Patrick Chalmers

The oldest son of Patrick Chalmers, laird of Aldbar Castle, the ancestral family home since the 18th century, Patrick junior was brought up their before moving to England to be educated at Rugby School. After Rugby he joined the family firm of merchant bankers, Chalmers, Guthrie and Co in London, and in 1901 became managing director. It was during his time in banking that in his spare time he started writing prose and light-hearted and humorous stories which he submitted to various publications until one day a chance meeting with somebody who offered to put Chalmers in touch with a publisher and so began a new career for Patrick Reginald Chalmers.

His first book Green Days and Blue Days, a book of poems, was published in 1914 when Chalmers was over 40 years of age. In 1922 he resigned as managing director of the family banking firm to have more time to write and he went on to have more than 30 books published, including one novel, The Golden Bee (published 1932). Many of Patrick’s works had a sporting theme and he delighted readers of Punch and The Field with his contributions but he was probably better known for his serious offerings in verse than his lighter works and his leading books of prose were A Peck o’ Maut, Pipes and Tabors and Away to the Maypole. He also wrote biographies of Graham Greene and J. M. Barrie and edited King Edward Vlll’s hunting diaries

Chalmers was a member of the prestigious London club, the Saville Club and at the time of his death he was a director of several City companies.