George Bramwell Evens

The Rev. George Bramwell Evens (1884- November 20 1943) was, under the pseudonym Romany (and sometimes The Tramp), a British radio broadcaster and writer on countryside and natural history matters - quite possibly the first to broadcast on such issues. He was also a Minister of the Methodist Church.

Biography

His mother was a true Romany, born in a caravan (or 'vardo' in Romani).

He is most famous for his "Out With Romany" programmes on the BBC's Children's Hour, describing travels in his own vardo, with Comma the horse, his spaniel Raq and his young friends Muriel and Doris. Although the programmes were all pre-scripted and performed entirely in the studio, the impression given was of Romany and his friends going for a walk in the countryside and spontaneously discussing the plants and animals they came across.

The vardo is now preserved in Wilmslow, Cheshire by Macclesfield Borough Council.

As a Methodist minister, his ministries included Goole; the Methodist Central Hall, Carlisle (1914-26); Huddersfield (1926-29); and the King Cross Methodist Chapel, Halifax (1929-39), after which ill health forced him to give up the ministry. He moved to Wilmslow, where he died, leaving his wife, Eunice, son Glyn and daughter, Romany June.

The "Romany Society", originally formed in 1943 and re-founded in 1996, celebrates his life and work. Its patron is Terry Waite.

The BBC radio programmes were all broadcast live, and only one recording survives - dated October 1943, just a month before his death. In November 2006 this was released on CD by Valley Stream Productions.

Bibliography

The books were analysed, from a collector's point of view, in the January 2002 edition of Book and Magazine Collector magazine.

Original Romany Books

(Credited to G. Bramwell Evens)

* "A Romany in the Fields" (Epworth Press, 1929)
* "A Romany and Raq" (Epworth Press, 1930)
* "A Romany in the Country" (Epworth Press, 1932)
* "A Romany on the Trail" (Epworth Press, 1934)
* "Out with Romany" (University of London Press (UoL), 1937; illustrations by Reg Gammon and photographs by Romany)
* "Out with Romany Again" (UoL, 1938; line drawings by Reg Gammon)
* "Out with Romany Once More" (UoL, 1940)
* "Out with Romany by the Sea" (UoL, 1941; illustrations by Reg Gammon and photographs by Romany)
* "Out with Romany by Meadow and Stream" (UoL, 1942)
* "Out With Romany by Moor and Dale" (UoL, 1944)
* "Walks with Romany" (E.J. Arnold & Son, undated)

The Romany Readers

Published by the University of London Press in 1951.

#"Hotchi the Hedgehog"
#"Smut the Hare"
#"Flash the Fox"
#"Spook the Barn-owl"
#"Pete and Prue the Partridges"
#"Nick the Weasel"
#"Billy the Squirrel"
#"Sleek the Otter"

By Romany's son

Written by Romany's son, Glyn K. Evens.

* "Romany, Muriel & Doris" (told by Raq!)
* "Romany Turns Detective"
* "Romany on the Farm"
* "Romany's Caravan Returns"

By Romany's wife

Written by Romany's wife, Eunice Evens.

* "Through the Years with Romany" (UoL, 1946)

By Romany's friend

Written by Romany's friend, H.L. Gee.

*"The Spirit of Romany" (St. Hugh's Press, 1949)

A new Romany Book

Written by Phil Shelley, Publications Officer for the Romany Society, and illustrated by Ray Hollands.

*"Romany in the Lanes" (Lamorna Publications, 2007)

Biography

*"Romany Returns", Guy Loveridge (includes reprints of some stories)

External links

* [http://www.romanysociety.org.uk The Romany Society]