Rupert Buxton: a short life, by Nicholas McAulay

[andrew]

Nicholas McAulay's excellent biographical article about Rupert Buxton is finally on the site: go to the Davies Family page and click the tab at the top. Many thanks, Nicholas, and apologies for taking so long to upload it!

[Hannah High]

Oh, this is wonderful. I can't wait to intake it! Thank you, thank you, Nicholas and Andrew! Will shuffle over to ze library tomorrow to print and then read with rises of water.

[ecb]

Thank you so much for this excellent piece - both Nicholas and Andrew.  Part of my fascination with the Davies family (and Barrie too) is that through Andrew's book and website I feel as if a veil into the past (that other country) has been lifted - if only a little.  Nicholas's article on Rupert Buxton puts a human and believable face on this rather shadowy young man.  His reconstruction of the last day of Rupert and Michael finally rings true - unlike so much speculation.

[Nicholas]

Thank you for these appreciative responses.  The piece on Rupert is still a "work in progress" and if more information comes to light I'll post it on the Forum. 

[smiles]

Have just read this wonderful piece and thoguht it deserved a bump.
So...bump

[Holly G.]

I will translate it for my website. Nicholas asked me if I could do it and I will do it!

[geezjonathan]

Hello all, just wanted to know If the article was still available? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Thanks!

[Nicholas]

There is a similar photograph, probably taken at the same sitting, which I always thought was taken for his 21st birthday in 1921, at the front of Bryant's memoir.  I have a school photo of Rupert taken in 1910 and a photo of the whole Buxton family taken at about the same time.  The latter was passed to Andrew some years ago and may also appear.  I also sent over a poignant photo of Rupert's brother Jocelyn in his Marlborough School OTC uniform.
I reproduce some of Rupert's poetry in my biography.  If you want to read the whole collection in Rupert's writing (including one, I believe, in Braille) they are now held by Christ Church library in Oxford.

[geezjonathan]

Nicholas,

Thank you for the information. Do you know where I can find those pictures you mentioned?

[geezjonathan]

Nicholas,

I also found your essay on Rupert while surfing the web. If you don't have a copy anymore, I can send you the link if you like.

[Nicholas]

I have copies of them all.  The school photo is a very dark photo-copy of a group portrait of the whole school.  Rupert can just be made out.   Where on the internet did you find my article?

[geezjonathan]

The link i found was online, while searching google for "Rupert Buxton Memoirs", it pooped up a number of results. on page 2 of the results, there was a a fairly long article that stated in the adress bar that it was from "JMbarrie.co website", but access was restricted. thinking it was due to me using a Mac computer, i clicked on the "read as HTML" tab and was able to get into it! it was filled with poems and letters from rupert, so iread the whole thing over and over again. it ended with a poem that read along the lines of "when our spirits will meet again"

is there any way you are able to upload the photos of Rupert to the website? or email them personally?

thanks for responding!
jon-

[Nicholas]

 Et in Arcadia Ego (the piece's full title)  is on page 46 of Michael's material on the database id_index 7142, and also amongst Rupert's material.

My contribution to Barrie studies is as follows:

A complete biography of Rupert Buxton firmly establishing him as a personality with many documents including a very important letter from Barrie to Lady Anne Buxton.

The discovery that Rupert's father and Michael's father were both at Trinity at the same time, and both were friendly with Macnaghten.

Rupert had two brothers at Eton in Macnaghten's house at the same time that both George and Michael were there.

Two of Rupert's uncles, Charles and Noel, were working on charitable projects in the East End of London at the same time as Margaret Davies.

Rupert's sister Lucy married into the Cavendish-Bentinck family and so Rupert was related by marriage to Ottoline Morrell.

Important additions to Jack's biography, including a list of all the ships he served on up to 1939.

The original newspaper reports of Theodore Davies's death.

An almost complete transcription of all recoverable written material by the Davies brothers while they were at Eton.

During the weekend before he died Michael attended a Territorial Army camp on Wimbedon Common.

[andrew]

Nicholas's excellent article Et in Arcadia Ego - and all the Rupert Buxton research material he was kind enough to share - is now in the new database: a simple search for "Buxton" should bring it all up. Please let us know if there are any problems, and Nicholas - thanks again for your time and generosity, and our apologies for the long delays and sporadic breakdowns in making it so freely available.

[northamtourist]

I know it's been a few years since this discussion but I was wondering where I might find those pictures of Rupert you mentioned. I'm very interested in finding whatever photos I can.