Edward Frederic Benson OBE (1867 – 1940) - British writer, poet, novelist, biographer, memoirist, historian and short story writer, best known for his novels about Mapp and Lucia

 

Edward Frederic Benson was born at Wellington College in Berkshire on 24th July 1867, the fifth child of the headmaster, Edward White Benson (later chancellor of Lincoln Cathedral, Bishop of Truro and Archbishop of Canterbury), and his wife born Mary Sidgwick ("Minnie").

E. F. Benson was the younger brother of Arthur Christopher Benson, who wrote the words to "Land of Hope and Glory", Robert Hugh Benson, author of several novels and Roman Catholic apologetic works, and Margaret Benson (Maggie), an author, artist and amateur Egyptologist. Two other siblings died young. 

Edward was educated at Temple Grove School, then at Marlborough College, where he wrote some of his earliest. He continued his education at King's College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the Pitt Club and later in life he became an honorary fellow of Magdalene College.

He enlisted as a Private with the British Army in the Army Service Corps, with the service number M/317967. The Imperial War Museums' "Lives of the First World War" project confirms his military service record.

Edward F. Benson died on 29th February 1940 of throat cancer at University College Hospital, London. He was buried in the cemetery at Rye, East Sussex.

Arthur Christopher Benson, FRSL (1862 - 1925) – British writer, poet and academic

 

Arthur was born on 24th April 1862 at Wellington College, Berkshire, one of six children born to Edward White Benson, the first headmaster of the College, who went on to become Archbishop of Canterbury from 1883 to 1896, and his wife, Mary (née Sidgwick and known as"Minnie"), who was a sister of the philosopher Henry Sidgwick.  Arthur’s younger brother Edward Frederick Benson (1867 – 1940) also became a writer - E.F. Benson was best remembered for his Mapp and Lucia novels. Their sister Margaret Benson (1865 - 1936) became an artist, author and amateur Egyptologist.

In 1874, Arthur won a scholarship to Eton School from Temple Grove School, a preparatory school in East Sheen. In 1881, he went up to King's College, Cambridge, where he was a scholar (King's College had closed scholarships for which only Etonians were eligible) and achieved first-class honours in the Classical tripos in 1884.

Arthur became an essayist, poet and academic and served as the 28th Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge. He wrote the lyrics of Edward Elgar's Coronation Ode, including the words of the patriotic song "Land of Hope and Glory" (1902). His literary criticism, poems, and volumes of essays were highly regarded.

During the First World War, Arthur was a fellow at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he was appointed Master of the college in December 1915 and served in that role until his death in 1925. He devoted his energies to academic and literary work, and was also a governor of Gresham's School.

Arthur C. Benson contributed to the war effort through his work as an educator and writer and he was involved in founding the Benson Medal in 1916 for meritorious works in literature. He edited the book “Cambridge Essays on Education”, which was published in 1919 towards the end of the war.

Arthur died of cardiac arrest at Magdalene on 17th June 1925 and was buried in St Giles's Cemetery, Cambridge.

"Land of Hope and Glory" was important during WW1, serving as a powerful symbol of British nationalism and the war effort, with lyrics that celebrated the nation's empire and encouraged its military might. Composed by Edward Elgar with lyrics by A.C. Benson, the song's patriotic themes were particularly resonant during the conflict and were frequently performed at events like the Proms, further solidifying its role in maintaining morale. 

Symbol of nationalism: The song's lyrics, which refer to Britain's "Empire" and a call to God to make the nation "mightier yet," directly fueled the nationalist sentiment that was a major cause of the war.

Wartime morale booster: Because of its patriotic themes, the song was popular during the war and helped maintain the fighting spirit on the home front. It was part of the official war effort, though some of Elgar's other wartime compositions were less successful.

Chorus to “Land of Hope and Glory” lyrics:

            Land of Hope and Glory, Mother of the Free,

            How shall we extol thee, who are born of thee?

            Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set;

            God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet,

            God, who made thee mighty, make thee mightier yet!

Source: Wikipedia.   You can see one of A.C. Benson's books here

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.201545  “\Meanwhile a Packet of War Letters” by A.C. Benson, 1916