbyshire, where his family relocated on his father's appointment as rector there in 1890.[3] [4] [5]

He was educated at Denstone College, Staffordshire, then read English Literature at Christ Church, Oxford (BA 1909, MA 1913) [4] After teaching at Rossall, Sherborne and Tonbridge, and Royal Air Force College Cranwell, he later worked for the Daily Express, the Daily Graphic and The Daily Telegraph.[1] A prolific author of over 200 books, he also broadcast for numerous wireless programmes for the BBC between the 1920s and 1940s. Mais was an ardent campaigner for the English countryside and traditions, leading walks for people who came for a day trip by train from big cities, often from London.

Mais worked as a journalist for The Oxford Times newspaper, and also for the BBC as a radio broadcaster, most famously on the Kitchen Front radio programme that aired after the morning news during the Second World War.[6] He presented Letter from America from 1933, 13 years before a similar concept was made famous by Alistair Cooke. He also presented a series on This Unknown Island.

One grandson is Evening Standard writer Sebastian Shakespeare, who wrote of his grandfather:

Personal life

In 1913, Mais married Doris Snow; they had two daughters: Priscilla (1916–1982) and Vivien (born 1920).[7] After their separation (they never divorced), he had a relationship with Winifred Doughty (1905–1993), who changed her name by deed poll to Gillian ("Jill") Mais; they also had two daughters.[8] After becoming dissatisfied with living standards in the tiny retirement home at Lindfield, Sussex that had been offered to the penniless Mais by the Samaritan Housing Association, along with Mais's refusal to marry her, Jill left Mais for a mutual friend, Dudley Carew, whom she married, and lived with him across the road from Mais, taking him meals.[9]

Death

Mais died on 21 April 1975 at his retirement accommodation in Lindfield, Sussex.[2]

Bibliography

Critical works

Novels

Travel books

These include:

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Mr. S. P. B. Mais . . 18. 24 April 1975 .
  2. "SPB Mais", Nicholas Shakespeare, in The Best Australian Essays 2002, ed. Peter Craven, Black Inc., 2002, p. 208
  3. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 10.1093/ref:odnb/46344. 2004.
  4. Who's Who Among Living Authors of Older Nations, vol. I 1931-1932, ed. A. Lawrence, Golden Syndicate Publishing Company, 1932, p. 267
  5. Crockford's Clerical Directory, fifty-ninth issue, Oxford University Press, 1930, p. 845
  6. For an account of these broadcasts see Calling Again – My Kitchen Front Talks with some results on the listener by S. P. B. Mais, 1941.
  7. The Collected Letters of Robinson Jeffers, with selected letters of Una Jeffers, volume two, 1931-1939, ed. James Karman, Stanford University Press, 2011, pp. 273, 280-1, 301
  8. The Collected Letters of Robinson Jeffers, with selected letters of Una Jeffers, volume two, 1931-1939, ed. James Karman, Stanford University Press, 2011, p. 274
  9. "SPB Mais", Nicholas Shakespeare, in The Best Australian Essays 2002, ed. Peter Craven, Black Inc., 2002, pp. 207-208

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