Roald Dahl (1916 - 1990)

Born 13 Sep 1916 in Llandaff, Cardiff, Wales

Ancestors

Husband of Patricia Louise Neal — married 2 Jul 1953 (to 1983) in New York, United States

Descendants

Died 23 Nov 1990 at age 74 in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England

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Biography

Roald Dahl is Notable.

Roald Dahl was a British Spy in World War II.

Early Life and Education

Roald was born in 1916 to Norwegian parents, Harald Dahl and Sofie Magdalene (Hesselberg) Dahl, and his birth was registered in the 4th quarter 1916 in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. ^[1][2]

He had three sisters, Astri, Alfhild and Else.

In 1920 Roald's elder sister Astri died from appendicitis at the age of seven.^[3] Weeks later his father, Harald, succumbed to pneumonia while on a fishing trip in the Antarctic.

Dahl first attended Elmtree Primary school but had few memories of his year there.

At the age of seven Dahl attended The Cathedral School in Llandaff, Cardiff. His book, Boy, includes some memories of his time here, most notably the Great Mouse Plot of 1924.

He attended St Peter's, a boarding school in Weston-super-Mare and later Repton School, Derbyshire.

Military

In 1939 Dahl was made a lieutenant in the Kings African Rifles and later joined the Royal Air Force as an aircraftman. After being assigned to No. 80 Squadron RAF and finding himself flying a obsolete Gloster Gladiator without any specialised training Dahl crashed his aircraft attempting a landing in the desert due to low fuel. He fractured his skull and was temporarily blinded.

Within two years he was declared fit for flying duties and participated in the Battle of Athens alongside Pat Pattle. Five of the twelve Hawker Hurricanes were shot down during the battle, including the plane flown by Pattle, who did not survive.

Roald Dahl's Flying Helmet

Roald was recruited to be a British spy by BSC (British Security Coordination) along with Ian Fleming.^[4] Following Pearl Harbor, he helped persuade the United States to join with Britain in the War against Germany. Dahl befriended US politicians, and first lady Eleanor Roosevelt.^[5]

Later in 1941 Dahl began to suffer from severe headaches which caused him to black out. He was invalided home to Britain.

Marriage and Family

First marriage

Dahl married American actress Patricia Louise Neal on July 2nd 1953 in New York City. ^[6]

The couple had five children, including Olivia Twenty, who died young.

An injury one of his sons in 1960 caused Dahl to become involved in the development of the WDT valve, a cerebral shunt to alleviate hydrocephalus. Though his son had sufficiently recovered from his injury by the time the device was perfected, several thousand children benefited from the valve.

After the death of his seven year old daughter, Olivia, from measles encephalitis in 1962 Dahl became a proponent of immunisation. He dedicated the BFG to Olivia in 1982.

in 1965 Patricia suffered three burst cerebral aneurysms while pregnant with their last child. Dahl rehabilitated his wife and over time she relearned to walk and talk. The film "The Patricia Neal Story" focuses on this period of their lives.^[7]

Patricia Neal and Roald Dahl

Second marriage

After thirty years of marriage Dahl and Patricia divorced and Dahl remarried. That marriage was registered in the 4th quarter 1983 in Lambeth, Surrey. ^{[8] [9]}

Writing

• Dahl is most famous for his children's books but also wrote for adults. Often these were short stories with surprising endings. Collections include Kiss, Kiss (1960) and Switch Bitch (1974).

• Some of his best known children's stories include Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964), Fantastic Mr Fox (1970), The Witches (1983), and Matilda (1988).

• His wide range of work includes poetry, screenplays and non-fiction as well as novels and short stories.

• Many of Dahl's books have been adapted for stage and screen.

• A full list of his works can be found
  • here at the Official Roald Dahl website, and
  • here at Wikipedia.

Death

Roald Dahl died on November 23rd, 1990 of myelodysplastic syndrome and was buried at St Peter and St Paul's Church, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire. He had been living in Gipsy House, Great Missenden and his estate of £2,843,217 was subject to Probate in London on the 13th February 1991. ^{[10] [11]}

Legacy

• The Roald Dahl Children's Gallery was opened in November 1996 at the Buckingham County Museum.

• The Oval Basin Plaza in Cardiff was renamed Roald Dahl Plass in 2002.

• The Roald_Dahl_Museum_and_Story_Centre Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre] in Great Missenden was opened in 2005.

• The Roald Dahl Funny Prize, an annual award to authors of humorous children's fiction was inaugurated in 2008 and ran until 2013.

• In 2009, the first of several Blue plaques in Dahl's honour was unveiled by Dahl's widow and son. ^[12]

• "Roald Dahl Day" is celebrated on the anniversary of Dahl's birth in the UK, Africa and Latin America.

• A set of 6 stamps was issued by the Royal Mail in 2012 featuring Quentin Blake's illustrations for six of Dahl's best-loved children's works. ^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ "England and Wales, Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/2FT2-KJX : accessed 04 Nov 2014), Roald Dahl, 1916.
2. ↑ General Register Office; United Kingdom; Reference: Volume 11a, Page 600 Ancestry Record ONSBirth84 #45581111
3. ↑ Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales
4. ↑ Roald Dahl'a seductive work as a British Spy
5. ↑ History.Com 6 People you didn't know were Spies
6. ↑ New York City Municipal Archives; New York, New York; Borough: Manhattan Ancestry Record NYCMarriageIndex #4547659
7. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Roald Dahl," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roald_Dahl&oldid=939637170 (accessed February 12, 2020).
8. ↑ "England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVXF-8L9J : accessed 04 Nov 2014), Felicity A Crosland and null, 1983.
9. ↑ "England and Wales, Marriage Registration Index, 1837-2005", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVXF-8GGG : accessed 04 Nov 2014), Roald Dahl and null, 1983.
10. ↑ "England and Wales, Death Registration Index 1837-2007", index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVZH-S7VL : accessed 04 Nov 2014), Roald Dahl, 1990.
11. ↑ Probate of Roald Dahl's estate: Principal Probate Registry. Calendar of the Grants of Probate and Letters of Administration made in the Probate Registries of the High Court of Justice in England. London, England © Crown copyright. Ancestry Record UKProbateCal #24618471
12. ↑ Blue plaque marks Dahl sweet shop, BBC News Online, 14 September 2009, Accessed 12 February 2020
13. ↑ Roald Dahl stamps - in pictures, Guardian Online, 9 Jan 2012. Accessed 12 Feb 2020

See also:

• Wikipedia: Roald Dahl
• Official Roald Dahl Website
• Find A Grave Memorial
• 10 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Roald Dahl
• Wikidata: Item Q25161, en:Wikipedia