Ernest Raymond

Who was Ernest Raymond?

Ernest Raymond was a British novelist, best known for his first novel, Tell England, set in World War I. His next biggest success was We, The Accused, generally thought to be a reworking of the Crippen case, which was made into a BBC drama starring Ian Holm in 1980. He wrote over fifty novels. Raymond's autobiography was published in two volumes; the first, The Story of My Days, 1888-1922, was published in 1968; the second, Please You, Draw Near, 1922-1968, in 1969. He was awarded an OBE in 1972, and died in 1974.

Raymond was educated at St Paul's and at Chichester Theological College. He was ordained in the Anglican Church in 1914 and served on six fronts in the First World War. He resigned Holy Orders in 1923. He wrote many books, including the novels Damascus Gate, A Chorus Ending, The City and the Dream, Mr Olim, and The Bethany Road. Other titles include Two Gentlemen of Rome:The Story of Keats and Shelley, and Paris, City of Enchantment.

George Orwell in 1945 praised Raymond as a "natural novelist" who could portray convincingly the lives of ordinary people. In particular he praised We, the Accused for its emotional power, while criticising the clumsy and long-winded way it is written. In 1980 We, the Accused was made into a well-received TV drama starring Ian Holm, Angela Down and Elizabeth Spriggs.