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WWI: Angela Brazil
Mar. 13th, 2025 09:27 amBrazil published 11 books during the Great War, not all of which I was able to track down. The Girls of St Cyprians came out in 1914 and rather unfortunately not only has no war in it but ends with its musical heroine winning a three-year scholarship to the Berlin Conservatoire, which must have come as a bit of a clanger to its readers. The Jolliest Term on Record and The Luckiest Girl in the School have a few war references (patriotic societies and the need to save money, for example), but only two of the books I could find really felt like war books.
For the School Colours, 1918. This is a rather bitsy story (it wanders between protagonists and seems unsure whether it's mainly about school or a family action adventure). It starts with two schools being amalgamated, the Hawthorns (a day school) joining Silverside (boarders), and there’s a new girl, Avelyn, whose family property borders that of “a nauralised German”, the uncle by marriage of one of the other girls, Pamela, whose father died in the retreat from Mons. ( Fairly predictable spoilers. )
A Patriotic School Girl 1918. This is one of Brazil’s better books and I liked it a lot. As well as being more coherent, it has some fascinating character stuff and a lot of interesting ideas about war and individual loyalty. I am about to spoil it extensively though so feel free to read it here.
( Spoilers. )
For the School Colours, 1918. This is a rather bitsy story (it wanders between protagonists and seems unsure whether it's mainly about school or a family action adventure). It starts with two schools being amalgamated, the Hawthorns (a day school) joining Silverside (boarders), and there’s a new girl, Avelyn, whose family property borders that of “a nauralised German”, the uncle by marriage of one of the other girls, Pamela, whose father died in the retreat from Mons. ( Fairly predictable spoilers. )
A Patriotic School Girl 1918. This is one of Brazil’s better books and I liked it a lot. As well as being more coherent, it has some fascinating character stuff and a lot of interesting ideas about war and individual loyalty. I am about to spoil it extensively though so feel free to read it here.
( Spoilers. )
