Guide to the Collection of papers of C. J. Dennis and Hal Gye, 1913-1966

Summary

Collection number:

MS 6480

Creator:

Chaplin, Harry F.

Extent:

2.7 metres and (10 boxes + 4 folio boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of C J Dennis and Hal Gye, National Library of Australia, MS 6480, [series/file number]'.

Availability:

Available

Access conditions:

Available for research. Not for loan.

Background

Content Summary:

Collection of books, manuscripts and papers of C.J. Dennis and Hal Gye assembled by Harry Chaplin. They include typescripts and manuscript drafts of The Glugs of Gosh, notes by Gye on the frontispiece of Backblock ballads and later verses , an album of letters and photographs entitled 'Early life in Auburn and Laura' relating to Dennis' early life in South Australia, typescript poems by Dennis, an album of photographs and drawings of Dennis and Gye, letters of Dennis, and correspondence between Gye and Chaplin. There are also some notes by Hugh McCrae and letters of Sir John Monash, John Masefield, T. Inglis Moore, Dame Mary Gilmore and Olive Dennis.

The collection was listed by Harry Chaplin prior to the collection being purchased by the Library. Items not contained in the manuscript boxes have been placed in the stacks with other printed Australian material. This has only occurred in the case of published items containing no annotations, or having no unusual features.

Biographical Note:

C.J Dennis (1876-1938)

Clarence Michael James Dennis was born on 7 September 1876 in Auburn, SA and educated at Gladstone Primary School, St Aloysius College, Sevenhill, and Christian Brothers' College, Adelaide.

He joined the Adelaide Critic as a journalist in 1898 for a year, returning in 1901 and becoming editor in 1904. In 1906 he founded the satirical journal Gadfly, contributing items of verse and prose until his departure for Melbourne in 1907. In 1908 he turned to freelance journalism, later moving to Toolangi in Victoria with the artist Hal Waugh where he worked on writing verse. He married Olive Harriet in 1917.

His publications include Backblock ballads and other verses (1913), The songs of a sentimental bloke (illustrated by Hal Gye, 1915), The moods of Ginger Mick (1916), The Glugs of Gosh (1917), Doreen (1917), Digger Smith (1918), Jim of the hills (1919), A book for kids (1921) and The singing garden (1935).

In 1922 Dennis joined the literary staff of the Melbourne Herald, writing a daily column of verse and prose. He died in Melbourne on 22 June 1938.

Hal Gye (1888-1967)

Harold Frederick Neville Gye was born in Ryde, Sydney on 22 May 1888. Initially a law clerk in Melbourne, he became an artist and writer. Gye contributed political cartoons, caricatures and other illustrations to numerous newspapers and magazines. Gye contributed to Gadfly during 1906-07 and later met C.J. Dennis in Melbourne. Gye illustrated C.J. Dennis' The songs of a sentimental bloke (1915) and provided the illustrations for most of Dennis' works until a disagreement over the work Rose of spadgers (1924) terminated the partnership. Gye also illustrated works by Henry Lawson, Will Ogilvie and A.B. Paterson for Angus Robertson.

From the 1930s, Gye concentrated on writing and wrote short stories under the pen name 'James Hackston' as well as two collections of short fiction, Father clears out (1966) and The hole in the bedroom floor (1969). In the 1940s and 1950s, Gye wrote verse for the Bulletin as 'Hacko'.

Gye died in Melbourne on 25 November 1967.

Provenance:

The collection was purchased from Harry Chaplin in 1981.

Arrangement:

The collection was organised and item numbered by Harry Chaplin before transfer to the Library.

Mr Chaplin wrote a Foreward about this collection:

"I am not a 'completist', and in collecting the work of various writers and poets I have been content to acquire a good representative range of the author's books, his first editions, inscribed and presentation copies rounded off by autograph letters and manuscripts. I see no good reason for collecting reprints or ephemera, unless they have some special feature that warrants their inclusion. So with C.J. Dennis and Hal Gye I have described in the following pages what I consider fulfils these requirements.

Much has been written about C.J. Dennis and deservedly so, for judging by the sales of his books both here and abroad he must have been Australia's most popular verse writer. Little has been written about Hal Gye, but would The sentimental bloke have reached its phenomenal sales (into the hundreds of thousands) if it had not been decorated with Hal Gye's whimsical drawings. In fact Gye is inseparable from Dennis. He stands with him in the same relationship as did 'Phiz' (Hablot K. Browne) to Charles Dickens. I was fortunate in enjoying the friendship of Hal, and he has enhanced the interest of my various books by extra-illustrations, and long annotations, the latter adding much of bibliographical and biographical value.

Hal Gye was born in New South Wales and descends from a French Huguenot family which traces back to 1600. One of his ancestors was the Director of the Covent Garden Opera House in London where he is remembered by a statue. After the period of the Dennis books Hal developed his literary skill under the pseudonym of 'James Hackston'. He wrote me once that in his reading of Chaucer he came across the line 'didst wear a gyes' with against the word 'gyes' an asterisk. At the bottom of the page he discovered that to wear a gyes was to wear a mask or disguise. He further wrote: 'This revelation as to the past of my forefathers gave me a great thrill for, to have a name that meant a mask or disguise suggested dark doings in the past, and strangely enough although in a more modified form seemed to fit in with my own nature as the years unfolded'. Hence the adoption of the pseudonym of 'James Hackston' taken from the name of an old deceased family friend.

For many years Hal contributed both poetry and prose to the Bulletin and other journals. For years Bill FitzHenry, one of the Bulletin sub-editors wrote solemn letters to Hal, quite unaware that he was addressing his old pal. It was a pleasant little deception enjoyed by those in the know. Eventually his identity was disclosed when the journal wanted some biographical particulars for a Jubilee issue from all its contributors. Hal is represented in this collection by many manuscripts both of poetry and short stories.

This description of my Dennis-Gye collection was compiled many years ago, but it was considered of insufficient general interest to warrant the expense of publication. It is not a bibliography and follows the format of other of the catalogues of my specialised collections which have appeared from time to time. For record purposes only I have decided to issue a small edition of which no copies will be for sale.

I am grateful to Mr Neville Gye for permission to quote extracts from his father's writings."

Container List:

Container No.	Item Nos.
Box 1	1-20
Box 2	21, 23-38
Box 3	39-56
Box 4	57-67
Box 5	68-79
Box 6	80-86
Box 7	87-97
Box 8	97-102
Box 9	102-107
Box 10	108-115, 118, 120, 122
Folio Box 1	22
Folio Box 1	98
Folio Box 2	103 (vol. 1)
Folio Box 2	116
Folio Box 2	117
Folio Box 2	119
Folio Box 3	103 (vol. 2-3)
Folio Box 4	121

Indexed terms

Names:

Chaplin, Harry F.

Conditions Governing Access:

Available for research.

Conditions Governing Use:

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred citation:

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of C J Dennis and Hal Gye, National Library of Australia, MS 6480, [series/file number]'.

Location of this collection:

National Library of Australia

Parkes Place

Canberra ACT 2600, Australia

Contact:

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