Reginald Ernest James Britton: What Lionel Britton Was Up To

When I first began studying Lionel Britton, and having some knowledge of his family background, it rapidly became clear to me that his only published novel Hunger and Love (1931) is to a certain extent an attack not just on religion, war, the monarchy, the business world, and the judiciary, but also on his own family who represented most of those institutions. I knew nothing of his half-uncle Reginald Britton, although Lionel must have, and at least part of his venom must have been aimed at him: it would be difficult to imagine a better representative of the Establishment than Rex, as his family call him.

I've named the sub-title of this post 'What Lionel Britton Was Up To' by way of an ironic comment on a chapter in Hunger and Love: 'What Evolution Is Up To'. It would have been ironic to Lionel because he would not have associated his half-uncle's life with evolution - quite the reverse, in fact. To say that Lionel was the black sheep of the family somehow doesn't say enough, but it'll have to do until I think of something better.

Reginald Ernest James Britton was born in Alcester, Warwickshire, England, on 4 June, 1887, to John James Britton and his second wife, Maud May (née Coward). He went to Osbourne Naval College on the Isle of Wight, England, where he later taught seamanship, the future King Edward VIII and future King George VI being two of his students. King George even sought his former teacher out on a visit to New Brunswick.

After serving in the forces in the Mediterranean and the Middle East for six years, he worked at St Andrews Mission at Sunny Brae, Moncton, under the auspices of the Rev. Canon W. B. Sisam of Monckton. He later went to King's College, Windsor, Nova Scotia, and became a lay reader in Devon, New Brunswick.

During World War I, he joined the Canadian Corps Cyclist Battalion, then the 25th Battalion until being seriously wounded (almost being forced to have his leg amputated) at Hill 60 at the Battle of Ypres, after which he had to return to Canada. He received various decorations.

Rex returned to King's College after the war, where he gained a degree in Divinity, and was ordained at Christ Church Cathedral. He worked in many places in New Brunswick, and was a lifelong member of the Royal Canadian Legion as well being active with the boy scouts.

He was made honorary canon of Christ church Cathedral in Fredericton had encouraged a large number of men to join the priesthood.

During his retirement, Rex lived on Claremont Road, Nashwaaksis, Fredericton, and his hobbies were fishing and communing with nature.

In February 1980, in Saint John Regional Division Regional Hospital, the Bayview Legion, Branch 22 in Grand Bay - after a ten-year search - awarded Canon Britton his 50-year membership pin and his 50-year service medal. He was 92.

He died the following year. His wife Ada Gabriella (née Clements) had died before him, and he left a son, John E. C. Britton, and two daughters: Florence (Mrs Reginald Brown), and Ruth (Mrs Murray Armstrong).

Now What's John James Britton Doing with That Baby's Head?

The splendid photo below contains a great deal of detail, the most remarkable of course being a stern John James Britton's futile attempts to hold the baby's head in the long exposure. It's very unlikely that a professional photographer would have allowed this error to see the light of day, so we can only speculate about the identity of the person behind the camera.

More certain, though, are the names of the characters in the photo, and I leave Robert Hughes – who, along with Sandie Coomber, I thank for making possible the publication of this picture – to give the details:

'The house was almost certainly 2 Drayton Terrace, Melton Rd, Belgrave, [Leicester]; or alternatively 12 Melton Rd (according to the 1891 census).

I have found that street numbering sometimes followed small groups of properties such as terraces, and sometimes followed a larger scheme such as a whole street, but there is no reason to suppose that these addresses were anything other than one and the same.

On the left is Herbert Eyres Britton (1883–1940), later a published writer and poet.

Seated is Maud May Britton, formerly Coward (c.1858–1946), said to be the daughter of James Eyres Coward, ship's surgeon. She was John James Britton's second wife.

On her lap is Elizabeth Hilda Dorothy Britton (1889–1966), later Dorothy Viner or Dension-Viner or some variation of this spelling.

The child with the spinning head has to be Reginald Ernest James Britton (1887–1981), later to be a canon in Canada after service in the Navy.

Below right is Ruth Elise May Britton (1885–1925), who became a health visitor in Birmingham.

Right is Ethel Alice Britton (1860–1936), the elder daughter from John James Britton's first marriage (to Catherine Erskine Smith). She married Thomas Perkins (1893–1907), vicar of Turnworth, Dorset, and friend of Thomas Hardy.

To the rear, of course, is the man himself: John James Britton (c. 1832–1913), Solicitor of the Supreme Court and self-proclaimed "literary man" (1891 census).

John James was the father of Richard Britton, who died tragically young, and the (paternal) grandfather of Lionel Britton the playwright and novelist, whom family tradition held to have spoken 22 languages.

The date of this photograph is almost undoubtedly 1890.'

The photo below was taken in July 2009, showing the facade of 12 Melton Road, Leicester.

Reginald Ernest James Britton, Maud May Britton and Herbert Eyres Britton

The photo below, from left to right, shows Maud May Britton – the second wife of solicitor and poet John James Britton – between her sons Reginald Ernest James Britton and Herbert Eyres Britton.

Many thanks to Sandie Coomber and Robert Hughes for making possible the publication of this image.