Charles Patrick Graves facts for kids

Charles Patrick Ranke Graves (born December 1, 1899 – died February 20, 1971) was a British writer. He worked as a journalist, wrote travel books, and created novels. Charles came from a big family of writers. His brothers included the famous writers Robert Graves and Philip Graves.

Charles Graves' Early Life

Charles was born in Wimbledon, England. This was on December 1, 1899. His father, Alfred Perceval Graves, was a school inspector. He also wrote poems and studied folk tales. Charles's mother, Amalie von Ranke, was the daughter of a professor.

Charles went to Rokeby Preparatory School. Then he attended Capthorne and Charterhouse. During World War I, his German heritage caused him some trouble at school.

In March 1918, he left Charterhouse. He joined the Royal Fusiliers to train as an officer. But the war ended before he finished his training.

He later went to St John's College, Oxford. There he studied English. Charles loved sports. He became the captain of the golf team. He also played cricket and ice hockey.

Charles was very keen on journalism. In 1920, he was the first student at the London School of Journalism. This school was started by Sir Max Pemberton. Charles became the assistant editor of the student magazine, The Isis. Later, he became its editor. The magazine's popularity grew a lot under his leadership. He also worked as a reporter for the Daily Express in Oxford.

Charles Graves: A Busy Journalist

In 1921, Charles started working full-time for the Daily Express. He later wrote for many other newspapers. These included the Evening News, Sunday Express, and Daily Mail. He often worked as a freelance writer. This meant he worked for different companies.

He had many roles as a journalist. He was a theatre reviewer and a crime reporter. He also wrote about sports and travel. Sometimes, he was a war correspondent, reporting from war zones. He even wrote a gossip column.

His gossip column job meant he went to many fancy events. He attended theatre premieres, parties, and nightclubs. He also went to boxing matches and horse races. He traveled overseas to places like Cannes and Venice. These were popular resorts for rich and famous people in the 1920s and 1930s. He wrote about the people he saw and what he heard.

This work helped him meet many famous people. He became friends with celebrities, politicians, and even royalty. His writer friends included George Bernard Shaw and P. G. Wodehouse. He also knew actors like Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire.

One of his biggest news stories was a scoop. He was the first to report that Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon was engaged. She was to marry the Duke of York, who later became King George VI.

Charles reported on the "Bright young things". This was a group of young, wealthy people in London in the 1920s. They were known for their wild parties and pranks. Charles often joined in their fun. He was a regular at famous nightclubs like Quaglino's and the Embassy Club. He used these experiences in his reports on Café Society.

Later, he became the news editor at the Sunday Express. This put him in touch with important newspaper owners. These included Lord Beaverbrook.

He also worked on special projects. He helped write a memoir for Richard Speaight. Speaight was a famous photographer for high society. This memoir was published in the Daily Express. Some of his articles were also sold to newspapers in other English-speaking countries.

Charles believed his social column should be fun. He rarely wrote about politics. Even when war was near in the late 1930s, he focused on sports and leisure.

During World War II, newspapers became smaller. Gossip columns almost disappeared. In the 1940s, Charles started writing less journalism. He began writing commissioned histories and travel books instead.

Charles Graves' Books

Charles was a very flexible writer. He wrote 46 books in total. These included both non-fiction and fiction. His books covered many different topics. His publishers included Hutchinson & Co and Hodder & Stoughton. He would take many notes by hand. Then he would dictate them to a secretary. She would type up the first draft.

Every summer, Charles and his wife traveled to Europe. They would rent a car and driver. They visited popular resorts and stayed in the best hotels. Charles played golf during the day. At night, they visited fancy restaurants and casinos. He loved high-stakes gambling. He even wrote two books about it. He often mentioned gambling in his other books and articles.

Two of his books are especially interesting. These are Ireland Revisited (1949) and his autobiography, The Bad Old Days (1951). In Ireland Revisited, he takes readers on a fun tour of Ireland.

His autobiography, The Bad Old Days, starts by describing a time when:

Those were the days, the Bad Old Days – primarily of large families, but also of could look the dollar in the eye without flinching or wincing, when cigarettes were 11d. for 20 and beef was unrationed and champagne was 5s. a bottle.

This first book covers his life up to his marriage in 1929.

Charles Graves' Personal Life

On December 17, 1929, Charles married Margaret Ethel Leigh. She was a nurse for children. Famous guests like Stanley Baldwin and Rudyard Kipling attended their wedding. Margaret also became a journalist and writer. She wrote under the name Jane Gordon.

102 Gloucestor Place, Marylebone, London

The couple moved into a large house at 70 (later 102) Gloucester Place, London. They had four servants. Margaret soon took charge of their money.

Charles was tall and thin, with brown hair. He was friendly and outgoing. He enjoyed good food and drinks. He also smoked a lot. His main hobbies were golf and gin rummy. He and his wife often went out to dinner or nightclubs. They also entertained guests at home. After dinner, Charles loved to play cards with his guests.

During World War II, Charles and Margaret stayed in London. They lived through The Blitz, which was heavy bombing. Charles researched and wrote during the day. At night, he served in the Home Guard. Margaret continued her work as a hospital nurse. Her workload increased due to bombing casualties. Their house was hit by bombs twice, in December 1940 and May 1941.

He also did radio broadcasts for the BBC during the war. For his books about the RAF, he even flew on a bombing raid over Germany. In February 1945, he and Margaret toured Belgium and the Netherlands. This was shortly after the German occupation ended.

Margaret died in 1962. Four years later, Charles married again. His second wife was Vivien Winch. They married on September 22, 1966. They first lived on the island of Guernsey. By April 1969, they had moved to the warmer climate of Barbados.

Charles Graves passed away in Barbados on February 20, 1971. He was living in a large estate called Villa Fustic. A memorial service was held in London. Many family members, friends, and representatives from news organizations attended.

Some of his personal papers were sold at an auction in 1976. These included letters from famous people like Bing Crosby and Marlene Dietrich.

Charles Graves' Legacy

Charles Graves was important for writing about high society in London. He described the lives of wealthy and famous people in the 1920s and 1930s. His books about organizations are still useful sources of information. He also wrote many travel books. He helped make international travel a popular activity. The Times newspaper called him "The Laureate of the pleasure resorts" for his travel writing.

After his death, a literary editor named David Holloway described Charles's writing ability:

As a writer Charles Graves was always under the shadow of his elder brother Robert, though, for most of his life, of the two he probably earned more by his pen. He had a liveley style and could turn out books on a large number of subjects ... he turned his travel journalism and gossipy articles into a series of books where usually the guide book information was interspersed with anecdotes of high life.