Gerald Haxton
Encyclopedia
Frederick Gerald Haxton a native of San Francisco, was the long term secretary and lover of the famous novelist and playwright W. Somerset Maugham
.
He and Maugham met at the outbreak of World War I
when they both began serving from 1914 as part of the Red Cross ambulance unit in Flanders
, France
.
. Common to men who were either homosexual or in the case of Maugham who had sexual relationships with both men and women, (Maugham had had an affair with the actress Sue Jones before meeting Haxton and later had a child with Syrie Wellcome whom he married) neither spoke of their situation for fear of recrimination.
However in November 1915 Haxton and another man, John Lindsell, were arrested in a Covent Garden hotel and charged with gross indecency. Unluckily for the two men, military policemen, whilst looking for deserters, had burst into the hotel room of Haxton and Lindsell to find them committing a homosexual act that was not buggery. On December 7 that same year both men were indicted under the same law that had been used to prosecute Oscar Wilde
. However, unlike Wilde when the two men appeared in the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey
on December 10 they were both acquitted.
as an undesirable alien and was never allowed to enter England again. The papers providing reason or reasons for this deportation were placed in a special access category for 100 years and are still closed from the public view.
Because Maugham and Haxton traveled abroad during most of World War I
and chose to live on the French Riviera
in the villa "Mauresque", they were able to carry on their relationship despite Haxton's deportation. They lived at Mauresque almost exclusively until they were forced to flee the advancing Germans at the commencement of World War II
.
It is thought that Haxton’s flamboyant nature, said to be portrayed in the character Rowley Flint in Up at the Villa
, was the key to Maugham’s invitational success with the members of society wherever the pair traveled.
hospital. Maugham later placed the following dedication in his 1949 compilation, A Writer’s Notebook: In Loving Memory of My Friend Frederick Gerald Haxton, 1892 -1944.
W. Somerset Maugham
William Somerset Maugham , CH was an English playwright, novelist and short story writer. He was among the most popular writers of his era and, reputedly, the highest paid author during the 1930s.-Childhood and education:...
.
He and Maugham met at the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
when they both began serving from 1914 as part of the Red Cross ambulance unit in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Secrecy and arrest
Maugham and to a lesser extent Haxton had been affected by the trial of Oscar WildeOscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. Common to men who were either homosexual or in the case of Maugham who had sexual relationships with both men and women, (Maugham had had an affair with the actress Sue Jones before meeting Haxton and later had a child with Syrie Wellcome whom he married) neither spoke of their situation for fear of recrimination.
However in November 1915 Haxton and another man, John Lindsell, were arrested in a Covent Garden hotel and charged with gross indecency. Unluckily for the two men, military policemen, whilst looking for deserters, had burst into the hotel room of Haxton and Lindsell to find them committing a homosexual act that was not buggery. On December 7 that same year both men were indicted under the same law that had been used to prosecute Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. However, unlike Wilde when the two men appeared in the Central Criminal Court at the Old Bailey
Old Bailey
The Central Criminal Court in England and Wales, commonly known as the Old Bailey from the street in which it stands, is a court building in central London, one of a number of buildings housing the Crown Court...
on December 10 they were both acquitted.
Deportation
Haxton left England shortly thereafter and then on returning in February 1919 he was deported from BritainUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was the formal name of the United Kingdom during the period when what is now the Republic of Ireland formed a part of it....
as an undesirable alien and was never allowed to enter England again. The papers providing reason or reasons for this deportation were placed in a special access category for 100 years and are still closed from the public view.
Because Maugham and Haxton traveled abroad during most of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and chose to live on the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
in the villa "Mauresque", they were able to carry on their relationship despite Haxton's deportation. They lived at Mauresque almost exclusively until they were forced to flee the advancing Germans at the commencement of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
It is thought that Haxton’s flamboyant nature, said to be portrayed in the character Rowley Flint in Up at the Villa
Up at the Villa
Up at the Villa is a 1941 novella by William Somerset Maugham about a young widow caught between three men: her suitor, her one-night stand, and her confidant. A fast-paced story, Up at the Villa incorporates elements of the crime and suspense novel....
, was the key to Maugham’s invitational success with the members of society wherever the pair traveled.
Later years and death
Haxton continued as Maugham's constant companion for 30 years, until he died in an alcoholics’ ward in a New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
hospital. Maugham later placed the following dedication in his 1949 compilation, A Writer’s Notebook: In Loving Memory of My Friend Frederick Gerald Haxton, 1892 -1944.