L. A. Hayter

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L. A. Hayter
Young man in a dark suit and bow tie, looking at the camera and holding an object in his hands against a dark, grainy background.
Hayter, c. 1910
Born
Lawrence Ambrose Hayter

(1893-04-13)13 April 1893
Upper Holloway, London, England
Died30 December 1917(1917-12-30) (aged 24)
Hollebeke, Belgium
Burial placeI. H. 8., Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery, Belgium
50°48′19″N 02°50′20″E / 50.80528°N 2.83889°E / 50.80528; 2.83889
Occupation(s)Children's illustrator and writer
Years active1908–1914
Known forWork for the The Children's Realm
PartnerGladys Cawston
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
BranchBritish Army
RankPrivate
UnitBedfordshire Regiment, 6th Battalion
Battles / warsWorld War I †
AwardsBritish War Medal and Victory Medal
MemorialsLetchworth Cross

Lawrence Ambrose Hayter (13 April 1893 – 30 December 1917) was an English children's illustrator and writer associated with vegetarian children's literature. He was the primary illustrator for The Children's Realm, a magazine for children published by the Vegetarian Federal Union and the London Vegetarian Society, to which he also contributed stories and articles. Hayter lived in Letchworth, where he worked as a draughtsman and was engaged to the musician Gladys Cawston. During the First World War, he initially registered as a conscientious objector, but later enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment, 6th Battalion, and was killed in action near Hollebeke, Belgium, in December 1917. A wartime letter by Hayter published in the Christian Science Sentinel described his experiences in the trenches and referred to the role of Christian Science in his response to illness.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Lawrence Ambrose Hayter was born on 13 April 1893, in Upper Holloway, London, to Arthur William and Edith Rose Hayter; his father worked as an organ builder.[1][2] At school he became friends with Gerald Bullett and produced a jellygraphed school magazine, which he edited and illustrated with cartoons.[3]

Illustration and writing

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Illustration by Hayter for George Bedborough's Stories from the Children's Realm (1914)

Hayter lived in Letchworth, where he worked as a draughtsman.[2] He was engaged to the musician Gladys Cawston.[4]

Hayter was the primary illustrator for The Children's Realm, a children's magazine published by the Vegetarian Federal Union and the London Vegetarian Society.[5] His first illustration for the magazine appeared in its Christmas 1908 issue.[3]

In addition to illustrating the magazine, Hayter contributed numerous articles and stories, some of them co-written with Gerald Bullett.[2][3] His stories included "The Weather Kingdom", "The Land of Undh-Aneethe" (a tale of subterranean life where coal and fairies coexist), and "The Nimble Sixpence" (featuring a three-legged sixpence and a beetle with blue glasses).[6] In 1912, Bullett described Hayter as a "born artist" in an article about him for the magazine.[3]

The Children's Realm ceased publication in 1914.[7] In the same year, its editor George Bedborough published Stories from the Children's Realm, a children's storybook with animal rights, anti-vivisection, and vegetarian themes, which included several illustrations by Hayter.[5]

Military service and death

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During the First World War, Hayter initially registered as a conscientious objector, but later enlisted in the Bedfordshire Regiment as a private in the 6th Battalion.[8][9]

In the summer of 1917, Hayter was buried by a shell explosion and was mistakenly presumed dead.[4] In November that year, a letter by Hayter was published in the Christian Science Sentinel, in which he described his experiences in the trenches and stated that he had cured himself of dysentery through the teachings of Christian Science.[10]

Hayter was killed in action by shelling in the trenches near Hollebeke, Belgium, on 30 December 1917. He was buried at Klein Vierstraat British Cemetery (I. H. 8.).[4] He was posthumously awarded the British War Medal and Victory Medal.[11] His name is recorded on the Letchworth Cross memorial.[8][12]

References

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  1. ^ "Lawrence Hayter". London, England, School Admissions and Discharges, 1840-1911. Ancestry.com. 2010. Retrieved 26 November 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Edmundson, John (24 September 2013). "Remembering Vegetarian Pioneers – L. A. Hayter". HappyCow. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d G. W. B. (March 1912). "L. A. Hayter: An Appreciation". The Children's Realm. pp. 39–40.
  4. ^ a b c Hill, Dan; Capstick, Janet; Wild, Jonty. "Lawrence Ambrose Hayter". Herts at War. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  5. ^ a b Edmundson, John (19 September 2013). "100 years old plant-eating identical twins! The Ernest Bell Memorial Library". HappyCow. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  6. ^ Kubisz, Marzena (14 August 2024). Children's Vegetarian Culture in the Victorian Era: The Juvenile Food Reformers Press and Literary Change (1st ed.). London: Routledge. p. 65. doi:10.4324/9781003400042. ISBN 978-1-003-40004-2.
  7. ^ Gregory, James (27 June 2007). Of Victorians and Vegetarians: The Vegetarian Movement in Nineteenth-Century Britain. London: I. B. Tauris. p. 248. ISBN 978-1-84511-379-7.
  8. ^ a b Knight, Rosalyn; Edwards, Martin (2004). "Letchworth War Memorial". Roll of Honour. Retrieved 5 July 2020.
  9. ^ "December 1917". Bedfordshire Archives. 7 April 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  10. ^ Davies, Owen (18 October 2018). A Supernatural War: Magic, Divination, and Faith during the First World War. Oxford University Press. pp. 205–206. ISBN 978-0-19-251338-0.
  11. ^ "Medal card of Hayter, Lawrence A". The National Archives. 1914–1920. Retrieved 20 January 2025.
  12. ^ "Hayter, L A". War Memorials Register. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 5 July 2020.

Further reading

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  • Media related to L. A. Hayter at Wikimedia Commons
  • L. A. Hayter at Find a Grave