Person Page - 1364

Colonel E. E. Calthrop, who died on November 28, will be long remembered by his friends for his outstanding courage, tranquillity of mind and character after being laid low with a form of paralysis some 15 years ago, when on the threshold of a brilliant military career in which he seemed destined for the highest honours. From Bradfield, where he gained his football and cricket colours in his first year, he proceeded to Woolwich, where he passed out top as Senior Cadet, with the Sword of Honour, and was Captain of cricket, football and hockey. Gazetted to the Royal Engineers, he served in France and Belgium during the 1914-18 war, was six times wounded, and awarded the Military Cross (ed. he was also awarded the Croix de Guerre avec Palmes     in 1918). After graduating at the Staff College he served at the War Office for some years, and then, after a period in India, was recalled to Camberley as an instructor, and, shortly after, was stricken down with disseminate sclerosis.

But those in high places who held his powers in such esteem found his work of vital importance, in spite of his infirmity and, with incredible courage, he carried on until three weeks ago. To be wheeled about in a chair for 15 years must have been mental agony to one of his active record, but never once was this shown by word or sign of complaint; with no rancour, but, on the contrary, the keenest enthusiasm, he followed the careers of his Staff College contemporaries, several of whom commanded armies and corps in the recent war.

OBITUARY - MRS GLADYS CALTHROP - ARTIST AND STAGE DESIGNER

Mrs Gladys E. Calthrop, the artist and stage designer, who died on March 7, has been one of the closest friends and collaborators of Sir Noel Coward, with who she worked on over a score of productions. A witty, imaginative companion, known to the Coward circle as "Blackie" and with a love of barbaric jewellery, she had a rich, historical sense shown (for example) in such designs as those for Cavalcade; the first and third acts of Bitter Sweet; and Conversation Piece. Though she did much else, from pantomine to Ibsen, Autumn Crocus to Margaret Webster's recital of The Brontes (1964), she will be remembered, always for the style and theatrical flourish of everything she did for Coward and for what (in Basil Dean's words) were the shrewd common sense, cultured mind, and good taste that must have deeply influenced his early years.

A Devonian, born in Ashton - her maiden name was Treeby - she met Coward in 1921 when staying with her parents at Alassio. They became friends after an unfortunate beginning when she seemed, from the front row, to be laughing unappreciatively during his performance at a holiday concert. Later, when she began to design for the stage, Gladys Calthrop - her husband was Major Everard Calthrop - did the decor for the production of The Vortex at the Everyman, Hampstead (1924) that established Coward so firmly. She painted the sets out on the pavement beside the theatre - there was no room anywhere else - and battled with the Everyman manager who she felt claimed too much credit for himself, on the day of production removing from the second set a fireplace he had contributed to it. No matter; the whole venture was to be a historic success.

Thenceforward, Gladys Calthrop was a leading name among West End designers. Coward was inevitably her main dramatist, Dean and C. B. Cochran were among her managers. Her name appeared on such programmes as Lonsdale's Spring Cleaning (1925), Coward's Hay Fever (1925), The Queen was in the Parlour (1926) and also - though her pictorial decor was not to blame - the unfortunate Sirocco (1927), an early play which had grown from a fiesta Gladys Calthrop and Coward had seen in Italy. Before this, she had been to New York for the American production of The Vortex (and had to join a paper hangers' union), and stayed for a while as art director of Eva Le Gallienne's new found Civic Repertory Theatre.

She designed most of Coward's work during the next quarter of a century. The period included the first and third acts of Bitter Sweet (1929), which she and Coward had first discussed in a car beneath a horse chestnut tree on Wimbledon Common; Private Lives (1930); Cavalcade (1931) for which she looked after the entire scenic part of the Drury Lane production (22 sets) and sketched, planned, and chose about 3,700 costumes; Conversation Piece (1934); Blithe Spirit (1941); Present Laughter (1942); and much else thereafter. She worked too on the Coward film (1942) "In Which We Serve", with its destroyer HMS Torrin, at Denham Studios.

During the war she served in the Mechanical Transport Corps. Her only son, Hugo, was killed during the fighting in Burma.