Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde "Wole" Soyinka is a Nigerian playwright, novelist, poet, and essayist in the English language. He was awarded the 1986 Nobel Prize in Literature for his "wide cultural perspective and... poetic overtones fashioning the drama of existence", the first sub-Saharan African to win the Prize in literature.
Dame Gracie Fields was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the highest paid film star in the world in 1937. Fields was known affectionately as Our Gracie and the Lancashire Lass and for never losing her strong, native Lancashire accent. She was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and an Officer of the Venerable Order of St John (OStJ) in 1938, and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1979.
George MacDonald Fraser was a Scottish author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Over the course of his career he wrote eleven novels and one short-story collection in the Flashman series of novels, as well as non-fiction, short stories, novels and screenplays—including those for the James Bond film Octopussy, The Three Musketeers and an adaptation of his own novel Royal Flash.
Air Marshal Sir Richard Williams,, is widely regarded as the "father" of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He was the first military pilot trained in Australia, and went on to command Australian and British fighter units in World War I. A proponent for air power independent of other branches of the armed services, Williams played a leading role in the establishment of the RAAF and became its first Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) in 1922. He served as CAS for thirteen years over three terms, longer than any other officer.
Travers Vale, born Solomon Flohm, was an English-born silent film director. Raised primarily in Victoria, Australia, he worked as a photographer, playwright and theatre manager there and in New Zealand prior to his career in film. Early in his career, he was known by the name S. F. Travers Vale under which name he authored his first known play, The Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1888) which is an adaptation of the 1886 novel of the same name by Fergus Hume. He established his own theatre troupe, The Travers Vale Dramatic Company, which was in residence at the Theatre Royal, Adelaide in 1889 and the Auckland Opera House in New Zealand in 1890. In 1892 and 1893 he was the business manager of the American husband wife magician team of Charles N. Steen and Mrs. Steen.
Air Vice Marshal Stanley James (Jimmy) Goble, CBE, DSO, DSC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He served three terms as Chief of the Air Staff, alternating with Wing Commander Richard Williams. Goble came to national attention in 1924 when he and fellow RAAF pilot Ivor McIntyre became the first men to circumnavigate Australia by air, journeying 8,450 miles (13,600 km) in a single-engined floatplane.
Freedom of the Seas is a 1934 British comedy war film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Clifford Mollison, Wendy Barrie and Zelma O'Neal. It was adapted by Roger Burford from the West End play of the same name by Walter C. Hackett.
Everywhere in the World is a 16-minute 1941 Canadian documentary film about the contributions of the United States and Commonwealth countries to the Allied war effort. The film was made by the National Film Board of Canada (NFB) as part of the wartime Canada Carries On series. It was produced by Stuart Legg. The film's French version title was Partout au monde.
The Man Who Stayed at Home is a play by J. E. Harold Terry and Lechmere Worrall. First performed in 1914, the play is set during the First World War and tells the story of a group of German spies in South East England and the British agent who thwarts their undercover operation. It ran for over a year and a half in London and became one of the longest running plays of the period. It was also performed in Australia and New Zealand, and in North America where it was known as The White Feather. There were two film versions of the play, the first in 1915 and the other in 1919.
The Old Man is a 1931 mystery play by the British writer Edgar Wallace. Its original production was staged at Wyndham's Theatre in London's West End for a ninety performance run. It is set entirely in the "Coat of Arms" tavern where a mysterious old man lurks in the background, reputedly an escapee from a lunatic asylum. The original cast included Alfred Drayton, Jack Melford, Harold Warrender and Finlay Currie.
Benighted is a 1927 novel by the British writer J.B. Priestley. Priestley's second published novel, the story explores the post-First World War disillusionment that Britain felt during the time period. A number of travellers are forced to take shelter at an old Welsh country house during a storm. The book was released in the United States in 1928.
The Cardinal is a 1901 historical play by the British writer Louis N. Parker. It is set in Renaissance Italy at the height of the power of the Medici Dynasty.
If the Gods Laugh is a 1925 romantic adventure novel by the British writer and explorer Rosita Forbes. It is set against the backdrop of the Italian colonization of Libya.
King's Mate is a 1928 romantic adventure novel by the British writer and explorer Rosita Forbes. While staying in Morocco a young Englishwoman becomes lost in the desert and is rescued by a mysterious figure known as the White Sheik, who proves to be an Englishman.
The Spy in Black is a 1917 spy thriller novel by the British writer J. Storer Clouston. It takes place near Scapa Flow in Orkney during the First World War. It was one of several thrillers he wrote along with The Man from the Clouds and Beastmark the Spy.
Young Wives' Tale is a 1949 comedy play by the British writer Ronald Jeans. It premiered at the Theatre Royal, Brighton before transferring to the Savoy Theatre in London's West End where it ran for 373 performances between 7 July 1949 and 27 May 1950. The original London cast included Naunton Wayne, Joan Greenwood, Derek Farr, Joan Haythorne and Margaret Scudamore.
Seagulls Over Sorrento is a play by Hugh Hastings, an Australian who had served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War.
Immortal Sergeant is a 1942 war novel by the British writer John Brophy. The novel is set during the North African campaign of the Second World War and seen through the eyes of a British corporal fighting across the Libyan desert whose comrade, a sergeant, is killed.
Waterfront is a 1934 crime drama novel by the British writer John Brophy. It is set in his native Liverpool amongst the world of dockworkers.
