Walter D'Arcy Cresswell

Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (22 January 1896 – 21 February 1960) was a New Zealand poet, journalist and writer. He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand on 22 January 1896.[1] Cresswell was the son of Hannah (née Reese) and Walter Joseph Cresswell, a solicitor. His elder brother was Douglas Cresswell later known as a writer. On leaving school (Christ's College, 1910–1912) Walter joined the Christchurch architectural firm of Collins and Harman. In mid 1914 Cresswell went to London to further studies at the Architectural Association, and in early 1915 enlisted as a private with the Middlesex Regiment. He was wounded in France in 1916, and after convalescence joined the Corps of New Zealand Engineers, serving from 1917 until the demobilisation of 1919. He was entitled to the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Cresswell famously blackmailed Charles Mackay, then Mayor of Wanganui, by outing him as a gay man.[2] Shortly after their first meeting Cresswell was shot and injured by Mackay. Cresswell survived and the Mayor was convicted of attempted murder in 1920.

Cresswell returned to London in 1921 where he spent most of the rest of his life although he retained his New Zealand links, and made several trips back home. In August 1925 Cresswell married Emily Freda Dacie (the 'Freda' of several of his poems) in the Marylebone Register Office in London. The marriage was short-lived, although a son was born early the following year. In London he eked out a somewhat precarious existence while writing and died there in 1960. A number of volumes of his poems were published over the years - some in New Zealand.

Of Walter Cresswell it was said "He is not remotely the poet he believed himself to be, and, judged on his verse alone, would long have been forgotten".[2]

In later life he was more simply known as "D'Arcy Cresswell". For example, some of is letters were published as "The Letters of D'Arcy Cresswell" in 1971 by the University of Canterbury.

References

  1. ↑ Broughton, W. S. "Walter D'Arcy Cresswell". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved December 2011.
  2. 1 2 Newton, John (2008). "D’Arcy Cresswell, 1896–1960". Kōtare: New Zealand Notes and Queries 7 (3): 129–136. ISSN 1174-6955. Retrieved 10 April 2015.
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