J. R. Grey (1890–1984)

A really interesting read. On the surface it's an autobiographical volume, published in 1927, detailing the adventures of Captain Jack Grey (born in NZ, retired WWI British naval officer) and his wife Beatrice (nee Taylor, ) as they travel to the South Seas, marry on the island of Mangia and then establish a copra and vanilla plantation on the island of Moorea. It details the travails of setting up home, the people (native and western), and various sailing adventures on both island show more ferries/cargo ships and their own vessel the White Heather. If this was all it would be an enjoyable, though slightly dated (especially in the paternalistic description of the natives) picture of colonial life in the South Pacific in the 1920s. It's a two hander written in one voice with references to "B" and "J" whenever one partner's story is being told. Beatrice produced some simple lino cuts that illustrate the chapter headings and there are a number of black and white photographs.
HOWEVER - if you read Captain Grey's autobiography "Ancient Mariner" published in 1981, shortly before his death, you will discover that he completely writes out Beatrice, who not only worked with him to establish their plantation after WWI, but who accompanied him on his later Mediterranean cruise and his explorations in the Kimberley region of Western Australia in the early 1930s. He does in the latter book speak of becoming engaged to (in Perth, Western Australia) and marrying Margaret (who died young), and in his old age marrying Sally (who he'd known in his youth when she was 18). Beatrice was herself a scientist and Fellow of the Linnean Society and whilst this is hinted at in South Sea settlers not much is made of her career in that work (perhaps it was thought scientific women would not sell, although many species of flora and fauna are only referred to by Latin names). It appears that they divorced some time in the 1930s, and I can only speculate that the taboo on divorce in respectable mid 20th century society is the reason she was written out of the later volume (I suspect Margaret's family were very conventional and there was a daughter to think of). I'll be seeking more information on her, as there are quite a few articles in Trove newspapers about her scientific adventures with Jack, and a tantalising mention of her escaping the fall of Singapore! There's also more sources in the various genealogy databases that I'll be following up.
This snippet from the British Museum gives a good summary of Beatrice's accomplishments (though the boat names are back to front): https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/term/BIOG123897 show less

Captain J. R. Grey's second book, telling of his time in Fiji between 1937 and 1941 running a copra plantation on the outer islands with his second wife Margaret. On the surface this is a straightforward, nicely written book (with some major reservations for his views on managing the locals and running the colony which have not aged well but are an interesting lens into the attitudes of his race and class), telling of both the idyllic side of love in the islands and the less idyllic show more practicalities of running a business when the price of your main commodity falls off a cliff due to the economic shifts of the second world war. It's more remarkable for what it leaves out. As with his final book "Ancient Mariner" whilst he mentions his earlier stint running plantations in Tahiti in the 1920s and his time spent exploring the Kimberley region of Western Australia he completely writes out his first wife, biologist Beatrice Buckland Taylor (the divorce from whom happened a mere three days before his marriage to Margaret who was 21 years his junior, a mathematician, champion swimmer and very beautiful). He and Beatrice documented their island years in "South Sea Settlers" published in 1927. And though World's End takes Jack and Margaret's story through to 1941, he does not mention that, in that year, Margaret "died suddenly, leaving me with a daughter a few hours old" (Ancient Mariner p. 171) . Perhaps he thought that it would be less confronting to readers and his late wife's family? This book was published in 1944 by which time he was back in the Navy in Australia while his infant daughter was being cared for by friends. Probably one for historians of Fiji, of British Colonialism, and those interested in Captain Grey and his complicated family life. show less

A fascinating memoir. Capt. Jack Grey was born in NZ in the latter years of the nineteenth century, saw service in the Royal Navy during WWI, spent the interwar years sailing and running plantations in the South Seas and later surveying in the Kimberley in Western Australia (on his purpose built vessel the Silver Gull - I have visited Silver Gull Creek in Yampi Sound and did not realise it was named after this vessel). Grey writes succinctly and amusingly and comes across very much as his show more own man, and one feels he would've been a delightful dinner guest with an endless flow of interesting but self deprecating stories. HOWEVER - I was following up on the story of Silver Gull in the digitised newspapers in Trove and discovered that there is one major omission in this book, while he talks of marring Margaret (who died young) in the 30s in WA (and with whom he had a daughter), and Sally (in his old age) he has completely written out his first wife Beatrice, a biologist, who he met in London(?) after the first world war and married on Mangaia Island in 1920, went planting with in the South Seas and who helped design and run the Silver Gull. Evidence suggests they divorced and I know from family stories that divorce was often not spoken about but this omission seems out of character with the way he portrays himself in the rest of the book. I'm now awaiting the arrival of "South Sea Settlers" which he and Beatrice co-authored - update, I've received and read South Sea Settlers, check my review on that title! (9/1/24). Update: see also my review for "Worlds End - life and laughter in the South Seas" telling of his life with Margaret in the outer islands of Fiji (also no mention of Beatrice). show less