A question about H.G.Wells

[Capt. Dirigible]

I was wondering if anyone on here could  answer a question about Wells. Did he ever write a play?

I ask because earlier this evening I visted my mum in the care home she resides in. Now, admittedly, she's in the early stages of  dementia and has trouble remembering a lot of stuff  and gets confused over recent events (like  what day / month it is..who visited her earlier the same day and what she's been doing that day) but her memory of  things that happened years ago is pretty good. I mentioned that I'm going to the Surrey Convivial and that there is a 'H.G.Wells' tour and she suddenly said  "I met him". I said "You met H.G.Wells??" She said she met him when she was 18 and working as a hotel maid at The Old Mill Inn in Salisbury. She claims he was staying there because the local theatre was putting on a play he had written and she got his autograph!! She claims that somewhere in all the papers and documents that she has squirrelled away over the years is a piece of paper that says "To J_____ T______ (my mum's maiden name) Best wishes, H.G.Wells".

Now I've had a look through Wikipedia and there's no mention of any plays. My mum is 84 so it would have been 1946 when she met him..which was the year he died (August). She is absolutely adamant about this although it's the first time she's has ever mentioned it.

I'll have to go through all the papers and certificates and documents she's kept over the years (and like most people her age there's so much unimportant crap that she feels she should keep safe) to see if this autograph is there but the 'play' aspect seems to be the fly in the ointment. I was wondering if she was getting confused with G.B.Shaw (who died 1950). I'll need to ask her if she can remember what he looked like. Did he have a big moustache or a beard you can hide a badger in?

She also said he had his step daughter with him and mum asked the step daughter if she could get his autograph for her as she was shy/intimidated by this 'celebrity' but apparently the step daughter encouraged mum to ask  for herself and he was very friendly and accomodating. However I can't find any mention of a step daughter either.
Normally I'd dismiss it as the confused ramblings caused by the dementia but as I say..her recollections of incidents that happed when I was a kid and before I was born are usually very clear and she was very, very adamant about this.

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

J.B.Priestly perhaps? He wrote several plays as well as science fiction.

[Herr Döktor]

I'm going to stick my neck out here, and say I'm pretty sure that 'Kipps' and/or 'The History of Mr. Polly' have probably been adapted for the stage, I also assume that he went on signing/reading tours, so it's not unlikely.

I'm very excited on your behalf Capt!

EDIT: There's also the possibility it could have something to do with the film 'The Man Who Could Work Miracles', and there's all the various socialist talks and other political stuff he did.

[Lady Chrystal]

Perhaps...

KIPPS, 1912 (play, with Rudolf Besier)

http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/hgwells.htm   for full list.

And more on Rudolf Besier's adaptation (in collaboration with Wells) of Kipps here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolph_Besier

Would that fit?

[DrArclight]

Could she perhaps be confusing HG Wells with Orson Wells?

[Cubinoid]

How exciting! It would seem you have stumbled upon a mystery and a treasure hunt as well!

[Capt. Dirigible]

Thanks for all you responses. I shall delve further into this and keep you posted. I will also try and coax some more info from mum on my next visit..

[Lady Chrystal]

Looking forward to seeing how this pans out. Fingers crossed on your behalf, Captain.

[psn1der]

This is such a romantic notion, isn't it?  Even if it doesn't turn out, it's a lovely idea to contemplate.

[TVC15]

Capt. If this turns out to be a 'rambling' don't tell mum. At her age and mental state it would be best to 'go along with' it than trying to correct her. And if it does play out that she's right, give her a hug and a kiss from me. (Me mum would have been 86 on 2/5 and I'm missing her.)

[celephicus]

Interesting story.

I used to be a bookseller and I recall a volume of plays in a collected set of Wells of about 1930 vintage being called "H.G Well's Comedies", I think that it was written with his son Frank. They might have been adaptations of earlier works, since at the time Wells was long past his best. The date would fit in with the age of your mother. Wells wrote fantastic comedy novels, I defy anyone to read "The History of Mr. Polly" or "Kipps" without laughing aloud, and you get a real feeling for lower middle class life in Edwardian times.

The unknown stepdaughter could well be explained as Wells was staying in the hotel with one of his many mistresses.

A factoid: Wells & son also designed a board game called "Little Wars" that was designed to show the futility of war by proving the impossibility of winning without huge losses. It had the opposite effect: all little boys of the era loved playing it precisely because of this.

[Capt. Dirigible]

Capt. If this turns out to be a 'rambling' don't tell mum. At her age and mental state it would be best to 'go along with' it than trying to correct her. And if it does play out that she's right, give her a hug and a kiss from me

I'm sure she met some 'celebrity' of the day..although it might not have been Wells. It might have been the star of the play rather than the author. Although the explanation that the 'step daughter' could have been one of his many mistresses is very intriguing and perfectly plausable.

[Ambermile]

I certainly hope that, should I reach the age of 79, I will still be capable of entertaining a mistress... in *any* way.


Arthur

[DrArclight]

Capt. If this turns out to be a 'rambling' don't tell mum. At her age and mental state it would be best to 'go along with' it than trying to correct her. And if it does play out that she's right, give her a hug and a kiss from me

I'm sure she met some 'celebrity' of the day..although it might not have been Wells. It might have been the star of the play rather than the author. Although the explanation that the 'step daughter' could have been one of his many mistresses is very intriguing and perfectly plausable.

Pulling up the Wikipedia article on Orson Welles shows that he went to Europe in late 1947 but seems to only have worked with movies at that time, though he did do theater earlier in his career, but apparently only in the US.

[celephicus]

I certainly hope that, should I reach the age of 79, I will still be capable of entertaining a mistress... in *any* way.


Arthur

Wells certainly could pull the girls, on his last speaking tour of the USA when he was in his 70's he never spent a night alone. I read this in some biography or other. And does not Wells himself say in his "Experiment in Autobiography" that he needed sex once a day in order to be creative (or words to that effect)?

Not bad at all for a little man from (very lower) middle class origins who worked in a draper's shop for goodness sake, a counter-jumper if there ever was one!

[Capt. Dirigible]

Well..after trying to coax more info out of my mum..(all she could tell me was that he was 'quite old'..which fits in with the time frame) and having gone through all the box files of papers/documents etc that I thought I should hang onto when mum moved from her home to the care home, I regret that I cannot find the alleged autograph. Maybe if I'd known about this before she moved I may have gone through her  documents with a bit more thoroughness. Suffice to say that this will probably never be resolved. Mum is adamant that she met him and got his autograph and short of building a time machine and going back to that day in 1946 to witness it myself, I guess I'll just have to take her word for it. But it would have been so cool if I could have found the alleged autograph. Oh well....

[psn1der]

Well..after trying to coax more info out of my mum..(all she could tell me was that he was 'quite old'..which fits in with the time frame) and having gone through all the box files of papers/documents etc that I thought I should hang onto when mum moved from her home to the care home, I regret that I cannot find the alleged autograph. Maybe if I'd known about this before she moved I may have gone through her  documents with a bit more thoroughness. Suffice to say that this will probably never be resolved. Mum is adamant that she met him and got his autograph and short of building a time machine and going back to that day in 1946 to witness it myself, I guess I'll just have to take her word for it. But it would have been so cool if I could have found the alleged autograph. Oh well....

Yes, it would have been cool, but just because you can't find a piece of paper, doesn't mean it didn't happen.  I like the sound of your Mum, so I'm going to err on the side of POSSIBILITY, Captain.  I'm going to tell everyone that "I know someone who's Mum met HG Wells".  After I explain to the majority who HG Wells was, they will be suitably impressed.    I really think it's a fine story to have in the family.  

(and really beats the heck out of 'My mom met Jerry Lewis', which really happened.  Just doesn't have the same ring to it, does it?)

Paige

[Capt. Dirigible]

On the subject of  close encounters with famous people, an Australian woman (whom I never actually met but used to chat to quite often on the old ICQ instant messaging service I used when I first had the computer) told me that she had an uncle (who was now deceased) who used to be 'in movies'. She knew very little of his work and had only met him briefly as a child. She  recalled him being very tall and a bit scary. I asked what his name was..maybe I'd heard of him. She said his name was Vincent Price! I was like "WHAAAAAT!!!!??" She said "Have you heard of him, then?" I said "Heard of him? The man's an icon". She had never seen or even heard of any of his films. Turns out her mum was married to one of Coral Browne's brothers. She called him 'Uncle Vinnie'

I told her if I was in her place I'd have a t-shirt made up with "MY UNCLE IS VINCENT PRICE" printed on it!

[psn1der]

On the subject of  close encounters with famous people, an Australian woman (whom I never actually met but used to chat to quite often on the old ICQ instant messaging service I used when I first had the computer) told me that she had an uncle (who was now deceased) who used to be 'in movies'. She knew very little of his work and had only met him briefly as a child. She  recalled him being very tall and a bit scary. I asked what his name was..maybe I'd heard of him. She said his name was Vincent Price! I was like "WHAAAAAT!!!!??" She said "Have you heard of him, then?" I said "Heard of him? The man's an icon". She had never seen or even heard of any of his films. Turns out her mum was married to one of Coral Browne's brothers. She called him 'Uncle Vinnie'

I told her if I was in her place I'd have a t-shirt made up with "MY UNCLE IS VINCENT PRICE" printed on it!

That is awesome!  And I think you've hit on a new trend in t-shirts...might look into that.

[Angus A Fitziron]

Captain, have you thought of contacting people in Salisbury to find out what the local theatre / theatres were showing in 1946 / 1947? A search of the local paper ought to do it.

ffitz

[Capt. Dirigible]

Captain, have you thought of contacting people in Salisbury to find out what the local theatre / theatres were showing in 1946 / 1947? A search of the local paper ought to do it.

ffitz

Not so much contacting the theatres..but the hotel is still there and it had occured to me they might have old registers or such with a record of past visitors. Wasn't sure if they'd go back as far as '46, though. But if they have a record of Wells registering in '46 then that would validate mum's claim.

I think I might drop them an email...

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

Local papers, try the County archivist

[Capt. Dirigible]

Yesterday I contacted the owners of The Old Mill Inn and asked if they perhaps had old registers or archived records that might prove thet Wells stayed at the hotel during the time my mum worked there. Today I got a very nice reply from one of the owners. Unfortunately when they took over ownership of the Old Mill  six years ago there were no records available of past registers etc. Hower the owner has said that he will keep my email on file as there are still people living in the town who were there in 1946 and he'll ask if any of them can varify that Wells was there and if so let he'll me know.

[Capt. Dirigible]

Whilst taking mum out in her wheelchair yesterday I mentioned that afterwards I would be going to a booksigning. Mum then related the same story as I told in the OP (about how she asked this famous author/playwrite for an autograph when she was a young chambermaid)..only this time it was J.B Priestley..not H.G Wells (as correctly predicted by Peter Harrow several posts back). That certainly ties in with the playwrite part. Looks like the mystery is solved... it wasn't H.G..it was J.B.
although I have no idea where the autograph is! Probably long lost by now..

There is a slight possibility, however, that I may be back here at a later date when mum tells me she once met and got the autograph of G.K.Chesterton, A.A. Milne or P.G.Wodehouse. 

[Mr Peter Harrow, Esq]

A ha! Thought so there aren't many authors who wrote SF plays better known with two initials at that time. It's exactly the type of thing my mother would have done, so it was just a question of working backwards from there.

Priestly wrote a number of fantasy and SF plays (An Inspector Calls, Time and The Conways (He also wrote The Linden Tree, but Mitchell & Webb ruined that for me)), and there is a statue of him in Bradford near the National Media Museum. There is also the Priestly Theatre in Bradford, which of course hosted the steampunk panto a couple of years back.

As it happens Eastercon (where I originally researched all this) is going back to Bradford for 2013, so I expect to renew my acquaintanceship. I wonder if I can persuade them to Put on one of the plays.....