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Mary Lawson (actress)
Encyclopedia
Mary Elizabeth Lawson was a stage
and film actress
during the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to her performances on stage and screen, Lawson was known for her romantic affairs, including with tennis player
Fred Perry
and her future husband, the married son of the Dame of Sark. Lawson and her husband died in the Second World War during a German bombing raid on Liverpool
.
, County Durham
, England
on 30 August 1910. She grew up in a humble terraced house on Pease Street on the Freeholders' Estate in Darlington and attended Dodmire School. The Lawsons were a working class family. Lawson's father, Thomas Lawson, was a craneman for the North Eastern Railway Company
, while her mother died when Mary was only three. As a result, Mary was largely raised by her elder sister Dorothy.
for soldiers wounded during the First World War and soon became a regular at Darlington's Scala theatre on Eldon Street. Lawson took on other roles and in 1920 she had a part in a Babes in the Wood
panto
. At the age of twelve she led a performing group of young girls that toured County Durham for three years. In addition to her pure acting ability, Lawson developed into exceptional dancer. In her mid-teens she landed a role in a panto in Brighton
and later performed in Frinton-on-Sea
in Essex
, where she was spotted by comedian
Gracie Fields
. With Fields's support, Lawson was able to become the resident act at The May Fair Hotel
in London
. Lawson incorporated into her show the song Varsity Drag from the musical Good News
, which at the time was being performed by American
Zelma O'Neal
at the Carlton Theatre
in the West End
. Her performance was such a success that when O'Neal returned to the United States
, the Carlton Theatre choose 17-year-old Lawson as her replacement. Lawson made her name on stage in 1928 at the Carlton in the role Flo in the production of Good News. In 1929, Lawson departed for Australia
on a tour, where she appeared in the productions of The Desert Song
and Hold Everything!
.
By the early 1930s, Lawson had established herself on the stage as a musical comedy star, able to earn fifty to sixty British pounds
a week, and in 1933 she entered into the British film industry
. Though she eventually acted in more than a dozen films, her screen career never matched her stage success. Her first major role was as Susie in Colonel Blood
, which starred Frank Cellier
. The most successful film that Lawson had a role in was the 1935 production of Scrooge
, which starred Seymour Hicks
and Donald Calthrop
. She also appeared in films that included in their cast such notable actors as Stanley Holloway
in D'Ye Ken John Peel? and Cotton Queen
, Will Fyffe
in Cotton Queen, and Vivien Leigh
in Things Are Looking Up, and Bud Flanagan
in A Fire Has Been Arranged
. Lawson’s last film was Oh Boy! in 1938.
Between films she continued her stage career, including a starring role in Life Begins At Oxford Circus at the London Palladium
. Lawson appeared in a number of theatrical productions up through the first year of the Second World War. In late 1939 Lawson participated in a series of shows for the benefit of the British military personnel
. The last production that Lawson had a role in was White Horse Inn at the Coliseum Theatre
in early 1940.
, the world’s premier tennis player and winner of multiple Grand Slam
tournaments. The couple first met when Perry visited the London studies of the film Falling in Love
, in which Lawson played the role of Ann Brent. Perry later escorted Lawson to an exhibition match at Highbury Fields
and proposed marriage before he departed to New York
to defend his U.S. Open
title. The couple's engagement became a news sensation, which took a toll on their relationship. When Perry turned down on offer of $50,000 to turn pro
, he reportedly said it was because he would face tax issues and jeopardize his relationship with Lawson. In April 1935, while Perry was in the United States, the engagement was called off. Lawson reportedly stated that she broke off the engagement because publicity killed their romance, she had tired of the ridiculous rumours that had circulated in the media and she was opposed to Perry's plans to live permanently in America.
Lawson met her future husband Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont
while filming the 1936 film Toilers of the Sea, a film adaption of Victor Hugo
’s 1866 novel Les Travailleurs de la mer. Hugo's book is set in the British
Crown Dependency
Guernsey in the English Channel
off the coast of Normandy
, which includes the island of Sark
, a feudal
territory ruled by the Seigneur of Sark. Beaumont's mother, Dame Sibyl Mary Collings Beaumont Hathaway, who was the ruling 21st Seigneur of Sark, wrote in her autobiography that the scenes from the film were shot on Sark and that her son provided backing for the film, along with French
director/producer Jean Choux
; in the film credits the production company L. C. Beaumont is mentioned, but not Choux. At this time Beaumont was married and had a son, the future 22nd Seigneur of Sark
. It is uncertain when the affair between Lawson and Beaumont began, but Beaumont's wife purchased an announcement in the 30 November 1937 edition of The Times
asking for a "dissolution" of their marriage "on the ground of his adultery with Miss Mary Lawson." That year the Beaumonts were divorced, and on 22 June 1938 Beumont and Lawson were married in Chelsea
. In her memoirs, Hathaway makes no mention of her son's second wife, rather she praises his first wife as a "charming girl" and states that "on account of behaviour of my sons … there have been many heartbreaking blows." Upon marriage Lawson legally changed her name to Mary Elizabeth Beaumont, but she continued to use Mary Lawson as her stage name.
and Beaumont joined the Royal Air Force
, reaching the rank of flight lieutenant
. In May 1941 Flt Lt Beaumont received a week's leave and he, Lawson, friends and family travelled to Liverpool
, where according to Hathaway they stayed at a hotel at 126 Smithdown Road
in the Sefton Park
district this however, is unlikely as 126 Smithdown Road was the address for Smithdown Road Infirmary (later Sefton General Hospital) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
information suggests they were staying at 74 Bedford Street in Toxteth
. On 1 May the German Luftwaffe
began a bombing campaign on Liverpool
that would last more than a week. On 4 May as the warning sirens went off, family and friends at the home, including Lawson’s sister Dorothy, took safety in a shelter, while Lawson and Beaumont stayed in their room. The home was destroyed, killing the couple, while all those who sought safety in the shelter survived. Lawson's death was announced in newspapers around the globe, but was overshadowed by the greater destruction of the war. Both Lawson and her husband are buried in Liverpool.
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and film actress
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
during the 1920s and 1930s. In addition to her performances on stage and screen, Lawson was known for her romantic affairs, including with tennis player
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
Fred Perry
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...
and her future husband, the married son of the Dame of Sark. Lawson and her husband died in the Second World War during a German bombing raid on Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
Early life
Mary Lawson was born in DarlingtonDarlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, part of the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. It lies on the small River Skerne, a tributary of the River Tees, not far from the main river. It is the main population centre in the borough, with a population of 97,838 as of 2001...
, County Durham
County Durham
County Durham is a ceremonial county and unitary district in north east England. The county town is Durham. The largest settlement in the ceremonial county is the town of Darlington...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on 30 August 1910. She grew up in a humble terraced house on Pease Street on the Freeholders' Estate in Darlington and attended Dodmire School. The Lawsons were a working class family. Lawson's father, Thomas Lawson, was a craneman for the North Eastern Railway Company
North Eastern Railway (UK)
The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923...
, while her mother died when Mary was only three. As a result, Mary was largely raised by her elder sister Dorothy.
Stage and film career
Lawson began performing at a young age. When she was only five she sang at FeethamsFeethams
Feethams is a cricket ground and the former home of Darlington F.C. for 120 years, from 1883 to 2003, until the club moved into a new stadium on the outskirts of Darlington.- History :...
for soldiers wounded during the First World War and soon became a regular at Darlington's Scala theatre on Eldon Street. Lawson took on other roles and in 1920 she had a part in a Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood
Babes in the Wood is a traditional children's tale, as well as a popular pantomime subject. It has also been the name of some other unrelated works. The expression has passed into common language, referring to inexperienced innocents entering unawares into any potentially dangerous or hostile...
panto
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
. At the age of twelve she led a performing group of young girls that toured County Durham for three years. In addition to her pure acting ability, Lawson developed into exceptional dancer. In her mid-teens she landed a role in a panto in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and later performed in Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea
Frinton-on-Sea is a small seaside town in the Tendring District of Essex, England. It is part of the Parish of Frinton and Walton.-History:...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, where she was spotted by comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Gracie Fields
Gracie Fields
Dame Gracie Fields, DBE , was an English-born, later Italian-based actress, singer and comedienne and star of both cinema and music hall.-Early life:...
. With Fields's support, Lawson was able to become the resident act at The May Fair Hotel
The May Fair
The May Fair is a historic hotel with a modern design, set in the heart of Mayfair, London. It is located on Stratton Street, within close proximity of Piccadilly, Bond Street, Knightsbridge, Green Park and Buckingham Palace....
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Lawson incorporated into her show the song Varsity Drag from the musical Good News
Good News (musical)
Good News is a musical with a book by Laurence Schwab and B.G. DeSylva, lyrics by DeSylva and Lew Brown, and music by Ray Henderson.The show opened on Broadway in 1927, the same year as Show Boat, but its plot was decidedly old-fashioned in comparison to Show Boats somewhat tragic and daring...
, which at the time was being performed by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Zelma O'Neal
Zelma O'Neal
Zelma O'Neal was an actress, singer, and dancer in the 1920s and 1930s. She appeared on Broadway and in early sound films, including the Paramount Pictures films Paramount on Parade and Follow Thru ....
at the Carlton Theatre
Carlton Theatre
The Carlton Theatre was a London West End Theatre from 1927 until 1960 when it was converted into The Carlton Cinema. This is now called Cineworld, Haymarket / The Cinema On The Haymarket. The architect was Frank Verity...
in the West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
. Her performance was such a success that when O'Neal returned to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the Carlton Theatre choose 17-year-old Lawson as her replacement. Lawson made her name on stage in 1928 at the Carlton in the role Flo in the production of Good News. In 1929, Lawson departed for Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on a tour, where she appeared in the productions of The Desert Song
The Desert Song
The Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
and Hold Everything!
Hold Everything!
Hold Everything! is a musical comedy with book by John McGowan and B. G. de Sylva, lyrics by Lew Brown and B. G. de Sylva, and music by Ray Henderson....
.
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
a week, and in 1933 she entered into the British film industry
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
. Though she eventually acted in more than a dozen films, her screen career never matched her stage success. Her first major role was as Susie in Colonel Blood
Colonel Blood (film)
Colonel Blood was a British film written and directed by W.P. Lipscomb. It was a dramatised account of Thomas Blood, a 17th-century adventurer in England.-Plot:...
, which starred Frank Cellier
Frank Cellier (actor)
Frank Cellier was an English actor. Early in his career, he toured in Britain, Germany, the West Indies, America and South Africa. In the 1920s, he became known in the West End for Shakespearean character roles, among others, and also directed some plays in which he acted...
. The most successful film that Lawson had a role in was the 1935 production of Scrooge
Scrooge (1935 film)
Scrooge is a 1935 British film directed by Henry Edwards featuring Seymour Hicks as Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser who hates Christmas. It was the first sound version of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, not counting a 1928 short subject that now appears to be lost.- Film :Hicks had...
, which starred Seymour Hicks
Seymour Hicks
Sir Arthur Seymour Hicks , better known as Seymour Hicks, was a British actor, music hall performer, playwright, screenwriter, theatre manager and producer. He married the actress Ellaline Terriss in 1893...
and Donald Calthrop
Donald Calthrop
Donald Calthrop was an English stage and film actor. He starred as the title character in the hit musical The Boy in 1917. He then appeared in 63 films between 1916 and 1940, including five films directed by Alfred Hitchcock.He was born in London and died in Eton from a heart attack.He was the...
. She also appeared in films that included in their cast such notable actors as Stanley Holloway
Stanley Holloway
Stanley Augustus Holloway, OBE was an English stage and film actor, comedian, singer, poet and monologist. He was famous for his comic and character roles on stage and screen, especially that of Alfred P. Doolittle in My Fair Lady...
in D'Ye Ken John Peel? and Cotton Queen
Cotton Queen
Cotton Queen is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Joe Rock and Bernard Vorhaus. It starred Stanley Holloway, Will Fyffe and Mary Lawson....
, Will Fyffe
Will Fyffe
Will Fyffe was a major star of the 1930s and 1940s, a star of stage, screen and shellac.Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six...
in Cotton Queen, and Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh
Vivien Leigh, Lady Olivier was an English actress. She won the Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire , a role she also played on stage in London's West End, as well as for her portrayal of the southern belle Scarlett O'Hara, alongside Clark...
in Things Are Looking Up, and Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan
Bud Flanagan was a popular English music hall and vaudeville entertainer from the 1930s until the 1960s. Flanagan was famous as a wartime entertainer and his achievements were recognised when he was awarded the O.B.E. in 1960.- Family background :Flaganan was born Chaim Reuben Weintrop in...
in A Fire Has Been Arranged
A Fire Has Been Arranged
A Fire Has Been Arranged is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Chesney Allen, Bud Flanagan and Alastair Sim....
. Lawson’s last film was Oh Boy! in 1938.
Between films she continued her stage career, including a starring role in Life Begins At Oxford Circus at the London Palladium
London Palladium
The London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
. Lawson appeared in a number of theatrical productions up through the first year of the Second World War. In late 1939 Lawson participated in a series of shows for the benefit of the British military personnel
Military personnel
Military personnel is a blanket term used to refer to members of any armed force. Usually, military personnel are divided into branches of service roughly defined by certain circumstances of the deployment of the personnel. Those who serve in a typical large land force are soldiers, making up an...
. The last production that Lawson had a role in was White Horse Inn at the Coliseum Theatre
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
in early 1940.
Romances and marriage
Lawson was as known for her off stage romances as she was for her onstage performances. In 1933 her engagement to Maurice Henry van Raalte, heir to a cigar importing fortune, ended tragically with her fiancé's sudden death. In May 1934 Lawson announced she was to marry a Mr H Glendenning, a cameraman on the set of Money In The Air, a film that Lawson had a part in and that was eventually distributed as Radio Pirates. But only a few months later in August 1934 Lawson caused a national sensation when it was announced that she was engaged to Fred PerryFred Perry
Frederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...
, the world’s premier tennis player and winner of multiple Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournaments. The couple first met when Perry visited the London studies of the film Falling in Love
Falling in Love (1935 film)
Falling in Love is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Charles Farrell, Mary Lawson, Diana Napier and Gregory Ratoff. The manager of an American film star struggles to cope with her behaviour.-Cast:...
, in which Lawson played the role of Ann Brent. Perry later escorted Lawson to an exhibition match at Highbury Fields
Highbury Fields
Highbury Fields is an open space in Highbury, in the London Borough of Islington, England. At 11.75 hectares , it is the largest open space in the borough.It extends north from Highbury Corner almost as far as Highbury Barn...
and proposed marriage before he departed to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
to defend his U.S. Open
1934 U.S. National Championships (tennis)
List of Champions of the 1934 U.S. National Championships :-Men's Singles: Fred Perry defeated Wilmer Allison 6-4 6-3 1-6 8-6-Women's Singles: Helen Jacobs defeated Sarah Palfrey Cooke 6-1, 6-3...
title. The couple's engagement became a news sensation, which took a toll on their relationship. When Perry turned down on offer of $50,000 to turn pro
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
, he reportedly said it was because he would face tax issues and jeopardize his relationship with Lawson. In April 1935, while Perry was in the United States, the engagement was called off. Lawson reportedly stated that she broke off the engagement because publicity killed their romance, she had tired of the ridiculous rumours that had circulated in the media and she was opposed to Perry's plans to live permanently in America.
Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont
Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont , also known as F. W. L. C. Beaumont or “Buster” Beaumont, was the heir to the Seigneur of Sark, a Royal Air Force officer, film producer and the husband of actress Mary Lawson...
while filming the 1936 film Toilers of the Sea, a film adaption of Victor Hugo
Victor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
’s 1866 novel Les Travailleurs de la mer. Hugo's book is set in the British
British Isles (terminology)
Various terms are used to describe the different geographical and political areas of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, and surrounding islands. The terminology is often a source of confusion, partly owing to the similarity between some of the actual words used, but also because they are often...
Crown Dependency
Crown dependency
The Crown Dependencies are British possessions of the Crown, as opposed to overseas territories of the United Kingdom. They comprise the Channel Island Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey in the English Channel, and the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea....
Guernsey in the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
off the coast of Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
, which includes the island of Sark
Sark
Sark is a small island in the Channel Islands in southwestern English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. It is a royal fief, geographically located in the Channel Islands in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, with its own set of laws based on Norman law and its own parliament. It has a population...
, a feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
territory ruled by the Seigneur of Sark. Beaumont's mother, Dame Sibyl Mary Collings Beaumont Hathaway, who was the ruling 21st Seigneur of Sark, wrote in her autobiography that the scenes from the film were shot on Sark and that her son provided backing for the film, along with French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
director/producer Jean Choux
Jean Choux
Jean Choux was a French film director and producer.-Filmography:*1925 : La Vocation d'André Carel*1926 : La Terre qui meurt*1927 : Le Baiser qui tue*1928 : Espionnage ou la guerre sans armes*1929 : Chacun porte sa croix...
; in the film credits the production company L. C. Beaumont is mentioned, but not Choux. At this time Beaumont was married and had a son, the future 22nd Seigneur of Sark
John Michael Beaumont
John Michael Beaumont, OBE is the 22nd Seigneur of Sark. A retired engineer, he is a son of Francis William Lionel Collings Beaumont and Enid . He succeeded his grandmother, Sibyl Hathaway, as the ruler of Sark upon her death in 1974.- References :...
. It is uncertain when the affair between Lawson and Beaumont began, but Beaumont's wife purchased an announcement in the 30 November 1937 edition of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
asking for a "dissolution" of their marriage "on the ground of his adultery with Miss Mary Lawson." That year the Beaumonts were divorced, and on 22 June 1938 Beumont and Lawson were married in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
. In her memoirs, Hathaway makes no mention of her son's second wife, rather she praises his first wife as a "charming girl" and states that "on account of behaviour of my sons … there have been many heartbreaking blows." Upon marriage Lawson legally changed her name to Mary Elizabeth Beaumont, but she continued to use Mary Lawson as her stage name.
Death
When the Second World War broke out Sark was occupied by the German militaryWehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and Beaumont joined the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
, reaching the rank of flight lieutenant
Flight Lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many Commonwealth countries. It ranks above flying officer and immediately below squadron leader. The name of the rank is the complete phrase; it is never shortened to "lieutenant"...
. In May 1941 Flt Lt Beaumont received a week's leave and he, Lawson, friends and family travelled to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, where according to Hathaway they stayed at a hotel at 126 Smithdown Road
Smithdown Road, Liverpool
Smithdown Road is a street in Liverpool, England, which forms part of the A562. It is the location of Toxteth Park Cemetery and Wavertree Playground. Penny Lane junction, the subject of The Beatles song Penny Lane, is situated at the junction of Smithdown Road, Smithdown Place and Penny Lane...
in the Sefton Park
Sefton Park
Sefton Park is a public park in south Liverpool, England. The park is in a district of the same name within the Liverpool City Council Ward of Mossley Hill, and roughly within the historic bounds of the large area of Toxteth Park...
district this however, is unlikely as 126 Smithdown Road was the address for Smithdown Road Infirmary (later Sefton General Hospital) and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
information suggests they were staying at 74 Bedford Street in Toxteth
Toxteth
Toxteth is an inner city area of Liverpool, England. Located to the south of the city, Toxteth is bordered by Liverpool City Centre, Dingle, Edge Hill, Wavertree and Aigburth.-Description:...
. On 1 May the German Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
began a bombing campaign on Liverpool
Liverpool Blitz
The Liverpool Blitz was the heavy and sustained bombing of the British city of Liverpool and its surrounding area, at the time mostly within the counties of Lancashire and Cheshire but commonly known as Merseyside, during the Second World War by the German Luftwaffe.Liverpool, Bootle, and the...
that would last more than a week. On 4 May as the warning sirens went off, family and friends at the home, including Lawson’s sister Dorothy, took safety in a shelter, while Lawson and Beaumont stayed in their room. The home was destroyed, killing the couple, while all those who sought safety in the shelter survived. Lawson's death was announced in newspapers around the globe, but was overshadowed by the greater destruction of the war. Both Lawson and her husband are buried in Liverpool.
Filmography
- 1938 - Oh Boy!
- 1937 - Cotton QueenCotton QueenCotton Queen is a 1937 British comedy film directed by Joe Rock and Bernard Vorhaus. It starred Stanley Holloway, Will Fyffe and Mary Lawson....
- 1936 - House Broken'
- 1936 - To Catch a ThiefTo Catch a Thief (1936 film)To Catch a Thief is a 1936 British comedy film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring John Garrick, Mary Lawson and H.F. Maltby.-Cast:* John Garrick - John* Mary Lawson - Anne* H.F. Maltby - Sir Herbert Condine* John Wood - Bill Lowther...
- 1936 - Toilers of the Sea
- 1935 - Can You Hear Me, Mother?
- 1935 - ScroogeScrooge (1935 film)Scrooge is a 1935 British film directed by Henry Edwards featuring Seymour Hicks as Ebenezer Scrooge, the miser who hates Christmas. It was the first sound version of the Charles Dickens classic A Christmas Carol, not counting a 1928 short subject that now appears to be lost.- Film :Hicks had...
- 1935 - Radio Pirates
- 1935 - Falling in LoveFalling in Love (1935 film)Falling in Love is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Monty Banks and starring Charles Farrell, Mary Lawson, Diana Napier and Gregory Ratoff. The manager of an American film star struggles to cope with her behaviour.-Cast:...
- 1935 - A Fire Has Been ArrangedA Fire Has Been ArrangedA Fire Has Been Arranged is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Leslie S. Hiscott and starring Chesney Allen, Bud Flanagan and Alastair Sim....
- 1935 - Things Are Looking Up
- 1934 - Youthful Folly
- 1934 - Colonel BloodColonel Blood (film)Colonel Blood was a British film written and directed by W.P. Lipscomb. It was a dramatised account of Thomas Blood, a 17th-century adventurer in England.-Plot:...
- 1934 - D'Ye Ken John Peel?
Stage performances
- 1940 - White Horse Inn at the Coliseum TheatreColiseum TheatreThe London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
in London. - 1939-1940- The Two Bouquets at the Embassy TheatreEmbassy Theatre (London)The Embassy Theatre is a theatre at 64, Eton Avenue, Swiss Cottage, London.- Early years :The Embassy Theatre was opened as a repertory company in September 1928 on the initiative of Sybil Arundale and Herbert Jay., when the premises of Hampstead Conservatoire of Music were adapted by architect...
in London - 1938-1939 - Running Riot at the Gaiety TheatreGaiety Theatre, LondonThe Gaiety Theatre, London was a West End theatre in London, located on Aldwych at the eastern end of the Strand. The theatre was established as the Strand Musick Hall , in 1864 on the former site of the Lyceum Theatre. It was rebuilt several times, but closed from the beginning of World War II...
in London - 1937-1938 - Going Greek at the Gaiety Theatre in London
- 1937 - Home and Beauty at the Adelphi TheatreAdelphi TheatreThe Adelphi Theatre is a 1500-seat West End theatre, located on the Strand in the City of Westminster. The present building is the fourth on the site. The theatre has specialised in comedy and musical theatre, and today it is a receiving house for a variety of productions, including many musicals...
in London - 1935 - Life Begins at Oxford Circus at the London PalladiumLondon PalladiumThe London Palladium is a 2,286 seat West End theatre located off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. From the roster of stars who have played there and many televised performances, it is arguably the most famous theatre in London and the United Kingdom, especially for musical variety...
in Lond - 1932 - Casanova at the Coliseum Theatre in London
- 1931 - White Horse Inn at the Coliseum TheatreColiseum TheatreThe London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
in London - 1930 - The Desert SongThe Desert SongThe Desert Song is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colonial rule. It was also inspired by stories of Lawrence of...
in Sydney - 1929-1930 – Hold Everything!Hold Everything!Hold Everything! is a musical comedy with book by John McGowan and B. G. de Sylva, lyrics by Lew Brown and B. G. de Sylva, and music by Ray Henderson....
at the Theatre RoyalTheatre Royal, SydneyThe Theatre Royal in Sydney is Australia's oldest theatrical institution. Sydney's original Theatre Royal was built in 1827 behind the Royal Hotel, but burned to the ground in 1840. The name was dormant for 35 years until 1875 when a new Theatre Royal was built in the location where the current...
in Sydney - 1928 – Good NewsGood News (musical)Good News is a musical with a book by Laurence Schwab and B.G. DeSylva, lyrics by DeSylva and Lew Brown, and music by Ray Henderson.The show opened on Broadway in 1927, the same year as Show Boat, but its plot was decidedly old-fashioned in comparison to Show Boats somewhat tragic and daring...
at the Carlton TheatreCarlton TheatreThe Carlton Theatre was a London West End Theatre from 1927 until 1960 when it was converted into The Carlton Cinema. This is now called Cineworld, Haymarket / The Cinema On The Haymarket. The architect was Frank Verity...
in London