Harold R. Peat | |
|---|---|
 Private Peat | |
| Born | July 12, 1893 |
| Died | 1960 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Occupation(s) | soldier,author |
Harold Reginald Peat (July 12, 1893 – 1960) was aCanadian soldier and author.
Born in Jamaica in 1893, and emigrated toToronto with his mother, Peat was educated privately and at boarding school inKingston, Jamaica.
He served as a private in the 3rd Battalion of the First Canadian Contingent duringWorld War I. He was hit by an explosive bullet and lost his right arm.[1] While recuperating in a hospital, he became pen-mate withLouisa Watson Small, a British writer. Louisa Watson Small was born in Keady, Armagh, Ireland and educated at Queens College, Belfast and the University of London.[2] In August 1916 they married.
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Louisa helped Harold writePrivate Peat (1917), a memoir of his experiences duringWorld War I and after. He described himself as an ardent Prohibitionist but in the book he said he did not think the rum ration controversially issued to Canadian troops was dangerous.[3] The book was on theNew York Times bestseller list in 1918 and 1919. The filmPrivate Peat (1918) was directed byEdward José based on the book with Peat starring as himself, Miriam Fouche, and William Sorelle acted in the movie with Peat. The screenplay was written by Charles E. Whittaker and it was released by theFamous Players–Lasky Corporation.[4]
The couple lectured and toured, promoting their books, which includedThe Inexcusable Lie (1923), a treatise against nationalism and destructive patriotism that wastes the youth of nations.
With their three young daughters, Peat and Louisa toured the United States, both lecturing on the Redpath Chautauqua Circuit. Peat was also a contributor to various magazines and traveled to Australia and New Zealand during this period.[5] One of several grandchildren, L. Peat O'Neil, is atravel writer and new media writer.
Peat ran a Speakers Bureau in New York before and after WWII. Peat's speakers included Winston Churchill, Robert E. Peary, Lady Baden-Powell, Thomas Mann, William Patrick Hitler, Lillian Hellman, Ilka Chase, H.G. Wells, Alice Longworth, and Jesse Stuart among others.
Louisa Watson Small Peat died in 1953.
Harold's second wife, Grace Sims Peat, was a graduate of the University of Alabama and a pilot. Papers from the Peat Lecture Bureau are found at the University of Alabama, along with papers of Grace Sims Peat.[6]
Peat retired to Jamaica after WWII and ran Columbus Inn, a beach resort hotel from 1948 to 1953. Peat renamedDry Harbor toDiscovery Bay, St. Ann's Parish, Jamaica.[7]
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