Derwent Hall Caine

Sir Derwent Hall Caine, 1st Baronet (12 September 1891  – 2 December 1971) was a British actor, publisher and Labour politician.

Caine was born into an Isle of Man family, the son of novelist Hall Caine and his wife Mary Chandler. He was born at Keswick in Cumberland, and so derived his name from the nearby lake of Derwent Water.^[1] He was a sensitive child with asthma,and attended St Cyprian's School in Eastbourne for his health.^[2] He became an actor and in 1915 took one of the parts in his father's first authorised film — a version of The Christian, made by the London Film Company.

His father went to America to encourage American involvement in World War I and had dramatic interests there. In 1915 Derwent Caine sailed to America to look after those interests. Although he was declared unfit for active service, he was nearly prevented from travelling because of a change of rules.^[3]

In America he starred in three films made by the Arrow Film Corporation. These were The Deemster (which had been written by his father), a version of Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky, and the propaganda film Huns at our gate.^[4]

Back in England, with his brother Gordon Ralph Hall Caine, he founded the publishing house The Reader's Library.^[5]

In 1929 he stood for parliament as Labour candidate for Liverpool, Everton and was returned as Member of Parliament. When the Labour government collapsed in 1931 he carried on supporting Ramsay MacDonald as a National Labour MP. Hall Caine was the only sitting National Labour MP to be opposed by the Conservatives in the 1931 General Election. He lost his seat, to Frank Hornby, and finished bottom of the poll. At the same election, his elder brother Gordon Hall Caine was elected Conservative member for East Dorset. In 1935 the two brothers established the Hall Caine Airport on the Isle of Man.^[6]

He was given a knighthood in 1935 and a baronetcy in 1937.^[7]

Caine had at least three children out of wedlock^[8], and one of them, Elin, was adopted by Caine's parents as their own daughter in 1912.^[2] He died in Miami.

Filmography

• The Deemster (1917) as Daniel Mylrea
• Crime and Punishment (1917) as Rodion Raskolnikoff
• Huns Within Our Gates (1918) as Arthur Morgan

References

1. ^ Isle of Man Community - Derwent Hall Caine biography
2. ^ ^{a b} Vivien Allen Hall Caine: Portrait of a Victorian Romancer Continuum International Publishing Group 1997 ISBN 1850758093
3. ^ New York Times TOOK CAINE OFF SHIP THEN LET HIM SAIL; Son of English Novelist Detained Because the Army Needed Him Monday 29 November, 1915
4. ^ IMDB entry
5. ^ Mary Hammond Hall Caine and the Melodrama on Page, Stage and Screen Journal: Nineteenth Century Theatre & Film ISSN: 1748-3727 Volume 31 Issue 1, June 2004
6. ^ A. M. Goodwyn (SPRING-SUMMER 1984). "Manx Electric Railway Society - History of Hall Caine Airport". Manx Transport Review No.42. http://www.mers.org.im/hallcaineairport.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-03. 
7. ^ Philip J. Waller Writers, Readers, and Reputations: Literary Life in Britain 1870-1918 2006
8. ^ Hall Caine family history

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Derwent Hall Caine
• Portraits of Derwent Hall Caine at the National Portrait Gallery, London

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Herbert Charles Woodcock	Member of Parliament for Liverpool, Everton 1929 – 1931	Succeeded by Frank Hornby
Baronetage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by New creation	Caine Baronet (of Greeba Castle) 1937–1971	Succeeded by Extinct

Persondata
Name	Caine, Derwent Hall
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	12 September 1891
Place of birth
Date of death	2 December 1971
Place of death