Dione Venables (original) (raw)

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English female novelist and publisher (1930–2023)

Dione Venables
Dione Venables, BFBS Malta, circa 1972Dione Venables, BFBS Malta, circa 1972
Born Dione Gordon-Finlay(1930-10-20)20 October 1930Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire, England
Died 12 September 2023(2023-09-12) (aged 92)
Pen name DG Finlay
Occupation Novelist, publisher
Nationality English
Spouse Geoffrey FD Loftus ​ ​(m. 1949; div. 1964)​ John R Venables ​ ​(m. 1964; died 1996)​
Children Nicky, Sally, Guy and Juliet
Parents Alan Gordon Finlay; Florence Gallagher

Dione Patricia Mary Venables (née Gordon-Finlay, 20 October 1930 – 12 September 2023), also known by her pen name as DG Finlay, was an English novelist and publisher who is probably best known as the founder of The Orwell Society.

Dione Patricia Mary Gordon-Finlay was born prematurely in the Prestwood Hotel at Great Missenden, England on 20 October 1930, the second daughter of Florence (née Gallagher) and engineer-inventor Alan.[1] The family had just returned from living in Switzerland, where her father had co-created the Filene-Finlay simultaneous interpretation system at the League of Nations in Geneva.[2]

The young Dione's infancy had been dominated by life at St. Leonard's school where she boarded from the age of three until the outbreak of War when she was ten.[3] The Blitz forced many urban families to re-evaluate where their children lived, prompting mass evacuations of children; Dione and her sister June were hastily booked on a passage to Montreal aboard the SS City of Benares to live with their aunt in Canada.[3] Days before they were due to leave, their father had a change of heart, resolving instead to keep the family together at their home in Kensington. A few days later, the Benares was torpedoed and sank, taking with it their luggage and the lives of seventy-seven children. A few weeks after that, still in a state of shock, their Kensington home was destroyed in a bombing raid while the family sheltered in a nearby underground station. With nowhere to live and all of her belongings destroyed, Dione was sent away from the bombing to live with another aunt, Laura Buddicom (née Finlay), in Shiplake, where she was to remain for eighteen months, with her older cousins (who were sisters), Jacintha and Guinever.[4][5]

Poem about Edward Wigg based on drawings and story created by the young Dione in 1941

While living with the Buddicoms, Dione developed a friendship with Arthur Ransome, who encouraged her to write.[5] Her first attempt at writing, aged 11, featured a hedgehog called Edward Wigg, who was adapted by Jacintha in support of the War Effort as part of the National Savings Movement.[6][7]

By 1944, Dione had relocated to Beckenham, as the streets filled with assorted military vehicles preparing for D-Day.[8] On 15 June, the 3-storey house where she and her mother were living collapsed on top of them after a V-1 flying bomb exploded in their garden.[9] Dione remained buried under rubble with her mother for several hours until they were discovered by rescuers and slowly released using a collapsed Morrison shelter as an escape tunnel. Following a number of weeks in Beckenham General hospital, the pair were transferred to a flat in Thornton Hall to convalesce within a few miles of Bletchley Park where her father and sister were working.[a] Still recovering from her injuries, Dione attended school at the nearby Thornton College, where she met Heather Loftus, the sister of her future husband.[10]

After war had ended in 1945, Alan and Florence Gordon-Finlay returned to their pre-war home in Switzerland, leaving Dione a semi-permanent guest at Tingewick Hall, the family home of her new best-friend Heather.[10] It was at Tingewick that Dione became a young adult, learning to ride, drive, fly a Gypsy Moth,[b] and to enjoy music.[c] Dione and Geoffrey Loftus became inseparable over this period and in 1949, they married.[11]

Between 1951 and 1956, Dione raised two daughters and a son (Nicky, Sally and Guy).[12] Within a decade, her marriage was failing and in 1959, she joined Overseas Aviation as an air hostess participating in sometimes dangerous humanitarian relief flights operating out of Southend.[3][d] On one such flight to Entebbe, Dione was reportedly captured by rebel soldiers under the command of Colonel Mobutu, when their aircraft stopped in Léopoldville for refueling.[3] In 1960, Dione followed Freddie Laker by transferring to British United Airways for the next four years. In addition to scheduled routes to the Southeast Asia, the airline was chartered by the British Government for trooping flights to East Africa during the unrest that flared up as Kenya, Tanganyika and Uganda transitioned to independence from Britain.[13] Chartered flights gave way to scheduled flights, which Dione flew to the USA and Southeast Asia. It was on regular flights to Singapore that she met, and in 1964, married Lt. Cdr. John Venables (RN).[14]

Dione wrote short articles for newspapers and magazines giving eye-witness accounts of her experiences during those times of great change across Africa and around the world.[15] She started married life with John Venables by publishing more memories of her experiences in the Middle East and Pakistan, while providing relief flights for refugees in war torn states.[16][17] Being a naval officer's wife, however, did not come easily to Dione at first,[18] but it wasn't long before the couple got an assignment back to Singapore, where their adopted daughter (Juliet) was born in 1968.[19]

Dione returned to writing in 1970, preparing scripts for radio documentary programming as a trainee presenter and interviewer, whilst living in Malta.[20] Returning to England, her emerging broadcasting career of four years was cut short abruptly by a car accident in 1975, confining her to a wheelchair for the best part of a year.[e][21] To relieve the boredom, Dione took to researching the history of her neighbourhood at her local library in Gosport, which lead to her writing her first historical novel Once Around the Sun in 1976, with the sequel in 1978.[22][21] After a number of years living between Malta and England, Dione finally settled near to Chichester, where she researched her next series of novels.[23]

Self-portrait after Elisabeth Vigée Lebrun painted as a miniature by Dione Venables 2003[f]

A few years later, John Venables retired and the couple took on a pub in Oxfordshire, while Dione's next novel Watchman was published.[24] Their time as publicans was short lived and by 1986, they moved to Chiswick, where the sequel to Watchman was released.[25]

In the same year, Dione turned to publishing, creating an independent audiobook company, Sound Beam, at a time of expansion in the industry, which rapidly squeezed her out of the market the following year.[26][27] At the same time, her two last novels in the Watchman series were published. Following three difficult years as publican, publisher and author, Dione returned with her husband John to the Chichester area in 1988.[28] When John died in 1996, Dione turned to painting as a miniaturist and was quickly involved in local and national limner organisations,[g] exhibiting and selling paintings from Chichester to New York.[29][30]

Dione's two cousins, sisters Jacintha and Guinever Buddicom, had moved to Bournemouth not far from where Dione lived near Chichester and were quite elderly when Dione returned in 1988.[5] She visited the cousins twice a week to do some shopping for them and help them out in the house and garden, talking about their childhood memories of George Orwell.[28] Jacintha had unaccountably withdrawn from public discourse about George Orwell not long after publication of her memoir Eric & Us in 1974. Dione carefully solicited information from the two sisters between 1982 and 2002, which she noted in her diaries.[h][28] When they died (Jacintha in 1993, and Guinever in 2003), the Buddicom sisters left their photographs and the copyright of Eric & Us to Dione in the expectation that as a writer, she would rejuvenate the memoir in some way.[31]

In 2006, Dione created Finlay Publisher as a vehicle to publish and distribute online successive print runs of a newly indexed version Eric & Us.[5] She was encouraged by Gordon Bowker to include a postscript in the autumn,[32] based on a series of previously unpublished diaries, letters and documented interviews.[33][34] At the same time, Dione developed Orwell Direct online to encourage and to moderate discussion between academics and enthusiasts interested in promoting the life and works of George Orwell.[35][3] In 2008, the site began publishing a series of twenty articles submitted by scholars who had written at length about Orwell. Contributors included Sir Bernard Crick, Gordon Bowker, John Rodden, Liam Hunt, DJ Taylor, Douglas Kerr, Peter Davison, and Orwell's son, Richard Blair.[36] A number of regulars active on Orwell Direct encouraged Dione to institute a more formal collective of Orwell enthusiasts. The proposal was severely contested and became controversial because Dione herself, who was selling the idea, had no literary or academic background.[37] Despite some resistance, in December 2010, Dione floated The Orwell Society at an informal meeting at Phyllis Court,[i] which became formally inaugurated in April 2011.[35][3] In 2015, she compiled and published Orwell's poetry,[38][39][40] which she donated to The Orwell Society.

Having herself taken on the role of Membership Secretary to The Orwell Society in 2011, Dione stepped down from any formal role in 2016 at the age of eighty-six.[41] She continued working to preserve the memory of George Orwell through guest appearances on television and radio, as well as through The Orwell Society Annual General Meetings.[42][43]

Upwaltham memorial, 2009

In 2003, Dione Venables started work on creating a memorial to commemorate the loss of fifteen airmen from Australia, America, Britain and Canada who crashed in two separate incidents in the South Downs overlooking Upwaltham.[44] The memorial was unveiled in 2009 by dignitaries and family members from all over the world and included a rare flypast of a World War Two Lancaster Bomber in honour of the airmen.[45][46]

Dione Venables died on 12 September 2023, at the age of 92.[47] She leaves a legacy of ten books, dozens of articles and scores of paintings but what she was best known for in the years before her death was her role in preserving the life and works of George Orwell.[48]

Notes and references

[edit]

  1. ^ reportedly, Bletchley staff had been billeted at Thornton Hall

  2. ^ Ferrars Loftus owned a recreational Gypsy Moth, in which Dione logged over 500 pilot hours after the War

  3. ^ Dione had wanted to have a singing career and attended the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama but her mother (a devout Catholic) pulled her out when she discovered that the girls shared changing rooms with the boys

  4. ^ Entrepreneurial post-war charter aviation companies often used war surplus short range propeller driven aircraft, some of which were borderline airworthy

  5. ^ Dione was in training with the BBC at Radio Solent but was unable to continue after the accident. That ended her radio ambitions until 2014, when she began hosting a nostalgia programme on Angel Radio called "Heart & Soul"

  6. ^ Exhibited and sold for an undisclosed sum at the Smithsonian in 2004

  7. ^ The Society of Limners and the Hiliard Society

  8. ^ Jacintha Buddicom's account of the young George Orwell was the only primary source outside of his school days in existence. Dione believed it was important to preserve the authenticity and integrity of Jacintha's memories, so she had excerpts from her diary notarised and properly archived for future reference

  9. ^ Orwell had been an occasional guest of the Buddicoms at Phyllis Court, which was owned at the time by Dione's uncle, Roy Finlay

  10. ^ HMSO. "Diane P M Finlay in 1930". No. Wycombe/vol 3A/page 1580. brightsolid online publishing ltd. England & Wales Births 1837–2006 Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England.

  11. ^ Cyril FLEROV. "On Comintern and Hush-a-Phone: Early history of simultaneous interpretation equipment". aiic.net. October 30, 2013. Accessed November 18, 2023.<https://aiic.org/document/893/AIICWebzine_2013_Issue63_5_FLEROV_On_Comintern_and_Hush-a-Phone_Early_history_of_simultaneous_interpretation_equipment_EN.pdf>.

  12. ^ a b c d e f Anon (4 November 2024). "Dione Venables obituary - Air stewardess, miniaturist and controversial founder of The Orwell Society". Times Media Limited. The Times Newspaper. Retrieved 23 November 2023.

  13. ^ Buddicom, Jacintha (2006). Eric & Us. Chichester: Finlay Publisher. pp. 3–4. ISBN 978-0-9553708-0-9.

  14. ^ a b c d Loftus, Guy (September 2024). "A Pathway to Orwell". The Orwell Society Journal. 24: 32–36.

  15. ^ Watkiss Singleton, Rosalind (2014). 'Doing Your Bit': Women and the National Savings Movement in the Second World War. Palgrave Macmillan, London. pp. 217–231. doi:10.1057/9781137348999_14. ISBN 978-1-137-34897-5. Retrieved 25 September 2020.

  16. ^ Buddicom, Jacintha (1942). "The Happy Hedgehogs". National Savings Committee, London & Edinburgh (Wartime Pamphlets). WFL 14.

  17. ^ Burford, ACL. "Wartime in Beckenham". WW2 - People's War. BBC. Retrieved 19 March 2024.

  18. ^ Keeble, Richard (2024). "Dione's Crucial Role in the Development of Orwell Studies". The Orwell Society (22): 17–18.

  19. ^ a b c Finlay, DG (2017). Dione's War. Chichester: Finlay Publisher.

  20. ^ HMSO. "Geoffrey FD Loftus". No. Chelsea/vol 5C/page 607. brightsolid online publishing ltd. England & Wales Marriages 1837–2005 Chelsea, London, England.

  21. ^ HMSO. "Births". No. Oxford/vol 6B/page 1394, Oxford/vol 6B/page 1315, Westminster/vol 5C/page 268. brightsolid online publishing ltd. England & Wales Births 1837–2006, England.

  22. ^ Eglin, R; Ritchie, B (1980). Fly me, Im Freddie!. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.

  23. ^ HMSO. "John R Venables". No. Surrey South Western/vol 5G/page 1719. brightsolid online publishing ltd. England & Wales Marriages 1837–2005 Surrey Southwestern, Surrey England.

  24. ^ Loftus, Dione (1962). "A Surrey Air Hostess in Africa". The Surrey Advertiser.

  25. ^ Loftus, Dione (May 1966). "Nelson's Emerald Isle". She.

  26. ^ Loftus, Dione (August 1966). "An Icon with Love". She.

  27. ^ Venables, Dione (10 November 1966). "Come to Coffee….. A newly-wed's impression of marrying into the Royal Navy". Portmouth Evening News. Portsmouth Evening News.

  28. ^ Venables, Dione (2013). "Dione Venables nee Finlay. Sept 1934 – July 1940". Old Cornelians.

  29. ^ Venables, Dione (September 2019). "The Malta Years". No. 15. Friends of Valetta. Melita Newsletter.

  30. ^ a b Venables, Dione (September 1979). "Taking the Plunge". No. Femme Magazine. Times of Malta. Times of Malta.

  31. ^ Good Reads. "Once Around the Sun". Goodreads. Goodreads, Inc. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  32. ^ Duffy, Michael (5 July 1984). "Disturbing tale". No. Thrillers. Manchester Evening News. Manchester Evening News. p. 30. Retrieved 19 March 2024.

  33. ^ Anon (1985). "Dione's date with Olli". No. Based on a cutting sent to researcher – issue not verified. Banbury Guardian. Banbury Guardian.

  34. ^ Anon (20 June 1986). "Floppy Approach is Best – A novel way to pen a book". The British Library Board. Hammersmith & Shepherds Bush Gazette. p. 22. Retrieved 20 March 2024.

  35. ^ Advertisement (4 September 1987). "Sound Beam Publications – Books on Cassette". The Stage Media Company Ltd. Bookseller. p. 53. Retrieved 20 March 2024.

  36. ^ Venables, Mrs. D (17 July 1987). "Letters to the Editor: Talking Books". The Stage Media Company Ltd. Bookseller. p. 274. Retrieved 20 March 2024.

  37. ^ a b c UCL Special Collections. "George Orwell Papers: Acquisition". UCL Archives Catalogue. Retrieved 5 December 2023.

  38. ^ Venables, Dione (2013). "Dione Venables nee Finlay. Sept 1934 – July 1940". Old Cornelians.

  39. ^ Anon (1 July 2004). "Mass exhibition of miniature paintings". CMB Observer. West Sussex Observer.

  40. ^ Venables, Dione (2006). Postscript in Eric & Us. Chichester: Finlay Publisher. ISBN 978 0 9553708 0 9.

  41. ^ Taylor, DJ (2003). Orwell: The Life. London: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9780805074734. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  42. ^ Yeates, Robert (2013). "Review of The Unexamined Orwell". Modern Fiction Studies. 59 (4): 883–886. ISSN 0026-7724. JSTOR 26287297.

  43. ^ Hughes, Kathryn (17 February 2007). "George Orwells: Such were the Joys". The Guardian (UK edition): CULTURE. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  44. ^ a b Anon. "History". The Orwell Society. The Orwell Society. Retrieved 25 March 2024.

  45. ^ Davison, Professor Peter (22 October 2011). "Farewell & Hail to Orwell site". The Orwell Society Newsletter. 1. Retrieved 26 September 2020.

  46. ^ Bateman, Ron (2024). "Dione's Crucial Role in the Development of Orwell Studies". The Orwell Society (22): 17–18.

  47. ^ BBC News, Arts & Entertainment (18 October 2015). "George Orwell poetry collection published". No. Arts & Entertainment. BBC UK. BBC News. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  48. ^ The Newsroom. "FESTIVAL OF CHICHESTER: In praise of George Orwell's poetry". Chichester Observer. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  49. ^ Howard, Kait. "Okay, okay: Orwell was no Byron". Melville House. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  50. ^ Blair, Richard (2024). "In Memoriam: Dione Venables". The Orwell Society (22): 12–18.

  51. ^ The Orwell Society. "The Orwell Society George Talks Dione Venables and Richard Blair 20 December 2020". YouTube. The Orwell Society. Retrieved 26 December 2020.

  52. ^ Morgan, Robin. "George Orwell: The Complete Poetry - a conversation between Dione Venables and Greg Wise". Audible. Amazon. Retrieved 25 March 2021.

  53. ^ Anon. "Four Nations Memorial". American War Memorials Overseas, Inc. AWPDC.com. Retrieved 25 March 2024.

  54. ^ Anon (22 August 2009). "Sussex village pays tribute to airmen". The Argus. The Argus. Retrieved 25 March 2024.

  55. ^ Venables, Dione (August 2009). The History of the Four Nations Memorial, At St. Mary The Virgin, Upwaltham, West Sussex. Chichester: Finlay Publisher. pp. 1–10. Retrieved 25 March 2024.

  56. ^ "Dione Venables". The Telegraph. 19 September 2023. Retrieved 21 September 2023.

  57. ^ The Orwell Society. "History". The Orwell Society. Retrieved 9 June 2020.

  58. ^ Finlay, DG (1978). Once Around The Sun. London: WH Allen & Co. ISBN 0352301880.

  59. ^ Finlay, DG (1979). The Edge of Tomorrow. London: WH Allen & Co. ISBN 0352304073.

  60. ^ Finlay, DG (1984). Watchman. London: Century. ISBN 0712602380.

  61. ^ Finlay, DG (1986). The Grey Regard. London: Century. ISBN 0712695079.

  62. ^ Finlay, DG (1987). Deadly Relation. London: Century Hutchinson & Co. ISBN 0712616500.

  63. ^ Finlay, DG (1987). Graven Image. London: Century Hutchinson & Co. ISBN 0712616500.

  64. ^ Finlay, DG (1989). The Killing Glance. London: Arrow Books Ltd. ISBN 0099558602.

  65. ^ Buddicom, Jacintha (2006). Eric & Us. Chichester: Finlay Publisher. ISBN 978-0-9553708-0-9.

  66. ^ Venables. George Orwell - The Complete Poetry. Finlay Publisher 2015.