Elsie Smeaton Munro
Elsie Smeaton Munro | |
|---|---|
| Born | Elizabeth Smeaton Munro 1880 Glasgow |
| Died | 20 December 1961 (aged 80–81) Glasgow |
| Other names | Elsie S. M. Bilsland |
| Occupations | Writer, singer |
| Spouse | William Inglis Bilsland |
| Father | John M. M. Munro |
Elizabeth "Elsie" Smeaton Munro (1880 – 20 December 1961) was a Scottish writer, singer, and performer.
Early life
Munro was born in Glasgow, the daughter of John M. M. Munro and Margaret Dunlop Smeaton.[1][2] Her father was a noted electrical and civil engineer, as was her older brother, Donald Smeaton Munro.[3] Her younger brother, Ion Smeaton Munro, was a diplomat, journalist, and book collector.[4][5] Neil Munro was a relative.[6]
Career
Munro starred in a 1904 production of La fille de Madame Angot in Glasgow in 1904.[6] She wrote a comic operetta, The Kink, performed in Glasgow in 1910, with music by George Henry Martin.[7][8] Her short plays Rosemary and The Cottage of Content were performed in Glasgow in 1916, as a wartime benefit for the Limbless Sailors' and Soldiers' Hospital.[9]
Munro wrote scripts for the Children's Hour programme on BBC Radio,[6] and gave recitals and reports for broadcast.[10][11] She also wrote two books, Glasgow Flourish (1911), and Topsy-Turvy Tales (1923), a collection of "utterly ridiculous"[12] fairy tales called "refreshingly original" in The Publishers' Circular.[13]
Publications
- Glasgow Flourish: Short Sketches (1911)
- Topsy-Turvy Tales (1923, illustrated by W. Heath Robinson)
- "Passing Sheep" (poem, in a 1971 anthology of Scottish verse)[14]
Personal life and legacy
Munro married engineer William Inglis Bilsland in 1913.[2] Her husband died in 1953,[15] and she died in 1961, at the age of 79.[6] The Elsie Smeaton Munro Collection of Theatre Memorabilia is in the Scottish Theatre Archive at Glasgow University Library.[16]
References
- ^ Beaton, Duncan. "The Notable Descendants of John Munro" The Kist 45(Spring 1993): 4.
- ^ a b "Marriages". Kirkintilloch Gazette. 27 June 1913. p. 2. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ "Obituary: Death of a Distinguished Scottish Engineer" The Electrician (January 8, 1926): 41.
- ^ Munro, Ion Smeaton (1933). Through Fascism to World Power: A History of the Revolution in Italy. A. Maclehose & Company.
- ^ "An Important Collection of Jacobite Books". Lyon & Turnbull. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
- ^ a b c d "Elsie S. Munro" The Stage (4 January 1962): 37; via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library
- ^ "Glasgow Musician's Death; Composer of Songs and Operas". The Scotsman. 24 April 1936. p. 9. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ "'The Kink': Clever Operette by Glasgow Artistes". Daily Record. 16 December 1910. p. 3. Retrieved September 21, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ "Athenaeum Theatre (advertisement)". Daily Record. 1916-12-20. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-09-22 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Glasgow (programme listings)". Edinburgh Evening News. 1 November 1927. p. 2. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ "Today's Glasgow Wireless Programme". Paisley Daily Express. 8 July 1926. p. 2. Retrieved September 22, 2023 – via The British Newspaper Archive, via The Wikipedia Library.
- ^ Bonner, Mary Graham (1925). A Parent's Guide to Children's Reading. Funk & Wagnalls Company. p. 25.
- ^ "Mssrs. John Lane Ltd." The Publishers' Circular and Booksellers' Record 119(November 17, 1923): 627.
- ^ Hamilton, William Hamilton (1971). Holyrood; a garland of modern Scots poems. Internet Archive. Freeport, N.Y., Books For Libraries Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-0-8369-6314-4.
- ^ Fairfull-Smith, George. "March 1953: Death of William Inglis Bilsland" Glasgow's Cultural History (July 2022).
- ^ "Elsie Smeaton Munro Collection of theatre memorabilia, c1900-1962". University of Glasgow Collections, Scottish Theatre Archive. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
External links
- William Heath Robinson, illustrations for Munro's Topsy-Turvy Tales (1922), in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art