Bella Sidney Woolf facts for kids

Bella Sidney Woolf (1877–1960) was an English writer. She was the sister of famous author Leonard Woolf. Bella was married twice, first to Robert Heath Lock and later to Tom Southorn. Tom was an important government official in places like Hong Kong and Ceylon. Bella was awarded the OBE for her work.

Early Life and Travels

Bella Woolf was born in London, England, in 1877. She was one of ten children. Her father, Solomon Rees Sydney Woolf, was a lawyer. He passed away when Bella was 15 years old.

In 1907, Bella traveled to Ceylon (which is now Sri Lanka). She went to visit her brother, Leonard Woolf. He was working there as a government official.

First Marriage and Life in Ceylon

While in Ceylon, Bella met Robert Heath Lock. He worked at the Peradeniya Botanical Gardens. Bella and Robert got married in 1910.

In 1908, Bella went back to England for a short time with her brother. Robert Heath Lock sadly passed away in 1915.

Second Marriage and New Adventures

In 1921, Bella married again. Her second husband was Tom Southorn. She had met him in Ceylon through her brother Leonard. Tom was also a government official.

Tom Southorn had a long career working for the British government in different parts of the world. He served in Ceylon and later became a very important official in Hong Kong. He even acted as the Governor of Hong Kong sometimes. Later, he became the Governor of the Gambia in West Africa.

Bella really enjoyed her life traveling with her husband. She loved learning about the new places they lived. These experiences inspired her writing. She wrote both stories and travel guides. Sometimes she used the name Bella Woolf Southorn, but she usually published her books as Bella Sidney Woolf.

While living in Hong Kong, Bella was very involved in community work. She was a leader for the Girl Guides from 1926 to 1936. In 1935, she received the OBE award for her contributions.

Bella Woolf: The Author

Bella Woolf wrote many books, both fiction (made-up stories) and non-fiction (true facts). She used her experiences living in different countries to write her books. She wrote stories and guides about the places, customs, and people she met.

Travel Guides

Her book How To See Ceylon was published in 1914. It was like a pocket guide for tourists visiting the island. Bella wrote about her car journeys with her husband "along the sunny roads of Ceylon." This book was very popular and had three more editions published later.

When Tom was the Governor of the Gambia, Bella wrote a detailed history of that small country in West Africa.

Bella had quite open-minded views for her time. She valued the cultures of the places where the British Empire had influence. She worried that these cultures were changing too much. For example, she wrote about Ceylon: "It is unfortunate that so many natives are adopting English dress, blind to the fact that it destroys all their individuality and Oriental grace." She also noted that "Kandyan divorce laws are so enlightened."

Fiction and Children's Books

Bella also wrote a short book called Right against might; the great war of 1914. It was published in 1914 during World War I.

Many of Bella's fictional stories were inspired by her life as a government official's wife. Some of these stories were collected in books like Bits of Old China and Under the Mosquito Curtain.

She also wrote several children's books. These books often used her experiences from overseas. Her series The Twins in Ceylon and its follow-ups were very popular with young readers.

Works by Bella Sidney Woolf

• Jerry & Joe, A Tale of Two Jubilees (1897)
• All in a Castle Fair (1900)
• Dear Sweet Anne or The Mysterious Veres (probably 1900–1910)
• Golden House (c1910)
• The Twins in Ceylon (1909, 1913) and sequels
• How To See Ceylon (1st Ed: 1914; 2nd Ed: 1922; 4th Ed: 1929)
• Right against might; the great war of 1914 (1914)
• Eastern Star-Dust (1922)
• The Strange Little Girl (c1923)
• Little Miss Prue
• Chips of China (1930)
• From Groves of Palm (1925)
• Bits of Old China and Under the Mosquito Curtain

Books Co-authored by Bella

• Recent Progress in the Study of Variation, Heredity, and Evolution (with Robert Heath Lock and Leonard Doncaster) (1916)
• Little Folks – The Magazine for Boys and Girls Volume 84 (with other authors) (1916)