Frank Tilsley

British novelist, broadcaster, and television dramatist

Frank Tilsley
BornFrank Vincent Tilsley
(1904-05-05)May 5, 1904
Lancashire
DiedMarch 16, 1957(1957-03-16) (aged 52)
OccupationWriter (novelist)
Period20th century
GenreFiction

Frank Vincent Tilsley (5 May 1904 – 16 March 1957)[1] was a British novelist, broadcaster, and television dramatist. Tilsley became a full-time author after the publication of his first novel, Plebeian's Progress (1933), and subsequently published over twenty novels, including She Was There Too (1938), Pleasure Beach (1944), Champion Road (1948), Heaven and Herbert Common (1953), and Brother Nap (1954).[2] His novel Mutiny (1958) was adapted for film and released as H.M.S. Defiant, starring Alec Guinness and Dirk Bogarde, in 1962.[3] Tilsley was also a frequent radio broadcaster and writer of popular television shows including The Makepeace Story.[4][5][6][7]

Life

Tilsley was born in Lancashire and grew up in Manchester, where he was educated at Chapel Street Council School, Levenshulme. He worked in a variety of fields, including as an accountant's clerk and a schoolteacher. His first novel, Plebeian's Progress (1933), was met warmly by critics and was "highly valued for the authenticity of its critical depiction of working-class conditions in a period of economic depression."[2] Following the success of his debut novel, Tilsley was able to write full-time. He continued writing until his death in 1957, publishing over twenty novels. During World War II, he served in the RAF as a war reporter, and was given the rank of Squadron Leader.[8][9] After the war, Tilsley joined the BBC, where he wrote for both radio and television.[2]

Selected work

  • Plebeian's Progress. Victor Gollancz. 1933. LCCN unk82082812.
  • I'd Do It Again. Morley-Baker (originally published in 1936 by Martin Secker & Warburg, Ltd.). 1969 – via Internet Archive (Kahle/Austin Foundation). LCCN 36-18204; ISBN 0-0930-9810-3; OCLC 3662095 (all editions).
  • Devil Take the Hindmost. 1937. LCCN 37-5412; ISBN 0-0930-7840-4; OCLC 10446514 (all editions).
  • She Was There Too. 1938. LCCN 38-36510.
  • I'd Hate to Be Dead. 1938. LCCN 38-11074.
  • First Things First. 1938. LCCN 39-17016.
  • We Live and Learn. 1939. LCCN 42-52051.
  • Little Tin God. 1939. LCCN 39-20952.
  • The Love Story of Gilbert Bright. 1940.
  • Little Man, This Now (originally published under the pseudonym XYZ). 1940.
  • Wonderful Journey. 1940. LCCN 40-35424.
  • The Lady in the Fur Coat. 1941. LCCN 41-7661.
  • What's in It for Walter. 1942.
  • The Boys of Coastal (re: RAF Coastal Command during World War II). 1944. LCCN 45-2859.
  • Pleasure Beach. 1944. LCCN 44-4459.
  • Jim Comes Home. 1945. LCCN 45-21682.
  • Peggy Windsor and the American Soldier. 1946.
  • Champion Road. Julian Messner. 1948 – via Internet Archive (Kahle/Austin Foundation). LCCN 50-26030; LCCN 50-9977.
  • The Jungle of Your Heart. 1950. LCCN 50-30863.
  • Heaven and Herbert Common. Eyre & Spottiswoode. 1953. ISBN 978-0-0930-9840-5, 0-0930-9840-5; OCLC 23162299 (all editions).
  • Fortunate Man. 1953. LCCN 53-8491.
  • Voice of the Crowd. 1954. LCCN 54-31405.
  • Brother Nap. 1954. LCCN 55-16982.
  • Thicker Than Water. 1955. LCCN 56-33962.
  • By Special Request. Tilsley was a contributor. 1958.
  • Mutiny. 1958. LCCN 59-5996, LCCN 58-46360.
Newspaper short stories
  • Manchester Guardian (The); Tilsley, Frank (31 October 1933). "The Test". No. 27190 (City ed.). p. 18 (col. 1) – via Newspapers.com.
  • Manchester Guardian (The); Tilsley, Frank (9 December 1936). "Fourteen". No. 28154 (City ed.). p. 20 (col. 1) – via Newspapers.com.

Bibliography

Notes

  1. ^ Birmingham Post, March 18, 1957, p. 7.
  2. ^ a b c Oxford Companion, 1996, p. 669.
  3. ^ IMDb, "Frank Tilsley".
  4. ^ Goodreads, "Frank Tilsley".
  5. ^ Radio Times (online), 1955.
  6. ^ Radio Times, 1955.
  7. ^ Who Was Who, 1984, pp. 1089–1090.
  8. ^ Belfast Telegraph, August 6, 2016.
  9. ^ H.M.S. Defiant, July 27, 2016.

References

  • Belfast Telegraph (online); McIlwaine, Eddie (6 August 2016). "Secret Journal That Couldn't Fall Into the Hands of Nazis: Royal Air Force Journal". Retrieved 7 October 2022.
    1. Citing publication → Royal Air Force Journal (PDF). 2 (4). February 1944 – via International Bomber Command Centre.
    2. And publication article → Flight Lieutenant Frank Tilsley. "The Abby Memorial" (PDF): 140–141. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  • Birmingham Post & Birmingham Gazette (The) (18 March 1957). "Author Dead in Garage" (re: Frank Tilsley, age 52, died March 16, 1951). No. 30752. – via Newspapers.com.
    1. 1st ed.. p. 7 (col. 1, middle).
    2. County ed.. p. 7 (col. 1, middle).
    3. Dudley ed.. p. 7 (col. 1, middle).
  • Goodreads. "Frank Tilsley" (bio & reading list). Retrieved 30 July 2018.
  • H.M.S. Defiant. Published by the author, Frank Tilsley, July 27, 2016 – via Google Books. ISBN 978-1-5355-6251-5
  • "Frank Tilsley". IMDb. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  • Oxford Companion (The) (1996). "Tilsley, Frank". In Stringer, Jenny (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Twentieth-Century Literature in English. Oxford University Press. LCCN 96-26699; ISBN 978-0-1915-1647-4, 0-1921-2271-1; OCLC 71197155 (all editions), 895004031.
    1. Book (online). 1996. p. 669 – via Internet Archive.
    2. Oxford Reference (online). 2005.
    3. ProQuest Ebook Central. 1996. p. 669. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  • Radio Times (online). Sunday Night Theater: The Makepeace Story (4 stories). BBC TV. Retrieved 4 May 2019 – via BBC Genome Project.
    Online:
    1. "The Ruthless Destiny" (aired Sunday, October 16, 1955; 20:15).
    2. "A New Generation" (aired Sunday, October 23, 1955; 20:15).
    3. "Family Business" (aired Sunday, October 30, 1955; 20:15).
    4. "The New Executive" (aired Sunday, November 6, 1955; 20:15).
    "Sunday Television" (programming):
    1. "The Ruthless Destiny". 129 (1666). October 14, 1955: 14.
    2. "A New Generation". 129 (1667). October 23, 1955: 14.
    3. "Family Business". 129 (1668). October 30, 1955: 14.
    4. "The New Executive". 129 (1669). November 6, 1955: 14.
    Articles:
    1. "A Man Called Seth". 129 (1666). October 14, 1955: 6.
    2. "The New Executive". 129 (1669). November 6, 1955: 15.