The Elusive Hilary

[lady_branwyn]

While browsing John Garth's "Tolkien and the Great War," I was struck by how few references there are to Tolkien's younger (and only) brother Hilary. Hilary was in the same unit as a number of JRRT's friends and acquaintances (the Salford Pals). Yet there is almost no mention of him in the book. An internet search came up with nothing about him besides his date of birth and that he did enlist in the army. No mention of marriage, children, date of death, education, or occupation. [Edit: I searched an electronic copy of Tolkien's published letters and came up with a single reference to Hilary.] Given the importance of kinship (and especially sibling relationships) in Tolkien's work, this struck me as odd. I'd be interested in hearing anyone's thoughts on this. Was he somehow seen as a discredit to the family? Did he and JRRT have a falling out?

Comments

[rakshathedemon.livejournal.com]

Using the index of Humphrey Carpenter's biography of Tolkien J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography), I find a few mentions of Hilary as an adult - he was a bugler in WWI. After WWI, Hilary went to Evesham (in Worcestershire, which according to JRRT was the closest thing to The Shire) and bought an orchard and an open market stall. When JRRT bought his first car in 1932, he brought the family to visit Hilary. Later, after Edith's death, there is a mention of JRRT's visiting Hilary, the two brothers watching cricket and tennis on television. The plum-trees evidently had borne little fruit for Hilary, after 40 years they were old and should have been cut down to be replaced by saplings, notes Carpenter; but Hilary left them standing, too old himself to do the work.

[lady-branwyn.livejournal.com]

Perhaps they never discussed writing or MiddleEarth so none of their letters have been published? In "Tolkien and the Great War," the author mentions the correspondence and visits between Tolkien and his friends but Hilary is strangely absent.