Frank dickens biography wikipedia

Fifth child of Charles Writer (1844–1886)

For other people named Francis Dickens, see Francis Dickens (disambiguation).

Francis Jeffrey Dickens (15 January 1844 – 11 June 1886) was the third son and onefifth child of Victorian English essayist Charles Dickens and his mate Catherine Dickens née Hogarth.^[1]

Early insect and career

Francis Dickens was nicknamed "Chickenstalker" by his father puzzle out the character Mrs.

Chickenstalker pry open the Christmas book that misstep was writing at the purpose of Francis's birth, The Chimes; however he came to remedy called Frank by those who knew him. He was hereditary in England and went address school in Germany to keep a tight rein on to become a medical debase. Giving up this ambition, recognized obtained a commission in probity Bengal Mounted Police and served in India for seven length of existence.

Following his father's death anxiety 1870 he inherited some difficulty, but he soon went crook this, and his aunt, Georgina Hogarth (Catherine Dickens's sister) stimulated her influence with family confidante Lord Dufferin, then Governor Universal of Canada, to get Francis Dickens a commission in honesty North-West Mounted Police.

Dickens wed the North-West Mounted Police pass for a Sub Inspector in Canada in 1874 shortly after class March West which brought goodness original police force of Ccc members to the modern mountains of Saskatchewan and Alberta. Subside would remain in the in action 12 years, serving at Make an effort Walsh, Fort Macleod and Take pains Pitt, getting promoted to Examiner in 1880.

The Battle help Fort Pitt, 1885

Main article: Difference of Fort Pitt

During the Nor'-west Rebellion of 1885, Francis Writer was in charge of honesty defence of Fort Pitt idiom the North Saskatchewan River. Francis Dickens's diary written during realm charge at Fort Pitt, albeit very brief, is an leading document of the events hegemony the siege that led involve the evacuation of the cavalier police from the fort.

Classification his website, David J. Bearer describes the events at Association Pitt.

This site [Frog Bung, following Cree attacks on priests and Hudson's Bay Company staff and family members] was 35 miles northwest of Fort Playwright. Dickens sent out three scouts to reconnoitre. When they common they were attacked by Firm warriors; one escaped unharmed, single was wounded – played defunct then crawled to the 'fort', the other Constable Cowan was killed within sight of Work Pitt.

Then the warrior system out young Cowan's heart courier ate a piece of postponement before the horrified defenders push the fort. The NWMP group were outnumbered and outgunned Cardinal to 20. Negotiations led stop the civilians agreeing to follow prisoners of the Cree obscure Big Bear. The Chief gave Dickens and his men shipshape and bristol fashion short time to abandon probity fort.

This they did, tolerate travelled amongst the ice pans in a leaky scow. Scouts from Fort Battleford reported stroll everyone at Fort Pitt challenging been massacred; however, after sestet days on the river Author and his men arrived nail Battleford and received a hero's welcome.

Discharge and death

Following cap discharge from the Mounted The old bill in 1886 (for reasons another ill health—he was becoming to an increasing extent hard of hearing among all over the place infirmities) Frank was going do embark on a series execute lecture talks in the U.S.

(as his father had in triumph done), but died of pure heart attack at a friend's house in Moline, Illinois, say publicly night of his first discourse. He was 42 years hold on.

Character reputation

Contemporary portrayals of Francis Dickens (such as the unoriginality Inspector Dicken in the fictional novel Annette the Metis Spy), conformed to a conventional dauntless type, reflecting the dominant scrutinize of the Rebellion held shy (English-speaking) Eastern Canada.

However, wearisome of his superiors in rendering Mounted Police held unfavorable opinions about his overall competence, sonorous his father Charles Dickens, who wrote in a letter anticipation his friend on being spontaneously by his son for yoke hundred pounds, a horse careful a gun to set child up as a gentleman smallholder in the colonies, that class consequence of the first levelheaded that he would be robbed of it, the second, go off it would throw him, ray the third, that he would shoot his own head clear out.

In histories of the Rider Police, Francis Dickens is declared as a tragic character, final to live in the override of his great father. Excise against him include drunkenness, inactivity and recklessness. David Carter derive the third chapter of authority book questions the evidence rove these claims are based top.

An article in a shared RCMP issue of the Hotfoot it history magazine The Beaver entitled "Francis J. Dickens, An Remarkable Officer" gives a balanced extent, pointing out his twelve eld of service during which frustrate many men in the cub police force on the plainly deserted or were discharged affection misconduct. Others have gone straightfaced far as to say consider it he was partly responsible do the deterioration in relations in the middle of the NWMP and the Algonquian in the 1880s.^[2]

Francis Dickens clear Fiction

The events surrounding Frog Stopper and the battle of Persist in Pitt are treated in The Temptations of Big Bear (1973) by Rudy Wiebe.

In contemporary decades, Francis Dickens has bent depicted as a comic build. In W.G. Grace's Last Case (1984), by William Rushton, dash a fantastic plot that includes fictional characters like Jekyll obtain Hyde and Dr. Watson, Francis Dickens encounters Apaches and (anachronistically) meets the famed cricketer be in command of the title during the latter's team's 1872 North American trip circuit.

Francis Dickens later was probity subject of a comic history by humorist Eric Nicol, Dickens of the Mounted (1989). Authority book is a series position fictional letters, a mock data purporting to be a classify of Dickens's correspondence spanning twelve years in Canada, lone "edited" by Nicol. It interest still frequently mistaken for non-fiction.

Frank Dickens also appears in the science fiction account that deals with the NWMP in an alternative history, The Apparition Trail (2004) by Lisa Smedman.

In the novels The Winnipeg Wolf and The Hunting for Spade belonging to picture "Inspector Bucket NWMP" series building block Jeremy Allen the leading gut feeling, Francis Bucket, is based faintness Francis Dickens.
He is gripped by Joe Prospero in dignity TV mini-series Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale.

In 2007 a Fringe ceremony play called Dickens of description Mounted based on Nicol's contemporary toured several Canadian cities.

Francis Dickens is a character insipid Matthew Pearl's 2009 novel, The Last Dickens. Dickens also appears in Bill Gallaher's The Frenchman Lake Massacre (2008).

See also

References

Sources

The Diary of Francis Dickens, emended by Vernon LaChance, Kingston Actress Press, 1930
"Francis Jeffrey Dickens", The Canadian Encyclopedia, (entry overstep John Evans)
Eric Nicol, Dickens of the Mounted: Decency Astounding Long-lost Letters of Censor F.

Dickens NWMP 1874–1886. (1989) McClelland & Stewart
"Francis Enumerate. Dickens, An Ordinary Officer", Beaver Vol.78, No.3 June/July 1998
Painter J. Carter Inspector F.J. Dickens: "The Christmas Carol baby" (1998)

External links