User:Mmemaigret/May Kidson
May Kidson or Mary Amelia Kidson (1858–1942) was a Bahamian-Australian poet and songwriter.
Biography
[edit]Mary Amelia Doyle was born in 1858 in Nassau, Bahamas, the daughter of Sir William Henry Doyle[1] and his wife Mary Johnson.[2] Sir William was a Bahamian lawyer and Member of Parliament who became Chief Justice of the Bahamas (1865–1875) and later Chief Justice of the Leeward Islands (1875) and Chief Justice of Gibraltar (1877–1879).[3] Sir William died in 1879 and, in 1886, Mary and her mother Lady Doyle moved to Western Australia.[4]
In 1888, Mary married Charles Barclay Kidson. He was a judge's associate and later became the first Sergeant-at-Arms of the Legislative Assembly of Western Australia. His brother was Alfred Bowman Kidson.
Mary and Charles had two sons, Noel Doyle Kidson (b. 1888) and Edric Doyle Kidson (b. 1893).[1] Both boys enlisted in the early days of World War I and were part of the forces that landed at Gallipoli. Edric died during the Gallipoli landing in April 1915 and Noel was injured.
Kidson died in Cottesloe on 9 August 1942; she was 84.[1]
Career
[edit]Kidson published under the names M.K. and May Kidson. She was the author of at least 52 works.[5]
This is an incomplete list of the works of May Kidson:
Songs
[edit]- Kitchener's Message to Australia lyrics by May Kidson, music by Charles J. F. North
- Memory Mine lyrics by May Kidson, music by Charles J. F. North
Poetry
[edit]Kidson was a regular contributor to Australian newspapers and magazines in Western Australia during WWI and the 1920s.
- Just Baby (1919)[6]
- The Mother's Prayer (1922)[7]
- Words (1925)[8]
- Sunbeams (1927)[9]
- When Memory Calls (1941)[10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Family Notices". West Australian. 1942-08-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ "Obituary (The Death of Sir William Henry Doyle)". The Times. London, England. 1 May 1879.
- ^ "Obituary (The Death of Sir William Henry Doyle)". The Times. London, England. 1 May 1879. Retrieved 2025-04-20.
- ^ Austlit. "May Kidson | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Austlit. "May Kidson | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Kidson, May (1919-05-16). "Just Baby". Western Mail. Perth, Western Australia. p. 37. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Kidson, May (1922-02-23). "The Mother's Prayer". Western Mail. p. 30. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ "Words". Eastern Recorder. Kellerberrin, Western Australia. 1925-09-18. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Kidson, May (1927-01-23). "Sunbeams". Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia. p. 38. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
- ^ Kidson, May (1941-01-26). "When Memory Calls". Sunday Times. Perth, Western Australia. p. 20. Retrieved 2025-04-21.
Biography
[edit]- Austlit. "May Kidson | AustLit: Discover Australian Stories". www.austlit.edu.au. Retrieved 2025-04-21.