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{{Short description|Irish writer}}
'''Edward Jerrard Tickell''' (14 February 1905 – 27 March 1966) was an Irish writer, known for his novels and historical books on the [[World War II|Second World War]].

==Biography==

Jerrard Tickell was born in Dublin and educated in [[Tipperary (town)|Tipperary]] and, from 1919 until 1922 at [[Highgate School]] in London.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tucker |first1=Rodney C |title=Highgate School Register |date=1950 |page=204 |edition=5th}}</ref> He joined the [[Royal Army Service Corps]] in 1940 and was commissioned in 1941, when he was appointed to the War Office. Between 1943 and 1945 his official duties took him to Africa, the Middle East, Washington DC, Canada, the West Indies and Europe. He was appointed to the General Staff in 1945.

He was married to the author and psychical researcher Renée Haynes, the daughter of the eminent English social moralist [[E. S. P. Haynes]] and [[Oriana Huxley Waller]] (a granddaughter of [[Thomas Henry Huxley]]) and they had three sons: [[Crispin Tickell|Crispin]], Patrick, and Tom.

Tickell wrote 21 novels,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jerrard Tickell |url=https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/jerrard-tickell/ |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=www.fantasticfiction.com}}</ref> including the bestselling ''[[Appointment with Venus]]'' (1951), which was made into a [[Appointment with Venus (film)|film of the same name]] starring [[David Niven]] and a 1962 Danish film ''[[Venus fra Vestø]]''.<ref>{{IMDb title|qid=Q7920630|title=Venus fra Vestø}}</ref>

His non-fiction work includes a memoir of SOE agent [[Odette Hallowes]], an account of [[No. 138 Squadron RAF]] (the "moon squadron"), and a history of "Ascalon", Winston Churchill's personal [[Avro York]] transport aircraft.

===Scandal===

A book, ''The West End Front'' (published in 2011) by [[Matthew Sweet (writer)|Matthew Sweet]], gives details of a forgotten family incident in London during WW2 which resulted in Jerrard facing trial at the Old Bailey for a charge for which he was acquitted. Sweet recounts how he broke the news of this rediscovered chapter of family history to Jerrard's two surviving son's [[crispin Tickell|Sir Crispin]], formerly Britain's Permanent Representative to the United Nations and Tom Tickell, former ''Guardian'' newspaper columnist.

==Publications==

===Non-fiction===
*''Odette: The Story of a British Agent'' (1949)
*''Moon Squadron'' (1956)
*''Ascalon: The Story of Sir Winston Churchill's Wartime Flights from 1943 to 1945'' (1964)
*''Wings on My Suitcase - Personal Adventures of Air Hostesses'' (1958). Introduced and edited by Jerrard Tickell.
===Fiction===
*''Yolan of the Plains'' (1928)
*''See How They Run'' (1936)
*''Fly Away Blackbird'' (1936)
*''Silk Purse'' (1937)
*''Jill Fell Down'' (1938)
*''Gentlewomen Aim to Please'' (1938)
*''At Dusk All Cats Are Grey'' (1940)
*''Soldier from the Wars Returning'' (1942)
*''[[Appointment with Venus]]'' (1951)
*''The Hand and Flower'' (1952)
*''Dark Adventure'' (1952)
*''The Dart Players'' (1953)
*''The Hero of Saint Roger'' (1954)
*''Miss May: The Story of an Englishwoman'' (1958)
*''Whither Do You Wander?'' (1959)
*''The Hunt for Richard Thorpe'' (1960)
*''Villa Mimosa'' (1960)
*''Hussar Honeymoon'' (1963)
*''High Water at Four'' (1965)

==See also==
*[[Huxley family]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Tickell, Jerrard}}
[[Category:1905 births]]
[[Category:1966 deaths]]
[[Category:Writers from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:People educated at Highgate School]]
[[Category:British Army personnel of World War II]]
[[Category:Royal Army Service Corps officers]]
[[Category:Huxley family]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish novelists]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish male writers]]
[[Category:Irish male novelists]]