An astonishing life in more ways than one

Born September 9, 1898 by age seven Beverley Nichols was attending Wellswood Preparatory School. It was an era when merry Torquay was a place to winter and this saw racy and sexual swaps occurring at villas and on yachts. It was said - 'the Edwardians had nothing to learn about permissive behaviour, but it was all very discreet; with the chase and intrigue half the fun'.
But this family had another secret - John Nichols was a noted rugby player and distance runner, and having been a successful solicitor and councillor in Bristol, was also a 'man for the ladies'.
Beverley later related his father frequented ladies of the street and consumed half a bottle of whisky a day augmented by brandy and ale - ' real drunkard'.
Having purchased postcards concerning the French Impressionists Beverley in 1912 wrote an essay about them and won a national prize. Just a year later the family had moved from Chelston to Cleave Court (now Riviera Court on Lower Warberry Road) and by 17 had written his first book 'Pelude. A second appeared when at Oxford (not published until age 22) when contemporaries then noted 'his came from a very gifted writer'. is fellow students also thought him special voting him President of the Oxford Union and later editor of the publication Isis' efore he founded the City publication 'he Oxford Outlook'.
When a journalist he reported on crime and his third book entitled 'Self' then which he described as - 'the worst novel ever written'.
Now he resumed writing normal columns and interviews on individuals who were chronicled in a tome he titled 'Twenty Five'. In 1928 he moved to Manhattan to become editor paper of the 'American Sketch' and although he was never happy in America he lifted its sales so high within months the paper was sold.

On return to England he found his father was 'at it again' embarrassing everyone a true 'monster' ruining all family life. He became determined to end it, which led to this academic of the old school planning to murder his father. Having forced a large number of sleeping pills down his father's throat while drunk, on another occasion he dragged the 'drunk' onto the lawn hoping the winter snow would freeze him to death. He returned to continue composing music, only in the early hours experiencing John covered in snow crashing through the patio doors bleeding but still alive. John knew little of the ordeal and was soon back to normal.

The quantity of Beverley's writing was absolutely staggering and remunerative. Over 100 books, short stories, written music and lyrics, miscellaneous works and even books on cats came from his pen. This ensured great access to high society and wide travel and many friends. Yet like his father the rich lifestyle became outrageous and he soon he was an outspoken homosexual. His liaisons are well documented and he never married. Over the years he expressed views on apartheid having witnessed the poor of America and in South Africa. He said Martin Luther King claimed all men were equal although no such claim applied to South Africa. which to him was hypocrisy . Yet did not make apartheid any less abhorrent to him and he argued strongly for blacks to be given 'equal opportunities if confrontation was to be avoided' which all fell on deaf ears.

He took his father to Plymouth in 1939 for his mother's funeral and now John bragged about his sexual conquests while married, even saying 'lots of pretty girls in Plymouth' which greatly angered Beverley. He concealed his hate as in his pocket was his mother's will, confirming she left her husband nothing - revenge at last.

When 83 Beverley was asked to state his thoughts on Torquay and replied: "I have about 100,000 memories, but not the strength to recall them."
He died at age 85 on September 15, 1983, and three years later we finally unveiled our Blue Plaque to honour him at Riviera Court Torquay.

IAN'S COMMENT. An astonishing lifestyle where having admitted to trying to murder his father like the sheer quantity of his work - is almost beyond belief.

NEXT WEEK - JOHN BETJEMA