Arthur Valentine

Arthur Valentine's real name was Archibald Thomas Pechey (1876-1961). He was often credited simply as Valentine and a report in the Era on 28 September 1927 reported on the career of ‘Valentine’. This informed readers that he adopted the single pseudonym to hide his identity when, as a businessman on the Corn Exchange, he started sending verses to periodicals. For some years he was known principally as a lyricist, working with Jimmy Tate and Clifford Harris. As well as being a dramatist Valentine was also a novelist and wrote romantic fiction under the name Valentine, and crime fiction under the name Mark Cross. His 100th novel, “The Truly Loved,” was published on his 85th birthday. He was also a lyricist and wrote the lyrics for famous songs from the “Maid of the Mountains,” including “Bachelor Gay,” “A Paradise for Two” and “My Life is Love.’’ A Londoner, he was educated at Repton and left sixteen to take up a career with the Imperial Insurance Company in London for a salary of 20/- a week. He started his literary career by writing verses and later worked in Fleet Street. He gave this up to take up full-time fiction writing. He moved to Somerset after he was bombed out of his London home during the Second World War and lived for some years at Wells where he was well-known as an entertaining after-dinner speaker and captained the Wells Conservative Club snooker team. He owned one of the best butterfly collections in the country and one species he discovered in Somerset was named after him. He was the father of the TV cook Fanny Cradock. He died on 29 November 1961 at a Shepton Mallet (Somerset) nursing home and probate was granted on 14 February 1962 to Barclays Bank Ltd (effects ₤5184 1s 8d).