Elma Mary Williams
Elma Mary Williams was an author from the United Kingdom.
Biography
She was born in Moseley, Birmingham, in 1913 and educated at St John's Convent School.[1]
Having previously written several thrillers and romances, she became nationally well-known during the 1960s and early 70s for her books describing the animal sanctuary she had established on a farm at Tre'r Ddol near Machynlleth in Wales. Valley of Animals (1963) was a best-seller and was followed by several others, such as Animals under my Feet (1965, illustrated by Barry Driscoll), leading to a number of radio and television appearances.[2] Williams, a Roman Catholic who said she had drawn inspiration from St Francis of Assisi, later planned to develop a community where pensioners could retire along with domestic pets who they would otherwise not be allowed to keep. After initial planning setbacks she gained permission to proceed,[3] but died in 1971 before the plans were fully realised. The trust she set up initially planned to open a therapeutic facility on the site, but it was later sold and the last tenant, Winifred Berry, was asked to leave in 1975.[4]
In 1967, the composer Ian Parrott wrote a piece called Pant Glas Idyll inspired by Williams' farm.[5]
Publications
Her books were published as by Elma M Williams:
- Fiction
- The Waiting Years (1957)
- House with Loving Walls (1958)
- To Africa – the Bride (1958)
- The Fifth Lake (1959)
- Something of the World (1960)
- Love in a Mist (1960)
- Strange Legacy (1961)
- Escape to Death (1961)
- The Valley (1961)
- Tomorrow a Stranger (1962)
- The Winking Cat (1963)
- Owls Do Cry (1964)
- The Shaft of Light (1965)
- Where is Sylvia? (1967)
- Paul’s Secret Courage (1967)
- Pant Glas
- Valley of Animals (1963)
- Pig in Paradise (1964)
- Animals Under My Feet (1965)
- Elma M Williams Introduces The Valley of Animals, Pant Glas, Tre’r Ddol, Machynlleth (1969, booklet)
- Heaven on my Doorstep (1970) Foreword by Sir George Thomas.
- The Pant Glas Story (1970)
- Ride a Cock Horse (1970)
References
- ^ The author's & writer's who's who, 1971, p.856
- ^ The Bookseller, 3341-3353 (1970), 328
- ^ "Refuge for pet lovers is given go ahead", Western Mail, 18 August 1970
- ^ "Grand old lady of animal valley is told to quit", Western Mail, 19 February 1975
- ^ Musical Opinion, v.106, 222