Cyril Seaton’s Cycle Roots explored the life and times of Cyril Seaton: ‘The Saucy Surrealist from Naughty Nottingham’. The Roots are the ‘pleasure and leisure’ wing of the ‘Seaton Study Group’ (SSG), which was founded by Chris Lewis-Jones and Simon Withers in 2006. The ‘active’ projects created through the SSG were responsive to the concept of creating a ‘total work of art’ and developing pieces of integrated live art performance that explored the life and legacy of Cyril Seaton. The live art element extended the aims and the ambitions of the SSG. Each project was informed by our previous work/s in and through which we have created a composite character (Seaton) that links Nottingham with the European avant-garde of the 20th Century.
On Seaton
Cyril Seaton was an ‘everyman’; a man who lived both an extraordinary and an ordinary life. Seaton’s life was full of incident, Seaton was on many occasions if not exactly at the heart of major historical actions, he most certainly was caught up in the first aftershocks, the waves of significant moments in the 20th century. The most affecting conscious shocks were twofold, the brutalising effects upon the youthful Seaton during WW1 and his later meeting with the Dadaists thereafter. The Study of Cyril Seaton is a life of contradictions. Seaton stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the ‘art set’ and revelled in all the beauty and the horror that was on offer. Seaton’s clash with history and his survival into the ordinariness of life are to be celebrated. Seaton was in many ways the antithesis of post modernity.
Page 534 Paragraph 5
‘At the end of the twentieth Century.’ The definitive and personal history of Art & Artists 1900-2000. N.B Penrose. Canyon Publishing (2000) USA. ISBN 0 224 07965 0
Seaton email texts 2007 -2008
12.09.07
Hey Simon, I'm impressed (as was Rex, who stayed over last night)! Your thoroughness and attention to detail is much appreciated by the SSG! Chris L-j PS I want to do some work around the spiegeltent now! >From: Simon Withers >To: Chris Lewis-Jones >Subject: RE: Seaton Study Group update >Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:50:24 +0100 > >Hi Chris, > >I should keep to a firmer track on my research path, but it goes something like - Whilst I was undertaking some music hall research and looking for images on performances/actors and Ubu and found a site that had a link to one of the original Spiegeltents (one tent is used for tours and had been assembled for one of the previous Edinburgh festivals - saw it on TV several years ago and it takes days to assemble) > >Our Ubu image I thought would at least show an ubu performance that looked authentic for the period (others were of more recent performances.) and I think as the garments on this image seem home made and that it has no setting so to speak, I thought we could easily say that it is in a spiegeltent. If I thought I could have found the right image of a topless guy playing Ubu with a large belly then may be that image could have been manipulated. I even went in search of just normal images of people with big belly's so that I if I found the right image I could have drawn in Ubu symbols (Swirly thing on stomach and pointy hat). As seaton only piled on the pounds in later life I guess he wasn't the right build in his Zurich years. I had thought however that should the right image materialise in the future then maybe Seaton's 'American Ubu' (we could call it that) could have a documentary >photograph also - it was this idea which took me into theatreland to find and manipulate the second image. > >I had a look for old images of Uhaul vans but nothing jumped out at me to suggest that we could say that it (the van) had been the one, which Seaton & Kendry had used to undertake the American Ubu tour. > >Hopefully after the studio event I can concentrate on looking for images (postcards - old albums - internet images) We could get a whole stock of images together and then pick the most appropriate to help created our Seaton history. > >speak soon > >simon
Further Notes
Cyril most certainly read the work of Karl Marx and Seaton would have argued for a systematic change following what he understood about the 1917 revolution. ‘The contradictions of Capitalism in Britain necessitates its own demise, it shall give way to Socialism.’ Seaton wrote in a pamphlet ‘New Structures’ (1924). The Young Hegelians also influenced Seaton, he argued that it was up to creative people (for that was his circle of influence) should mount radical critiques of both religion and political systems from within those systems. ‘Nothing should restrict freedom’ he wrote ‘The Promise-negating the irrational’ (1922) Seaton certainly believed that Socialism was an essential path towards perfection. In 1933 Seaton went to France and met Trotsky at Royan. Seaton met with Trotsky again in 1939 in Mexico City at the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. (We know Seaton had an affair with Frida). By the time Seaton reached San Francisco and moved to the San Fernando Valley area his Utopia dream may well have been diminished. He lived within a commune made up of old trailer homes on a lemon and orange grove. (More research needs to be done on this period) What is clear is that Seaton would have seen the area transformed with the rise of new technology. The Valley became known as ‘Silicon Valley’. It is possible that Seaton was involved in financing dreams of a different kind by the late 1960’s. We know that he knew a Princeton dropout called Mickey Milk who began producing adult films in the Valley. Some suggest that ‘MM’s pioneering films would finally lead to a multi-billion porn industry in that area.
Communication about Seaton with personal details missing as to whom it was from
....This is very interesting and may be worth pursuing further. I believe that your cousin if I am not mistaken also has a sister who still lives in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Several years ago I paid a visit to Jenny Hildegard to interview her about Cyril. I believe the sister you refer to had emigrated to America in 1972 (to live close to her son, he played for the ‘San Jose Earthquakes’ in the American Soccer League.) Jenny lived in a caravan park called ‘River Glen’ in the Los Gatos area. We know Seaton had been living on this park for the last fifteen years of his life. Cyril died in his home on 4th December 1976. We are confident that Cyril’s home was on a fixed site and we know the home still exists. Surrounded by the ultra hi-tech developments we know as ‘Silicon Valley’. We do have some interior images of his home taken shortly after Cyril had died. As you may well know Cyril died under suspicious circumstances and the images I have in my possession came from the San Jose Police department. The only answer I can offer at the moment is that the Airstream could have once belonged to Cyril’s close friend Stephen Kendry. We would need to find evidence somehow as to the authenticity and the provenance of the Airstream. I am continuing to piece together Seaton’s American life and I know Kendry was an important figure in this. I am aware that the two men parted company during the early 1960’s and never saw each other again. Kendrey did show up at Seaton’s funeral, (one of the few people present) Kendry died in 1982. The basic information we have to date is as follows (If any one can help fill in the gaps or point me in the right direction, please let me know)…
Seaton moved to Los Gatos, which is located in the South Bay part of the San Francisco Bay Area, near San Jose. The town can be found just off Highway 17 (known as "the hill" to locals) as the highway begins to climb into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Seaton rented a flat above Wendy’s Discount Carpet Store on Brigham Park Street between 1947-48. Seaton was by this time of substantial bulk. This was due to the life style and job. Seaton completely adopted the drive in eateries culture by regularly eating and living on the road as he drove all over the Sunshine State for Hershey’s drumming up sales. Seaton had been for a while adrift of companionship but in Los Gatos he found a kindred spirit and friend in Stephen Kendry, the owner of a local hardware store. Kendry was also of some considerable bulk; it was not body mass however that truly united these two stately heavyweights but an interest in ‘the theatre of the absurd.’ Kendry had previously been an in-house scriptwriter for Warner Brothers Studios (writing television situation comedy shows including, ‘For the love of Lindy’ and ‘Camp Beerbrook’) before being ‘dumped’ by WB’s in 1946. Kendry had continued to write short plays, children’s stories, poetry, essays and speculative journalism on American Life. We know from Kendry’s son Massy that Seaton and Kendry performed several two man plays previously written by Kendry, ‘Joined at the Hip’ and ‘ Duel.’ Kendry also had written what he termed a ‘Sex Play’ meaning that the two characters on the stage must be played by a man and a woman. The play ‘One for Lunch’ was performed by Seaton and Kendry’s friend and aspiring actress Dorothy Moore. The play had a limited run of three performances at the Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco In 1952. It was however a touring adaptation of Alfred Jarry’s 3 Ubu plays, Ubu Roi, Ubu Enchaine and Ubu Cocu (published posthumously in 1944) that the two men brought this new work to an American audience. We have actual documentary evidence of their time working together and performing in public. The two men with the support of resident car mechanic and welder Richard Devlin purchased and renovated an ex - rental bright orange U-HAL utility trailer, fitting this out with its own collapsible sides to create the Ubu stage. Using a fusion of live performance and puppetry, Kendry and Seaton each performed the roll of King Ubu on alternate days. Ubu took to the road in June 1947 for a three week Californian tour. Costume was kept to a minimum and Seaton was particularly keen to show off his generous flesh by performing the Ubu roll with a bared belly; adding upon his tummy the recognisable painted Ubu swirl (as depicted in Jarry‘s original illustration). Massy recalls his mother Alice telling him that the Ubu plays were often performed at unarranged and at ‘off the tuff’ locations, this was to attract as little attention from police as possible. 1947 was a time of great hardship for ex-servicemen particularly in adjusting back into American life; many who attended the plays had been draft dodgers or service personnel who had recently been demobbed in the fall of 1946. Quite often these men were homeless and disillusioned Ubu resonated within them. Had they not fought a just war…to rid the world of tyranny only to see the dawn and the rise of new ones? (I am in literary mode here…forgive me…) Seaton had previously played the roll of King Ubu in a performance as far back as 1921. This original Seaton performance took place in Zurich with Alla Nazimova in one of the famous travelling ‘Spiegeltents’.
The locations often would mean that the play had frequently been performed to very meagre audiences and on occasions to no audiences at all. It was Alice’s Mission once they had arrived at their chosen location to drum up the audiences. Publicity consisted of a printed flyer (I have some in my care) and Alice would take the delivery truck and head into the local town to distribute them. On no occasion it appears, that during the three week tour the two men were never deterred from performing the play and they went on to undertake at least 30 performances. The Accounts of these 30 performances is recorded in Alice Kendy’s Diary, Massy believes that more than the thirty performances were probably undertaken as it was not uncommon for the two men to perform Ubu twice a day. The references to the Ubu tour in Alice’s diary are in the main vague, however the performance given in a car park that looked out across San Francisco Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge was clearly memorable for Alice who provides us in her own words, a vivid account. (Stuff for the book I think.)
Rex Barker
Subject: Rex in Paris
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:40:40 +0000
The Seaton Study Group is pleased to announce that the 2008-9 SSG Research Fellow, Rex Barker, (of the Syracuse Institute of Fine Art, currently based at Oldknows Studio in Nottingham), has been invited to facilitate a seminar (an deliver a paper) on 'May 68 and the Legacy of Seaton' at the Sorbonne Institutuer de Politique (in Paris) on May 7th. This represents an exciting opportunity to network with some of the liveliest minds in Europe!
Rex will be officiating at the annual May Day picnic in Hedley Park, Sherwood Rise (where he will make a short speech to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Seaton) on Monday 5th, before flying out to Paris on Tuesday 6th. We are hoping to find a venue in which Rex will be able to report back (following his participation in the Paris seminar) in the near future (perhaps to coincide with the Cyril Seaton's Cycle Roots event in the summer?)
Rex barker
11.09.07
Greetings Colleagues. Lots happening on the Seaton Front this Autumn! Simon and I are flying over to support Rex's first SSG seminar in the US (at Syracuse) next week and he's coming back with us to help celebrate Oldknows @ 20 (on Sat 6th October, 1-4 pm) Rex's paper on Seaton (with documentation by simon) has been published in the current edition of 'Staple' new writing quarterly (available at good bookshops and online: staplemagazine.wordpress.com), thanks to editor Wayne Burrows for support in this. Sally Davies, of Horncastle, has formed a Lincolnshire Branch of SSG. She's working on a 100 years of the Art of Noise festival (in 2009) and is in touch with various Italian cultural bodies and the Marinetti family (who are supportive). Sally is able to put more flesh on Rob Van Beek's bone of a story regarding Seaton in Mexico (yes, he was Frida Kahlo's lover, after Trotsky!). watch this space! Jenny Elliot, of the University of Nottingham, has agreed to translate any documents we have, (written by, to or about Seaton) in German. She and Dr Mark Simmons have formed a Branch @ the University. Simon & I had a meeting with A CAP artist's publishing company in Cromford recently, and, after the meeting, Jill Mustchin (of A CAP) took us to Black Rocks (which dominate that area, south of the Derwent Valley), and pointed out a graffito that she thought might be of interest: 'S.S. 1915'. Given that Seaton stayed with his Grandparents in nearby Matlock Bath for several weekends in 1915, it's quite likely that this was his handiwork (how does one authenticate a graffito)! Fatima Al Rashid has (finally) established a (SSG) branch in Tangier, our first toe-hold on the continent of Africa! Finally, Oldknows @ 20. As you know, Seaton worked at Oldknows (after leaving school) prior to WW1, and the SSG was established here, so it is fitting that 'Cyril Seaton's Cycle Roots' will be performing at Oldknows on October 6th. The Cycle Roots was formed by Simon & I as a way of marketing our pamphlet: 'Cyril Seaton's Cycle Routes' at the small publishers' fair at Conway Hall last year.
16.04.08
I think Cyril's legacy to the Sorbonne is possibly a moot point with the directorate of the time. I understand that Seaton's contribution to European Progressive Politics was the posting out from his mobile home (on the other side of the world) American made boxes of matches to all the major European Universities with a nothing more than a handwritten text on the boxes stating the legend 'Burn Europe or Die.' Not certain I know what he was trying to say but may be Rex can shine some light upon this sorry tale. I believe there is several 68' Academics are still ghosting about the place, one of them is an English born Professor (An expert on Balzac) called William Fife-Robinson. Certainly Seaton although not producing any real work seemed to be influenced by conceptualism and Nihilism and It shows that he had not totally abandoned artistic pursuits. Fife-Robinson called the act 'an empty gesture' and I guess it was, as Seaton didn't put any matches in the boxes - I think he wrongly felt that most of the acts undertaken by the demonstrators were born out of impotency. (Was Seaton?) In some Countries may be he was right but I guess Seaton took a blanket approach to all things so he gets it right some of the time.
Notes on William Fife-Robinson
Fife-Robinson (William) b. July 12th 1933 d.
Born kirkby Mucklow Leicestershire
Educated at Wyggeston Boy's School, Leicester.
Higher Education: Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford. Classical Languages & Literature and Ancient History & Classical Archaeology.
Fife-Robinson goes to Paris in 1963 (Age 35) to work in the Université de Paris (La Sorbonne) within the Faculties of Arts and Human Sciences as Professor of Translation.
Published worksHonoré de Balzac, Realism and Modernism. LLP press, London (1972)
Balzac, Plays and Wins. LLP press London (1967)
Kobo Abe – Through the Lens (1972)
Jacques Joseph Victor Higelin ‘No Man's Land’ Birdsong Press Fr. (1978)
TranslationTranslated eight Kobo Abe works from English into French:
Inter Ice Age 4 1960
Woman in the Dunes 1962
The Face of Another 1965
The Ruined Map 1968
Friends (play) 1968
Kangaroo Notebook 1975
The Ark Sakura 1986
Three Plays by Kobo Abe 1994
Seaton Reference
In 1968 Cyril Seaton posts out from his home in Las Gatos a series of empty brand new American Brand matchboxes to many major European Universities including one addressed to Fife-Robinson. Each one (45 in all are posted) contain a handwritten note with the words, ‘Burn Europe or Die’
The only known matchbox in existence is kept in the archives at the Sorbonne and the only reference to the box is mentioned in an article written on the 1968 uprising for a student pamphlet produced by French Students. It was written in English and made for distribution in England the same year.
‘One should not demonstrate unless one is quite prepared to be shot at Mr Seaton! And whilst you amuse yourself from the safety of your home, others heroically raise their heads above the barricades. And You Mr Seaton! Are you even prepared to raise your weary head above your downy pillow?’
(1968)
December 2008 / Simon Withers / Message from Rex Barker
Dear Seatonists,
Rex Barker has kindly lent the two PUV cartoons by Liquid Dave to the editor. You may well wonder what PUV has to do with Cyril Seaton?
Rex writes…‘Whilst undertaking some Seaton research in LA for the Seaton Family Estate, I recently uncovered four previously unknown Seaton ‘Anans’ in Jingo’s Bookshop. (Rex recommends that you pay a visit to Jingo’s when you are next in LA.ed) The scripts have been authenticated, ‘genuine’ by Brian Townsman (New Jersey Institute of Forensic Science). The four fragile paper works are all hand written in pencil and are considered being early examples of Seaton ‘Ananisms’
We have now established that the first ‘Anans’ were composed during December 1916. Seaton, a communications officer in the Sherwood Foresters regiment was billeted in Verdun and he saw action in the trenches near Damloup; translating and relaying information between the British sector (North West France) and the French sector. The first ‘Anans’ are written retorts and I believe that through writing them Seaton began to explore and to express his growing anxiety. They are the first signs that Seaton’s mental condition was becoming both Surreal (influenced by the landscape) and irrational (living amongst carnage and misery). As Cyril writes in his Christmas letter home to his mother, dated December 18th 1916…
‘Out of stillness and serenity, the lull and the inactivity, the fiery mantra of Rat-a-tat-tat bursts from somewhere…into nowhere…it is not I that pierces the silence…it is they…testing our defences…we in return will be testing there’s! I loathe the metallic rattling sound; equally I loathe the pauses in between the angry, wasteful bursts of fire…is that it? Is there more to come…and more…and more…and…’
At the back of Jingo’s is a door that leads into an annex (there are I like to believe doors like this in all good bookshops.) The annex: full to bursting, stack upon stack of twisted and compressed cardboard boxes. In the first instance nothing caught my eye except the gorged space that I stood in. I walked in amongst the more accessible stacks and in one such stack several boxes caught my eye; simply two Hershey Chocolate packing cartons, circa 1970’s…I had to have a look inside…an hour later I had access…I opened them in turn…in the second box were a bundle of envelopes, one of their number an official looking manila envelope, it had typed upon it Seaton’s address. I looked at the contents: inside the four ‘Anans’; paper clipped to them the two printed PUV cartoons cut out from the pages of ‘Brand’. I knew immediately they were by the Acid cartoonist, Liquid Dave…Dave knew Seaton…another connection had been firmly established.
Rex Barker (January 2009)
A book of Seaton’s ‘Anans’ was due to be compiled and published in 2010.
Reply to a lost communique
10 March 2008 09:23:26
Dear David, A most welcome contribution towards the lost Seaton months of 1916. We are aware of the attached Seaton letter, sent to Evelyn Gibbs sometime in 1916 (written on a train bound for London) it its full of a young mans anticipation and apprehension but he is in good humour. This is not a bad state to be in considering the appalling news that poured out of France. I guess news reporting back then was a sketchy affair compared to today's war reporting. We are aware that Seaton wrote other letters to Evelyn and we are trying to get hold of them. We have one lengthy letter written by Seaton whilst he was in the trenches (This was written to his mother). We believe that there are several letters in existence of letters written to Cyril which he kept. Rex is sure they are in the custody of a woman who Seaton befriended whilst he lived out his remaining years in California. We don't know what else the woman has of Seaton's and Rex describes the situation as sensitive. He has not made any direct approach to the woman to see the letters as it is possible that she may have taken from Seaton more than he was known to have given her. It was this woman (a young girl of about 15 at the time) who found Seaton on the floor of this home shortly before he died. Seaton was taken to hospital and it was noted that he had no personal possessions on him and he had no money in his wallet. Rex is certain that when he has time that there will be more than enough information to piece together Seaton's final days. (it should be quite a detective story).
Seaton Letter 1
My Dear Friend,
As summer approaches, I continue to be in fine spirits. These past few months since we last corresponded have been kind. Our noble aristocratic friend Frederick Ashton after much persuasion and favour has taken the decision to publish my play ‘Interrogation’ and the favours that I have bestowed upon him are paying dividends for me, Frederick has asked me to direct a performance of the play at The Theatre Rotund in Nice. I am writing in some minor alterations at the moment and have decided that I am going to stage it as a three-day sequence; Ashton approves. It is likely thereafter that it will be performed in Paris but in a single day. I am intending to translate it into English during the summer and to spend some of my summer in Geneva with our mutual partner Berryman if he will play host.
I am delightfully pleased to hear your own good news, ‘The Good Boy’ has been accepted by LLP! Please do send me a copy hot off the press. I hope that we shall get the opportunity to meet up very soon my dear fellow. With that very thought in mind Arthur is hosting an event at his apartment in Paris next month so I hope to see you there?
More good news, Stephanie has just give birth to twins and both mother and children are doing well. Mark was not present at the birth. He has once again fled the nest and headed for Italy with ‘Le Soleil’ the French acting troupe and no doubt his has found an accommodating woman for relief. I help where I can but as you know I can offer nothing other than comfort and support, Stephanie appreciates that financial aid is beyond my means but I can be of service in other ways. As you know petty stealing is something I can do well, only foods mind! Fortunately on this occasion Rolf and Mary Worththorne are providing for them and Stephanie has accepted their generous offer of a roof over her head. At one time I believed that Rolf had less than honourable intentions towards Stephanie, I guess we all did! I no longer believe that he would lead himself astray from the heavenly Mary.
The Splinter boys have moved to America!
Lastly, some gloomy news, the hand painted chair, ‘Le Heros Perverse’ that you so kindly gave to me is kaput! I am pleased to tell you however that its legs finally gave way under in the act of duty. In the heat of my passion it broke its dear back legs. I have however kept the painted seat and I have hung it upon my wall. It is an appropriate trophy to our fine sport of ‘Bare arse riding’
Affectionately yours
Cyril
Seaton Letter 3
My Dearest Mother,
I have news. I am visiting England in March; I have an appointment that I must attend in London. I shall then come up to Nottingham to visit you.
Your son
Cyril
Seaton Letter 4
Dearest Mother,
I hope that I find you in good heart, please accept my most sincere apologies for not calling upon you whilst I was in England. I had not told you in my previous correspondence that I had been dreadfully poorly and I had been instructed by my doctor in London to seek a place for a period of rest. He recommended that I should not undertake any unnecessarily long journeys and that I should recuperate by the sea. I convalesce in Brighton and stopped with Leonard Furbisher at his parent’s summer retreat. The Sea air has done me the world of good and I am feeling so much stronger. The respite has been most welcome. I continue to lose my balance at times and suffer a loss of hearing, but these periods when I feel unwell are waning. The doctor has given me some potions to take and whatever is in them seems to be working. Please do not worry about me mother I really am doing very well.
I have received a telegram from Geneva and a little theatre by the name of the Theatre nonesuch is inviting me to direct one of my own plays. It will have a modest run of five days at the theatre and it is an offer that I am going to except. The money will be most welcome. Alas dear mother this is scheduled to take place at the end of the month so I shall not be able to visit you this time.
As a small token of my love, please find enclosed a small shell that I picked up from a walk along the sands.
Your loving Son
Cyril
Seaton Letter 5
Dear Richard
Thank you for your correspondence and I heartily agree with you, Philip is too fixated on details. I agree with what you say and I reiterate, it would help if he dedicated time towards helping with some of the more physical aspects of the production rather than languishing in his self-pity and his self-disgust. I genuinely like the fellow but I too cannot see how he has used his time in the service of our production. In short, the liberal way that he displays himself like a perfumed peacock is beginning to affect all. I personally had not been present on Tuesday evening when Phillip pulled down his pants in front of the production team and performed some act of affected sexual ritual. I believe this attention-seeking act is because he no longer has anywhere to lodge. Since his most recent lover has just thrown him out he appears to be on the hunt for someone and somewhere new. There must be easier ways of securing a bed for the evening without resulting to such acts. Our ‘Great Masturbator’ has increasingly begun to take swipes at your good self and the cast; I have heard that I also come in for some stick too, it is pure raw frustration I am sure. ‘Why don’t you all love me’ he blubbers, I felt somewhat sorry for Philip when Johan told him that it was his arse that we all loved but not the rest of him. I know that I could not welcome Philip back into my bed and I believe that possibly you feel the same as I. I hope however that we can find a part for him in the production; and I think we could offer him the roll of Martindale? This would help focus his mind creatively and he would have to dedicate time to learning the script; it would give him something of substance to do rather than ejaculating everywhere. I do believe Phillip would be very good in this roll. As you know he was excellent in Marcel’s play ‘The bride’ and he can sing beautifully.
I wait to hear your thoughts on this.
Cyril
Seaton Letter 9
My darling Sissy,
in your letter from Morocco you wrote some words very dear to me, about my having enriched your life. I cannot tell you what pleasure this gave me, our time together is treasured and I shall feel so overwhelmingly in your debt.
Time passes swiftly amid the storms and stresses of these terrible and eventful times. I unwrapped your gift to me upon my return home and I have read your book in the garden, it is a delight.
A continent and the Oceans may divide us but you remain close to me.
Your loving friend
Cyril
Seaton Letter 11
Dear Francis
I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done
Yours very truly
Cyril
Seaton Letter 21
The Hershey Chocolate Company
Hershey Pennsylvania
Hershey Western Division Office
Oakland California
Toll 7894040
‘Made in Chocolatetown, so they must be good’
November 1948
Dear Mr Jefferson,
Thank you for placing your first order 40 cases of Hershey’s GoodBar chocolate.
Hershey’s value your custom and we welcome you into Hershey world. As a token of our appreciation and our gratitude we shall include with your first delivery three complimentary boxes of Hershey’s Kisses. This product has only recently become available once more and they will make a full return to our suppliers during this next month in time for Christmas.
Seasons Greetings and if I may be of personal service to you, please feel free to contact me. It was a pleasure meeting you Ronald.
Cyril Seaton
Sales Reprehensive
Western Division
Seaton Letter 18
1916
Dear Evelyn,
This year has passed so quickly I can hardly believe that it was only May since the family gathered together at number 84 for your birthday. Thank you for your note and I am very pleased that you like the pencil set and sketch book. I am relieved to hear that Horace is well; Uncle Harold met up with him in Portsmouth whilst on shore leave last month.
I am writing this letter on the train bound for London and then I am eastbound to report to camp, I have signed up for the good fight Evelyn! I am eager to break the bonds of Nottingham and I have enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters. My fluent French has already come in useful my eventual posting is to be France! As yet I know not where but I trust that the army shall best utilise my skills and give me a translation job. To this end I am undertaking some basic training at Marham aerodrome in Norfolk. There are several work palls of mine that are also with me bound for London, however on St Pancras platform we shall have to bid Adieu to one another and go our separate ways, at least in the short term. I regret however to be leaving most of my compatriots from the factory that enlisted at the same time as I, they are all undertaking their basic training at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. My work colleague Tiggle who is sitting next to me as I write this thinks that I am just a lonely kind of soldier, stuck in no man’s land so the top brass are sending me to a flat field in Norfolk to learn how to recognise one - Stage One of basic training, ‘field recognition’. As yet I have no uniform to travel in, ‘The Kharki Courage’ they call it!
I am aware that the war has reached a kind of stalemate at the front but as I sit on this train amongst the men heading southwards for battle overseas they are eager spirits and the Hun need to be defeated. With the courage of youth I have no doubt our men at the front will triumph. I wonder to myself as I travel south if everybody on this train wants and wishes to break the bonds with somewhere, it seems like the whole world is on the move. I am not solemn about what I may face and I am optimistic that it will not be the trenches; we cannot all be destined for them can we?
Just before I left Nottingham, Uncle Harold called around to see mum and he told me that he would be travelling to Liverpool before Christmas. I have left in his possession several small gifts to give to you, Molly & Lawrence. Do you think you can save them for Christmas? Before I left Nottingham I went to the Hippodrome to see Arthur Fields, it was a truly riotous evening especially when Arthur reached the line "Let's bury the hatchet in the Kaiser's head." The audience fair whooped at that. I heard today that back in July several music hall performers that I know were still in custody under the defence of the Realm Act. Our secretary of State believes that the bosh is endeavouring to recruit circus-riders, music-hall performers, and persons on the regular stage for purposes of espionage in this country. I just think our secretary of state hated the double act and DORA has much to answer for! Evelyn when I return from the war I must bring you down to Nottingham so I can take you to the Hippodrome and to Nottingham Castle, there are some wonderful paintings that I think you will like.
Please pass on my regards to Effie
Cyril
Seaton Letter 126
27th May 1952
Box No. 5609
Dear Lady,
I would like to meet you; I am a young 50-year-old professional man. I am well built but fit. I am well dressed and I travel a great deal around the country. I am able and willing to pay for my fun.
I have considerable sexual experience, some of it quite bizarre, and I can be accurately described as a bottom worshiper. That is if the bottom is female and nicely rounded. I would like nothing better than to lift up your skirt, pull down your knickers, which I hope are appropriately sexy and brief, and apply myself to the treatment of your bottom. I can be as gentle or as firm as you wish.
Please send me further details including phone number and times of your availability.
Yours truly,
Cyril
Seaton Letter 129
July 17th 1952
Dear Box 236
I am a young 50 year old professional man and I would like to meet with you. I am willing to travel anywhere and I like to experiment.
I would like to try out the ‘B’ ‘CP’, ‘T’ also ‘O’ sex and ‘A’ if you wish. I enjoy roll play and I am happy to play the slave. I am comfortable being smacked on the ‘B’ and to give plenty of ‘O’ and Tit rubbing. I also like to use toys and gags if you think it is needed.
If you wish to take part with me let me know.
Master Cyril
12.09.07
Hey Simon, I'm impressed (as was Rex, who stayed over last night)! Your thoroughness and attention to detail is much appreciated by the SSG! Chris L-j PS I want to do some work around the spiegeltent now! >From: Simon Withers >To: Chris Lewis-Jones >Subject: RE: Seaton Study Group update >Date: Wed, 12 Sep 2007 08:50:24 +0100 > >Hi Chris, > >I should keep to a firmer track on my research path, but it goes something like - Whilst I was undertaking some music hall research and looking for images on performances/actors and Ubu and found a site that had a link to one of the original Spiegeltents (one tent is used for tours and had been assembled for one of the previous Edinburgh festivals - saw it on TV several years ago and it takes days to assemble) > >Our Ubu image I thought would at least show an ubu performance that looked authentic for the period (others were of more recent performances.) and I think as the garments on this image seem home made and that it has no setting so to speak, I thought we could easily say that it is in a spiegeltent. If I thought I could have found the right image of a topless guy playing Ubu with a large belly then may be that image could have been manipulated. I even went in search of just normal images of people with big belly's so that I if I found the right image I could have drawn in Ubu symbols (Swirly thing on stomach and pointy hat). As seaton only piled on the pounds in later life I guess he wasn't the right build in his Zurich years. I had thought however that should the right image materialise in the future then maybe Seaton's 'American Ubu' (we could call it that) could have a documentary >photograph also - it was this idea which took me into theatreland to find and manipulate the second image. > >I had a look for old images of Uhaul vans but nothing jumped out at me to suggest that we could say that it (the van) had been the one, which Seaton & Kendry had used to undertake the American Ubu tour. > >Hopefully after the studio event I can concentrate on looking for images (postcards - old albums - internet images) We could get a whole stock of images together and then pick the most appropriate to help created our Seaton history. > >speak soon > >simon
Further Notes
Cyril most certainly read the work of Karl Marx and Seaton would have argued for a systematic change following what he understood about the 1917 revolution. ‘The contradictions of Capitalism in Britain necessitates its own demise, it shall give way to Socialism.’ Seaton wrote in a pamphlet ‘New Structures’ (1924). The Young Hegelians also influenced Seaton, he argued that it was up to creative people (for that was his circle of influence) should mount radical critiques of both religion and political systems from within those systems. ‘Nothing should restrict freedom’ he wrote ‘The Promise-negating the irrational’ (1922) Seaton certainly believed that Socialism was an essential path towards perfection. In 1933 Seaton went to France and met Trotsky at Royan. Seaton met with Trotsky again in 1939 in Mexico City at the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. (We know Seaton had an affair with Frida). By the time Seaton reached San Francisco and moved to the San Fernando Valley area his Utopia dream may well have been diminished. He lived within a commune made up of old trailer homes on a lemon and orange grove. (More research needs to be done on this period) What is clear is that Seaton would have seen the area transformed with the rise of new technology. The Valley became known as ‘Silicon Valley’. It is possible that Seaton was involved in financing dreams of a different kind by the late 1960’s. We know that he knew a Princeton dropout called Mickey Milk who began producing adult films in the Valley. Some suggest that ‘MM’s pioneering films would finally lead to a multi-billion porn industry in that area.
Communication about Seaton with personal details missing as to whom it was from
....This is very interesting and may be worth pursuing further. I believe that your cousin if I am not mistaken also has a sister who still lives in Ilkeston, Derbyshire. Several years ago I paid a visit to Jenny Hildegard to interview her about Cyril. I believe the sister you refer to had emigrated to America in 1972 (to live close to her son, he played for the ‘San Jose Earthquakes’ in the American Soccer League.) Jenny lived in a caravan park called ‘River Glen’ in the Los Gatos area. We know Seaton had been living on this park for the last fifteen years of his life. Cyril died in his home on 4th December 1976. We are confident that Cyril’s home was on a fixed site and we know the home still exists. Surrounded by the ultra hi-tech developments we know as ‘Silicon Valley’. We do have some interior images of his home taken shortly after Cyril had died. As you may well know Cyril died under suspicious circumstances and the images I have in my possession came from the San Jose Police department. The only answer I can offer at the moment is that the Airstream could have once belonged to Cyril’s close friend Stephen Kendry. We would need to find evidence somehow as to the authenticity and the provenance of the Airstream. I am continuing to piece together Seaton’s American life and I know Kendry was an important figure in this. I am aware that the two men parted company during the early 1960’s and never saw each other again. Kendrey did show up at Seaton’s funeral, (one of the few people present) Kendry died in 1982. The basic information we have to date is as follows (If any one can help fill in the gaps or point me in the right direction, please let me know)…
Seaton moved to Los Gatos, which is located in the South Bay part of the San Francisco Bay Area, near San Jose. The town can be found just off Highway 17 (known as "the hill" to locals) as the highway begins to climb into the Santa Cruz Mountains. Seaton rented a flat above Wendy’s Discount Carpet Store on Brigham Park Street between 1947-48. Seaton was by this time of substantial bulk. This was due to the life style and job. Seaton completely adopted the drive in eateries culture by regularly eating and living on the road as he drove all over the Sunshine State for Hershey’s drumming up sales. Seaton had been for a while adrift of companionship but in Los Gatos he found a kindred spirit and friend in Stephen Kendry, the owner of a local hardware store. Kendry was also of some considerable bulk; it was not body mass however that truly united these two stately heavyweights but an interest in ‘the theatre of the absurd.’ Kendry had previously been an in-house scriptwriter for Warner Brothers Studios (writing television situation comedy shows including, ‘For the love of Lindy’ and ‘Camp Beerbrook’) before being ‘dumped’ by WB’s in 1946. Kendry had continued to write short plays, children’s stories, poetry, essays and speculative journalism on American Life. We know from Kendry’s son Massy that Seaton and Kendry performed several two man plays previously written by Kendry, ‘Joined at the Hip’ and ‘ Duel.’ Kendry also had written what he termed a ‘Sex Play’ meaning that the two characters on the stage must be played by a man and a woman. The play ‘One for Lunch’ was performed by Seaton and Kendry’s friend and aspiring actress Dorothy Moore. The play had a limited run of three performances at the Alexandria Theatre in San Francisco In 1952. It was however a touring adaptation of Alfred Jarry’s 3 Ubu plays, Ubu Roi, Ubu Enchaine and Ubu Cocu (published posthumously in 1944) that the two men brought this new work to an American audience. We have actual documentary evidence of their time working together and performing in public. The two men with the support of resident car mechanic and welder Richard Devlin purchased and renovated an ex - rental bright orange U-HAL utility trailer, fitting this out with its own collapsible sides to create the Ubu stage. Using a fusion of live performance and puppetry, Kendry and Seaton each performed the roll of King Ubu on alternate days. Ubu took to the road in June 1947 for a three week Californian tour. Costume was kept to a minimum and Seaton was particularly keen to show off his generous flesh by performing the Ubu roll with a bared belly; adding upon his tummy the recognisable painted Ubu swirl (as depicted in Jarry‘s original illustration). Massy recalls his mother Alice telling him that the Ubu plays were often performed at unarranged and at ‘off the tuff’ locations, this was to attract as little attention from police as possible. 1947 was a time of great hardship for ex-servicemen particularly in adjusting back into American life; many who attended the plays had been draft dodgers or service personnel who had recently been demobbed in the fall of 1946. Quite often these men were homeless and disillusioned Ubu resonated within them. Had they not fought a just war…to rid the world of tyranny only to see the dawn and the rise of new ones? (I am in literary mode here…forgive me…) Seaton had previously played the roll of King Ubu in a performance as far back as 1921. This original Seaton performance took place in Zurich with Alla Nazimova in one of the famous travelling ‘Spiegeltents’.
The locations often would mean that the play had frequently been performed to very meagre audiences and on occasions to no audiences at all. It was Alice’s Mission once they had arrived at their chosen location to drum up the audiences. Publicity consisted of a printed flyer (I have some in my care) and Alice would take the delivery truck and head into the local town to distribute them. On no occasion it appears, that during the three week tour the two men were never deterred from performing the play and they went on to undertake at least 30 performances. The Accounts of these 30 performances is recorded in Alice Kendy’s Diary, Massy believes that more than the thirty performances were probably undertaken as it was not uncommon for the two men to perform Ubu twice a day. The references to the Ubu tour in Alice’s diary are in the main vague, however the performance given in a car park that looked out across San Francisco Bay towards the Golden Gate Bridge was clearly memorable for Alice who provides us in her own words, a vivid account. (Stuff for the book I think.)
Rex Barker
Subject: Rex in Paris
Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2008 10:40:40 +0000
The Seaton Study Group is pleased to announce that the 2008-9 SSG Research Fellow, Rex Barker, (of the Syracuse Institute of Fine Art, currently based at Oldknows Studio in Nottingham), has been invited to facilitate a seminar (an deliver a paper) on 'May 68 and the Legacy of Seaton' at the Sorbonne Institutuer de Politique (in Paris) on May 7th. This represents an exciting opportunity to network with some of the liveliest minds in Europe!
Rex will be officiating at the annual May Day picnic in Hedley Park, Sherwood Rise (where he will make a short speech to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the birth of Seaton) on Monday 5th, before flying out to Paris on Tuesday 6th. We are hoping to find a venue in which Rex will be able to report back (following his participation in the Paris seminar) in the near future (perhaps to coincide with the Cyril Seaton's Cycle Roots event in the summer?)
Rex barker
11.09.07
Greetings Colleagues. Lots happening on the Seaton Front this Autumn! Simon and I are flying over to support Rex's first SSG seminar in the US (at Syracuse) next week and he's coming back with us to help celebrate Oldknows @ 20 (on Sat 6th October, 1-4 pm) Rex's paper on Seaton (with documentation by simon) has been published in the current edition of 'Staple' new writing quarterly (available at good bookshops and online: staplemagazine.wordpress.com), thanks to editor Wayne Burrows for support in this. Sally Davies, of Horncastle, has formed a Lincolnshire Branch of SSG. She's working on a 100 years of the Art of Noise festival (in 2009) and is in touch with various Italian cultural bodies and the Marinetti family (who are supportive). Sally is able to put more flesh on Rob Van Beek's bone of a story regarding Seaton in Mexico (yes, he was Frida Kahlo's lover, after Trotsky!). watch this space! Jenny Elliot, of the University of Nottingham, has agreed to translate any documents we have, (written by, to or about Seaton) in German. She and Dr Mark Simmons have formed a Branch @ the University. Simon & I had a meeting with A CAP artist's publishing company in Cromford recently, and, after the meeting, Jill Mustchin (of A CAP) took us to Black Rocks (which dominate that area, south of the Derwent Valley), and pointed out a graffito that she thought might be of interest: 'S.S. 1915'. Given that Seaton stayed with his Grandparents in nearby Matlock Bath for several weekends in 1915, it's quite likely that this was his handiwork (how does one authenticate a graffito)! Fatima Al Rashid has (finally) established a (SSG) branch in Tangier, our first toe-hold on the continent of Africa! Finally, Oldknows @ 20. As you know, Seaton worked at Oldknows (after leaving school) prior to WW1, and the SSG was established here, so it is fitting that 'Cyril Seaton's Cycle Roots' will be performing at Oldknows on October 6th. The Cycle Roots was formed by Simon & I as a way of marketing our pamphlet: 'Cyril Seaton's Cycle Routes' at the small publishers' fair at Conway Hall last year.
16.04.08
I think Cyril's legacy to the Sorbonne is possibly a moot point with the directorate of the time. I understand that Seaton's contribution to European Progressive Politics was the posting out from his mobile home (on the other side of the world) American made boxes of matches to all the major European Universities with a nothing more than a handwritten text on the boxes stating the legend 'Burn Europe or Die.' Not certain I know what he was trying to say but may be Rex can shine some light upon this sorry tale. I believe there is several 68' Academics are still ghosting about the place, one of them is an English born Professor (An expert on Balzac) called William Fife-Robinson. Certainly Seaton although not producing any real work seemed to be influenced by conceptualism and Nihilism and It shows that he had not totally abandoned artistic pursuits. Fife-Robinson called the act 'an empty gesture' and I guess it was, as Seaton didn't put any matches in the boxes - I think he wrongly felt that most of the acts undertaken by the demonstrators were born out of impotency. (Was Seaton?) In some Countries may be he was right but I guess Seaton took a blanket approach to all things so he gets it right some of the time.
Notes on William Fife-Robinson
Fife-Robinson (William) b. July 12th 1933 d.
Born kirkby Mucklow Leicestershire
Educated at Wyggeston Boy's School, Leicester.
Higher Education: Faculty of Classics at the University of Oxford. Classical Languages & Literature and Ancient History & Classical Archaeology.
Fife-Robinson goes to Paris in 1963 (Age 35) to work in the Université de Paris (La Sorbonne) within the Faculties of Arts and Human Sciences as Professor of Translation.
Published worksHonoré de Balzac, Realism and Modernism. LLP press, London (1972)
Balzac, Plays and Wins. LLP press London (1967)
Kobo Abe – Through the Lens (1972)
Jacques Joseph Victor Higelin ‘No Man's Land’ Birdsong Press Fr. (1978)
TranslationTranslated eight Kobo Abe works from English into French:
Inter Ice Age 4 1960
Woman in the Dunes 1962
The Face of Another 1965
The Ruined Map 1968
Friends (play) 1968
Kangaroo Notebook 1975
The Ark Sakura 1986
Three Plays by Kobo Abe 1994
Seaton Reference
In 1968 Cyril Seaton posts out from his home in Las Gatos a series of empty brand new American Brand matchboxes to many major European Universities including one addressed to Fife-Robinson. Each one (45 in all are posted) contain a handwritten note with the words, ‘Burn Europe or Die’
The only known matchbox in existence is kept in the archives at the Sorbonne and the only reference to the box is mentioned in an article written on the 1968 uprising for a student pamphlet produced by French Students. It was written in English and made for distribution in England the same year.
‘One should not demonstrate unless one is quite prepared to be shot at Mr Seaton! And whilst you amuse yourself from the safety of your home, others heroically raise their heads above the barricades. And You Mr Seaton! Are you even prepared to raise your weary head above your downy pillow?’
(1968)
December 2008 / Simon Withers / Message from Rex Barker
Dear Seatonists,
Rex Barker has kindly lent the two PUV cartoons by Liquid Dave to the editor. You may well wonder what PUV has to do with Cyril Seaton?
Rex writes…‘Whilst undertaking some Seaton research in LA for the Seaton Family Estate, I recently uncovered four previously unknown Seaton ‘Anans’ in Jingo’s Bookshop. (Rex recommends that you pay a visit to Jingo’s when you are next in LA.ed) The scripts have been authenticated, ‘genuine’ by Brian Townsman (New Jersey Institute of Forensic Science). The four fragile paper works are all hand written in pencil and are considered being early examples of Seaton ‘Ananisms’
We have now established that the first ‘Anans’ were composed during December 1916. Seaton, a communications officer in the Sherwood Foresters regiment was billeted in Verdun and he saw action in the trenches near Damloup; translating and relaying information between the British sector (North West France) and the French sector. The first ‘Anans’ are written retorts and I believe that through writing them Seaton began to explore and to express his growing anxiety. They are the first signs that Seaton’s mental condition was becoming both Surreal (influenced by the landscape) and irrational (living amongst carnage and misery). As Cyril writes in his Christmas letter home to his mother, dated December 18th 1916…
‘Out of stillness and serenity, the lull and the inactivity, the fiery mantra of Rat-a-tat-tat bursts from somewhere…into nowhere…it is not I that pierces the silence…it is they…testing our defences…we in return will be testing there’s! I loathe the metallic rattling sound; equally I loathe the pauses in between the angry, wasteful bursts of fire…is that it? Is there more to come…and more…and more…and…’
At the back of Jingo’s is a door that leads into an annex (there are I like to believe doors like this in all good bookshops.) The annex: full to bursting, stack upon stack of twisted and compressed cardboard boxes. In the first instance nothing caught my eye except the gorged space that I stood in. I walked in amongst the more accessible stacks and in one such stack several boxes caught my eye; simply two Hershey Chocolate packing cartons, circa 1970’s…I had to have a look inside…an hour later I had access…I opened them in turn…in the second box were a bundle of envelopes, one of their number an official looking manila envelope, it had typed upon it Seaton’s address. I looked at the contents: inside the four ‘Anans’; paper clipped to them the two printed PUV cartoons cut out from the pages of ‘Brand’. I knew immediately they were by the Acid cartoonist, Liquid Dave…Dave knew Seaton…another connection had been firmly established.
Rex Barker (January 2009)
A book of Seaton’s ‘Anans’ was due to be compiled and published in 2010.
Reply to a lost communique
10 March 2008 09:23:26
Dear David, A most welcome contribution towards the lost Seaton months of 1916. We are aware of the attached Seaton letter, sent to Evelyn Gibbs sometime in 1916 (written on a train bound for London) it its full of a young mans anticipation and apprehension but he is in good humour. This is not a bad state to be in considering the appalling news that poured out of France. I guess news reporting back then was a sketchy affair compared to today's war reporting. We are aware that Seaton wrote other letters to Evelyn and we are trying to get hold of them. We have one lengthy letter written by Seaton whilst he was in the trenches (This was written to his mother). We believe that there are several letters in existence of letters written to Cyril which he kept. Rex is sure they are in the custody of a woman who Seaton befriended whilst he lived out his remaining years in California. We don't know what else the woman has of Seaton's and Rex describes the situation as sensitive. He has not made any direct approach to the woman to see the letters as it is possible that she may have taken from Seaton more than he was known to have given her. It was this woman (a young girl of about 15 at the time) who found Seaton on the floor of this home shortly before he died. Seaton was taken to hospital and it was noted that he had no personal possessions on him and he had no money in his wallet. Rex is certain that when he has time that there will be more than enough information to piece together Seaton's final days. (it should be quite a detective story).
Seaton Letter 1
My Dear Friend,
As summer approaches, I continue to be in fine spirits. These past few months since we last corresponded have been kind. Our noble aristocratic friend Frederick Ashton after much persuasion and favour has taken the decision to publish my play ‘Interrogation’ and the favours that I have bestowed upon him are paying dividends for me, Frederick has asked me to direct a performance of the play at The Theatre Rotund in Nice. I am writing in some minor alterations at the moment and have decided that I am going to stage it as a three-day sequence; Ashton approves. It is likely thereafter that it will be performed in Paris but in a single day. I am intending to translate it into English during the summer and to spend some of my summer in Geneva with our mutual partner Berryman if he will play host.
I am delightfully pleased to hear your own good news, ‘The Good Boy’ has been accepted by LLP! Please do send me a copy hot off the press. I hope that we shall get the opportunity to meet up very soon my dear fellow. With that very thought in mind Arthur is hosting an event at his apartment in Paris next month so I hope to see you there?
More good news, Stephanie has just give birth to twins and both mother and children are doing well. Mark was not present at the birth. He has once again fled the nest and headed for Italy with ‘Le Soleil’ the French acting troupe and no doubt his has found an accommodating woman for relief. I help where I can but as you know I can offer nothing other than comfort and support, Stephanie appreciates that financial aid is beyond my means but I can be of service in other ways. As you know petty stealing is something I can do well, only foods mind! Fortunately on this occasion Rolf and Mary Worththorne are providing for them and Stephanie has accepted their generous offer of a roof over her head. At one time I believed that Rolf had less than honourable intentions towards Stephanie, I guess we all did! I no longer believe that he would lead himself astray from the heavenly Mary.
The Splinter boys have moved to America!
Lastly, some gloomy news, the hand painted chair, ‘Le Heros Perverse’ that you so kindly gave to me is kaput! I am pleased to tell you however that its legs finally gave way under in the act of duty. In the heat of my passion it broke its dear back legs. I have however kept the painted seat and I have hung it upon my wall. It is an appropriate trophy to our fine sport of ‘Bare arse riding’
Affectionately yours
Cyril
Seaton Letter 3
My Dearest Mother,
I have news. I am visiting England in March; I have an appointment that I must attend in London. I shall then come up to Nottingham to visit you.
Your son
Cyril
Seaton Letter 4
Dearest Mother,
I hope that I find you in good heart, please accept my most sincere apologies for not calling upon you whilst I was in England. I had not told you in my previous correspondence that I had been dreadfully poorly and I had been instructed by my doctor in London to seek a place for a period of rest. He recommended that I should not undertake any unnecessarily long journeys and that I should recuperate by the sea. I convalesce in Brighton and stopped with Leonard Furbisher at his parent’s summer retreat. The Sea air has done me the world of good and I am feeling so much stronger. The respite has been most welcome. I continue to lose my balance at times and suffer a loss of hearing, but these periods when I feel unwell are waning. The doctor has given me some potions to take and whatever is in them seems to be working. Please do not worry about me mother I really am doing very well.
I have received a telegram from Geneva and a little theatre by the name of the Theatre nonesuch is inviting me to direct one of my own plays. It will have a modest run of five days at the theatre and it is an offer that I am going to except. The money will be most welcome. Alas dear mother this is scheduled to take place at the end of the month so I shall not be able to visit you this time.
As a small token of my love, please find enclosed a small shell that I picked up from a walk along the sands.
Your loving Son
Cyril
Seaton Letter 5
Dear Richard
Thank you for your correspondence and I heartily agree with you, Philip is too fixated on details. I agree with what you say and I reiterate, it would help if he dedicated time towards helping with some of the more physical aspects of the production rather than languishing in his self-pity and his self-disgust. I genuinely like the fellow but I too cannot see how he has used his time in the service of our production. In short, the liberal way that he displays himself like a perfumed peacock is beginning to affect all. I personally had not been present on Tuesday evening when Phillip pulled down his pants in front of the production team and performed some act of affected sexual ritual. I believe this attention-seeking act is because he no longer has anywhere to lodge. Since his most recent lover has just thrown him out he appears to be on the hunt for someone and somewhere new. There must be easier ways of securing a bed for the evening without resulting to such acts. Our ‘Great Masturbator’ has increasingly begun to take swipes at your good self and the cast; I have heard that I also come in for some stick too, it is pure raw frustration I am sure. ‘Why don’t you all love me’ he blubbers, I felt somewhat sorry for Philip when Johan told him that it was his arse that we all loved but not the rest of him. I know that I could not welcome Philip back into my bed and I believe that possibly you feel the same as I. I hope however that we can find a part for him in the production; and I think we could offer him the roll of Martindale? This would help focus his mind creatively and he would have to dedicate time to learning the script; it would give him something of substance to do rather than ejaculating everywhere. I do believe Phillip would be very good in this roll. As you know he was excellent in Marcel’s play ‘The bride’ and he can sing beautifully.
I wait to hear your thoughts on this.
Cyril
Seaton Letter 9
My darling Sissy,
in your letter from Morocco you wrote some words very dear to me, about my having enriched your life. I cannot tell you what pleasure this gave me, our time together is treasured and I shall feel so overwhelmingly in your debt.
Time passes swiftly amid the storms and stresses of these terrible and eventful times. I unwrapped your gift to me upon my return home and I have read your book in the garden, it is a delight.
A continent and the Oceans may divide us but you remain close to me.
Your loving friend
Cyril
Seaton Letter 11
Dear Francis
I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done
Yours very truly
Cyril
Seaton Letter 21
The Hershey Chocolate Company
Hershey Pennsylvania
Hershey Western Division Office
Oakland California
Toll 7894040
‘Made in Chocolatetown, so they must be good’
November 1948
Dear Mr Jefferson,
Thank you for placing your first order 40 cases of Hershey’s GoodBar chocolate.
Hershey’s value your custom and we welcome you into Hershey world. As a token of our appreciation and our gratitude we shall include with your first delivery three complimentary boxes of Hershey’s Kisses. This product has only recently become available once more and they will make a full return to our suppliers during this next month in time for Christmas.
Seasons Greetings and if I may be of personal service to you, please feel free to contact me. It was a pleasure meeting you Ronald.
Cyril Seaton
Sales Reprehensive
Western Division
Seaton Letter 18
1916
Dear Evelyn,
This year has passed so quickly I can hardly believe that it was only May since the family gathered together at number 84 for your birthday. Thank you for your note and I am very pleased that you like the pencil set and sketch book. I am relieved to hear that Horace is well; Uncle Harold met up with him in Portsmouth whilst on shore leave last month.
I am writing this letter on the train bound for London and then I am eastbound to report to camp, I have signed up for the good fight Evelyn! I am eager to break the bonds of Nottingham and I have enlisted in the Sherwood Foresters. My fluent French has already come in useful my eventual posting is to be France! As yet I know not where but I trust that the army shall best utilise my skills and give me a translation job. To this end I am undertaking some basic training at Marham aerodrome in Norfolk. There are several work palls of mine that are also with me bound for London, however on St Pancras platform we shall have to bid Adieu to one another and go our separate ways, at least in the short term. I regret however to be leaving most of my compatriots from the factory that enlisted at the same time as I, they are all undertaking their basic training at Chatsworth House in Derbyshire. My work colleague Tiggle who is sitting next to me as I write this thinks that I am just a lonely kind of soldier, stuck in no man’s land so the top brass are sending me to a flat field in Norfolk to learn how to recognise one - Stage One of basic training, ‘field recognition’. As yet I have no uniform to travel in, ‘The Kharki Courage’ they call it!
I am aware that the war has reached a kind of stalemate at the front but as I sit on this train amongst the men heading southwards for battle overseas they are eager spirits and the Hun need to be defeated. With the courage of youth I have no doubt our men at the front will triumph. I wonder to myself as I travel south if everybody on this train wants and wishes to break the bonds with somewhere, it seems like the whole world is on the move. I am not solemn about what I may face and I am optimistic that it will not be the trenches; we cannot all be destined for them can we?
Just before I left Nottingham, Uncle Harold called around to see mum and he told me that he would be travelling to Liverpool before Christmas. I have left in his possession several small gifts to give to you, Molly & Lawrence. Do you think you can save them for Christmas? Before I left Nottingham I went to the Hippodrome to see Arthur Fields, it was a truly riotous evening especially when Arthur reached the line "Let's bury the hatchet in the Kaiser's head." The audience fair whooped at that. I heard today that back in July several music hall performers that I know were still in custody under the defence of the Realm Act. Our secretary of State believes that the bosh is endeavouring to recruit circus-riders, music-hall performers, and persons on the regular stage for purposes of espionage in this country. I just think our secretary of state hated the double act and DORA has much to answer for! Evelyn when I return from the war I must bring you down to Nottingham so I can take you to the Hippodrome and to Nottingham Castle, there are some wonderful paintings that I think you will like.
Please pass on my regards to Effie
Cyril
Seaton Letter 126
27th May 1952
Box No. 5609
Dear Lady,
I would like to meet you; I am a young 50-year-old professional man. I am well built but fit. I am well dressed and I travel a great deal around the country. I am able and willing to pay for my fun.
I have considerable sexual experience, some of it quite bizarre, and I can be accurately described as a bottom worshiper. That is if the bottom is female and nicely rounded. I would like nothing better than to lift up your skirt, pull down your knickers, which I hope are appropriately sexy and brief, and apply myself to the treatment of your bottom. I can be as gentle or as firm as you wish.
Please send me further details including phone number and times of your availability.
Yours truly,
Cyril
Seaton Letter 129
July 17th 1952
Dear Box 236
I am a young 50 year old professional man and I would like to meet with you. I am willing to travel anywhere and I like to experiment.
I would like to try out the ‘B’ ‘CP’, ‘T’ also ‘O’ sex and ‘A’ if you wish. I enjoy roll play and I am happy to play the slave. I am comfortable being smacked on the ‘B’ and to give plenty of ‘O’ and Tit rubbing. I also like to use toys and gags if you think it is needed.
If you wish to take part with me let me know.
Master Cyril