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White Fire
William Arthur Dunkerley (12 November 1852 – 23 January 1941) was an English journalist, novelist and poet. He was born in Manchester, spent a short time after his marriage in the US before moving to Ealing, West London, where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s. In 1922 he moved to Worthing in Sussex, where he became the town's mayor.
Dunkerley wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: A Little Book of Thoughtful Verse (1913), which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem "Greatheart". He used the pseudonym Julian Ross for journalism.
Dunkerley wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: A Little Book of Thoughtful Verse (1913), which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem "Greatheart". He used the pseudonym Julian Ross for journalism.
366 pages, Hardcover
First published December 28, 2009
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About the author
John Oxenham
168 books5 followers
William Arthur Dunkerley
was a prolific English journalist, novelist and poet. He was born in Manchester, spent a short time after his marriage in America before moving to Ealing, west London, where he served as deacon and teacher at the Ealing Congregational Church from the 1880s, and he then moved to Worthing in Sussex in 1922, where he became the town's mayor.
He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem Greatheart. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross, for journalism. Dunkerley was a major contributor to Jerome K. Jerome's The Idler magazine.
He had two sons and four daughters, of whom the eldest, and eldest child, Elsie Jeanette, became well known as a children's writer, particularly through her Abbey Series of girls' school stories. Another daughter, Erica, also used the Oxenham pen-name. The elder son, Roderic Dunkerley, had several titles published under his own name.
He wrote under his own name, and also as John Oxenham for his poetry, hymn-writing, and novels. His poetry includes Bees in Amber: a little book of thoughtful verse (1913) which became a bestseller. He also wrote the poem Greatheart. He used another pseudonym, Julian Ross, for journalism. Dunkerley was a major contributor to Jerome K. Jerome's The Idler magazine.
He had two sons and four daughters, of whom the eldest, and eldest child, Elsie Jeanette, became well known as a children's writer, particularly through her Abbey Series of girls' school stories. Another daughter, Erica, also used the Oxenham pen-name. The elder son, Roderic Dunkerley, had several titles published under his own name.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 12, 2019
Kenneth Blair is a missionary, Jean Arnot an heiress. The story begins when they have a chance meeting as teenagers, then jumps forward to when they meet again ten years later as she is looking for purpose, he for redemption.
Together with a small crew of Christian zealots they head off to the Dark Islands to convert some 'savages' in the South Pacific, not just with bibles but with bullets too if necessary:
"I want you to be bold as lions, and on the other side as mild as milk. Only so can our work be done, and it is a mighty work."
A mighty stupid work if you ask me.
Help is recruited in the shape of Ha'o, a tribal chief rescued by the missionaries who becomes amenable to their influence. The real sticking point proves to be the local diet: 'coco-nuts abounded, they had fire and water: what more could any man want, unless it was a slice of brother man to add zest to the feast?'
Oxenham was not above having some tongue in cheek fun with the whole cannibalism question:
"I assured him that white people never ate human flesh. And what do you think was his proof that we did? He pointed to some of those corned-beef tins with George Washington's head on the label, and said, 'There!'
The question of missionaries fighting fire with fire and resorting to violence to achieve their ends was given a good going over. Against pirates and in self-defence the general conclusion was that it was justified. Prisoners were let go, but not everyone would have been so lenient:
"I wish we'd scuttled them," said Aunt Jannet.
For "scuttled" read string them up by the yardarm. As P. G. Wodehouse once wisely noted, aunts aren't gentlemen.
If you live with the whole White Man's Burden nonsense this was about as non-patronising as any such story from the times, despite the occasional levity. Blair has to work hard to win the trust of the Dark Island tribes, who are only too keen to revert to their 'savage' ways.
A devastating act of God near the end was unexpected and only reinforced my view that he needn't have bothered.
Together with a small crew of Christian zealots they head off to the Dark Islands to convert some 'savages' in the South Pacific, not just with bibles but with bullets too if necessary:
"I want you to be bold as lions, and on the other side as mild as milk. Only so can our work be done, and it is a mighty work."
A mighty stupid work if you ask me.
Help is recruited in the shape of Ha'o, a tribal chief rescued by the missionaries who becomes amenable to their influence. The real sticking point proves to be the local diet: 'coco-nuts abounded, they had fire and water: what more could any man want, unless it was a slice of brother man to add zest to the feast?'
Oxenham was not above having some tongue in cheek fun with the whole cannibalism question:
"I assured him that white people never ate human flesh. And what do you think was his proof that we did? He pointed to some of those corned-beef tins with George Washington's head on the label, and said, 'There!'
The question of missionaries fighting fire with fire and resorting to violence to achieve their ends was given a good going over. Against pirates and in self-defence the general conclusion was that it was justified. Prisoners were let go, but not everyone would have been so lenient:
"I wish we'd scuttled them," said Aunt Jannet.
For "scuttled" read string them up by the yardarm. As P. G. Wodehouse once wisely noted, aunts aren't gentlemen.
If you live with the whole White Man's Burden nonsense this was about as non-patronising as any such story from the times, despite the occasional levity. Blair has to work hard to win the trust of the Dark Island tribes, who are only too keen to revert to their 'savage' ways.
A devastating act of God near the end was unexpected and only reinforced my view that he needn't have bothered.
May 5, 2016
This is a dreadful book. I was so disappointed, after loving his 'Pearl of Pearl Island'. The only redeeming feature of this is the brilliant description of a tsunami on the Pacific island that the hero has built his mission station on. The attitudes to 'natives' on show here go a long way to explaining why the white man was resented all round the world.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews