Annette Carson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Annette J. Carson
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Carson in 2012
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| Born | Annette Josephine Groombridge September 1, 1940 Brighton, England |
| Occupation | Non-fiction writer |
| Education | Mary Datchelor Girls’ School, London; Royal College of Music |
| Genre | History, biography, rock music |
| Subject | Aerobatics, Jeff Beck, Richard III |
| Notable works | Richard III: The Maligned King |
| Spouse | Paul Carson (m. 1960; div. 1966) |
Annette Josephine Carson is a British author who writes non-fiction books. She specializes in history, biographies (life stories), and aviation (things about flying). She is especially interested in King Richard III of England. Since 2002, she has also worked to help UK citizens living abroad get fair state pensions.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Annette Carson was born on September 1, 1940, in Brighton, England. Her father, Harry Groombridge, was a musician and bandleader. Annette went to Mary Datchelor Girls’ School in London. She also studied violin at the Royal College of Music. In 1960, she married an American actor named Robert Allen Carson. They later divorced in 1966.
Career Highlights
Aviation and Flying
In the 1980s, Annette Carson was involved with the Aerobatics Commission (CIVA) of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI). This group deals with aerobatics, which is when planes perform amazing tricks in the air. She became the secretary of CIVA and helped organize flying competitions. She also managed the British team and was a judge.
In 1984, she co-wrote a book called Flight Unlimited. Two years later, in 1986, she published Flight Fantastic: The Illustrated History of Aerobatics. This book earned her a special award called the Paul Tissandier Diploma. In 1998, she wrote articles about aerobatics and stunt flying for the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Later, in 2019, she released a new book about aviation history called Camel Pilot Supreme: Captain D V Armstrong DFC.
Music and Advertising
Annette Carson worked in the entertainment industry for 20 years. She was a booking agent for the famous guitarist Jeff Beck when his band, the Yardbirds, was becoming popular. She also worked at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and for Thames TV.
Later, she wrote a biography about Jeff Beck called Jeff Beck: Crazy Fingers, which came out in 2001. A music critic from Q-Magazine called it "The finest and probably final word."
In 1989, Carson moved to Johannesburg, South Africa. There, she worked as a copywriter for big advertising companies. She won several awards for her advertising work, including international awards.
Books About King Richard III
Annette Carson has always been very interested in King Richard III of England. In 2008, she published her book Richard III: The Maligned King. In this book, she looked at his time as king using older sources, not just stories written by his enemies. She believed that the King's remains were still buried under the Greyfriars Church in Leicester. She even guessed that the spot might be under a car park!
While she was still in South Africa, a group in the UK started the "Looking For Richard Project." Their goal was to find Richard III's lost grave. When Annette returned to the UK in 2011, she was asked to join the project as a history expert. The project ended up digging in the exact car park she had written about! The leader of the project, Philippa Langley, said Annette's book was the first to suggest that location. Annette helped the project by writing and raising money to save the dig.
In 2013, after updating The Maligned King, she published Richard III: A Small Guide to the Great Debate. In 2014, she helped edit and publish Finding Richard III: The Official Account of Research by the Retrieval and Reburial Project. This book shared the project's findings. Because of her work, she was given an Honorary Life Membership and became a Fellow of the Richard III Society.
In 2015, Carson published her fourth book about Richard III, called Richard Duke of Gloucester as Lord Protector and High Constable of England. She also created a new edition of an important Latin text from 1483 about Richard III's rise to power. This new edition included a fresh English translation and historical notes.
Annette Carson also helped publish a new edition of an old book from 1619 about Richard III. She edited it, made corrections, and managed the project.
Her articles have appeared in magazines like the Richard III Society's Ricardian Bulletin. She has also been on BBC Radio 4, talking about Richard III. Annette believes that we don't know as much as we think about Richard III. She encourages people to keep an open mind when learning about history.
UK State Pension Challenge
In 2002, Annette Carson started a legal case against the UK government. She was challenging a policy that affected UK citizens living in certain countries overseas. These citizens did not receive annual increases to their UK State Pension, even though people in other countries (like the US or those in Europe) did. She argued that this was unfair.
Carson lost her case in the High Court in the UK. She appealed this decision, but lost again. She then took her appeal to the House of Lords, which was the highest court in the UK at the time. She lost this appeal too.
In 2008, Carson took her case to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in France. She was joined by 12 other pensioners who were also affected by this policy. They lost this case. In 2010, they made a final appeal to a higher court within the ECHR, but they lost again.
