Talk:Reginald Berkeley (writer)

The two Reginald Berkeleys?
I am almost certain that there is only one Reginald Berkeley, full name Reginald Cheyne Berkeley, 1890-1935. He was a Liberal MP for Nottingham Central 1922-24, and subsequently a playwright and Hollywood screenwriter. Hence I propose to merge the articles under the “writer” title, as he was better known as a writer.

The obituary of Captain Reginald Berkeley in The Times of 1 April 1935 says he died aged 45 in Hollywood from pneumonia following a major operation (date not given), and refers to him as Liberal MP for Nottingham Central 1922-24, also a Captain in the Rifle Brigade in WWI, awarded MC. No mention of middle name Cheyne, but this is given in a Wellington, NZ item on him in the Evening Post of 1 April, datelined London March 30. Note: according to The Times he studied and qualified as a lawyer in New Zealand. Not on the University of New Zealand list of graduates, although he may not have had to graduate to qualify as a lawyer, just do some units!

IMDb the Internet movie database has Reginald Cheyne Berkeley born 18 August 1881 in London and died in Hollywood on 20 March 1936 aged 54y. But no other source supports either 1881 or 1936.

A search of Ancestry UK for Reginald Cheyne Berkeley has though: (1) English Probate: says he died 30 March 1935 in Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, and was of 606 North Crescent Drive, Beverley Hills. (2) Royal Aero Club Aviators Certificate 1934: says he was born London 18 August 1890, occupation dramatist. (3) Baptism of Nov 23 1890: gives date of birth as 18 Aug. The above three are original documents (or for the probate an index entry) with image avaliable, not unsourced contributions like some genealogical websites. Hugo999 (talk) 12:08, 22 January 2012 (UTC)


 * I agree these two should be identified: plenty of other sources at various dates do so: see this Google book search. According to Philip Snow, The Years of Hope: Cambridge, colonial administration in the South Seas and cricket, The Radcliffe Press, 1997, pp. 194-5, the RB who wrote the 1920 West End play French Leave was born in Fiji (though if the sources agree he was born in London, I'd say this only need mean he did some growing up in Fiji) and a nephew of Henry Spencer Berkeley, governor of Fiji. For more biographical details on this RB, see http://www.paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=EP19200925.2.83&l=mi&e=---10--511pilgrim-- (annoyingly difficult to link to on WP)
 * His name is given as 'Reginald Cheyne Berkeley' in the New Cambridge bibliography of English literature. He has a Middle Temple admissions entry (sufficient to qualify him for the New Zealand bar without university study I think)
 * I agree imdb's birth & death dates (and other recent web stuff copying those dates around) are likely spurious. Not sure where they came from. Dsp13 (talk) 14:00, 22 January 2012 (UTC)
 * Agree with the merge - looks like good evidence Kernel Saunters (talk) 15:46, 22 January 2012 (UTC)


 * Re Papers Past, interesting that you seemed to have used the Māori rather than the English version (option on home page). In 1912 there are several NZ newspaper references to Humphrey Berkeley (presumably Reginald’s father) described as a barrister well known in Australia and New Zealand, and who was being sued by several Indians who had paid £25 to go from Fiji to the Argentine to work. Will try and find when he (Reginald) was admitted to NZ bar, c1912 ie before Middle Temple c1919. Hugo999 (talk) 22:22, 24 January 2012 (UTC)

To Merge Reginald Berkeley
Will get around to merging the two articles, under Reginald Berkeley as there is now no need for a disambiguation page. IMDb have accepted that he died 30 March 1935 (not 1936), but still have him as born 1881 with an age at death of 53y; the Times obit has 45y. Hugo999 (talk) 11:11, 18 February 2012 (UTC)