Rosemary Pollock

Rosemary Pollock (26 July 1944 – 8 July 2022) was an English writer of a dozen romance novels from 1968 to 1981. She was the daughter of the centenarian romance writer and painter Ida Pollock (1908–2013) and Lieut Colonel Hugh Alexander Pollock D.S.O. Royal Scots Fusilers (1888–1971).

Biography

Rosemary Pollock was born in 1944 in Guildford, Surrey, England, the sole child of Hugh and Ida Pollock, who met when her father worked as editor at book department in the publishing firm of George Newnes, and they lost her mother's manuscript. Her father was a veteran of World War I and assistant to Winston Churchill, and he had been married twice previously. In 1913, he married Marion Atkinson, with whom he had two sons, William Cecil Alexander (1914–1916) and Edward Alistair (1915–1969); they divorced after World War I. In 1924, he remarried the children's writer Enid Blyton (1897–1968), with whom he had two daughters, Gillian Mary (1931–2007) and Imogen Mary (b. 1935). In 1940, he re-joined the Army, afterwards working for a while at the Cabinet Office in London and after met again Ida, he offered her a post as civilian secretary. His marriage had difficulties, and finally, they divorced in 1943 and Enid married Dr. Kenneth Fraser Darrell Water and Hugh married Ida six days later. Enid changed the name of their daughters and Hugh did not see them again, although Enid had promised access as part of his taking the blame for the divorce. After World War II, George Newnes, Hugh's old firm, decided not to work with him anymore. They also represented Enid Blyton and were not willing to let her go. After this the marriage experienced financial problems and, in 1950, Hugh had to declare bankruptcy while he struggled with alcoholism. Her mother decided to help writing popular contemporary romances. Soon, she became a prolific and successful romantic novelist, her books (under ten different pseudonyms) being brought out by several major publishers.