Walter Christmas

Walter Christmas-Dirckinck-Holmfeld (10 February 1861–18 March 1924), commonly known as Walter Christmas or Captain Christmas, was a Danish author, naval officer, diplomat, and spy for MI6. Today, he is best known for his children's books. He also wrote novels, nonfictional accounts, and theatrical works. Many of his early works were inspired by his experiences traveling as a naval officer.

He began an extensive military career at the age of 14, serving in the Danish Navy, then later the Royal Thai Navy and the Greek Navy. While stationed in Siam he was involved in the Paknam incident wherein he disobeyed the orders of his commander, Andreas du Plessis de Richelieu. He was discharged as a result. He then served in the Greek Navy before returning to the Danish Navy in 1914. In 1916, he was again forced to resign following the revelation of his collusion with MI6.

Alongside his military career, Christmas was involved in several attempts to sell the Danish West Indies to various nations. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and resulted in a congressional investigation into claims that he attempted to bribe members of the United States government. When the islands were later sold in 1916, he was decorated as a member of the Order of the Dannebrog for his earlier diplomatic efforts. His father, Walter Edmund Christmas (1834–1916), was of English descent through his grandfather, Captain John Christmas Smith. Walter Edmund was a chamberlain, hofjægermester, and lieutenant colonel. He was decorated as a Knight of the Danneborg, a member of the Legion of Honour, the Order of St. Stanislaus, and the Order of the Sword. Walter Christmas was one of the family's six children, along with: John Carl Constant Beresford (b. 1860), Tusky Sophie Malvina Mary (b. 1862), Selma Johanne (b. 1865), Edward (b. 1867), and Ellen (b. 1868).

On 29 July 1886, Christmas married Ragnhild Jutta Aja Weber. She was the daughter of wholesale merchant Theobald Weber and Sophie Emilie Meldola. Walter and Ragnhild took several trips to the West Indies and South America during their marriage. The couple divorced on 7 February 1898, and he was remarried to Ellen Margrethe Vilhelmine Margrethe Hansen on 8 August 1898. Ellen had divorced her first husband, a merchant in Berlin named Alexander Cunliffe Owen, on the same day as Walter's divorce: 7 February 1898.

Christmas had two daughters. Aja Sigrid Ellen was born on 12 April 1889.

Military career

Christmas joined the Danish navy as a cadet at the age of 14. In 1883, he was appointed as a lieutenant, and the next year he was promoted to the rank of second lieutenant. In 1885, Christmas was a member of J.A.D. Jensen's expedition to Greenland on board the steam gunboat Fylla. In 1890 he traveled along the Amazon River with the intention of establishing a Danish shipping route. However, he was unable to find an investor in his project and the route was instead taken over by German shipowners.

As a result of his engagement in the conflict, Christmas was discharged from the navy and recalled to Denmark. In his defence, he sent the ministry of the Danish Navy a report containing "some minor criticisms" of their presence in Siam. This report was then widely distributed to the public in a 1893 publication of Nationaltidende. The report argued that although there had been armed conflict, the Paknam incident did not constitute a war, and thus he had not disobeyed his orders. There is speculation that several other criticisms of the Navy in Siam were also written by Christmas. His book about his experience, A year in Siam, was published after his return to Denmark in 1894. He rejoined the Danish Navy in 1914 at the rank of captain. He was again forced to resign in 1916, reportedly because of complications with severe rheumatism. However, his resignation coincided with the revelation of his collaboration with MI6 while stationed in Skagen, and is likely the primary reason for his departure from the navy.

He was later in contact with U.S. Secretary of State John Hay and President William McKinley as part of long standing negotiations to sell the islands to the United States. Christmas was again unsuccessful, and he was later accused of attempting to bribe several congressmen and other U.S. officials with up to $500,000 to facilitate the purchase. These allegations against him arose from the financial gains he stood to make from a successful deal between the nations, as he had expected a commission of 10% on the sale price. In 1902, the U.S. House Of Representatives voted unanimously to investigate these claims, and a committee was appointed by the Speaker of the House which held several hearings. He was ultimately acquitted, and no charges were made against the officials who had allegedly taken bribes.

An agreement between the United States and Denmark was reached in 1916, and the U.S. Virgin Islands officially became part of the country in 1917. Christmas was decorated as a member of the Order of the Dannebrog in 1916, apparently for his diplomatic efforts. This was apparently in reference to Christmas' work as the King's personal biographer. The head of the MI6 station in Athens, Compton Mackenzie, wrote in his memoir Greek Memories of his encounters with Christmas:"...a fantastic half-pay Danish sea-captain turned up in Athens with credentials from Alexandria. I was instructed to give him every facility to look round and also to let him send telegrams in our cipher under the name of Brutus. His real name was Christmas! He actually secured an audience of the King and immediately afterwards telegraphed to London a ridiculous account of the situation in Athens which I, who was not allowed to communicate directly with London, could only counter by a telegram of protest to Alexandria. On top of this he discovered all by himself a supposed submarine base at Laurium, and once again this wretched nonsense was disseminated in telegrams. Finally Sir Francis protested against this irresponsible old man of the sea’s sojourn any longer in Athens at the expense of the British Government, and he wandered off again. To look back after twenty-three years at Captain Christmas is to make me as sceptical of his real existence as of the existence of Santa Claus. Indeed, if I did not possess references to him in letters I should fancy that I had read about him in Hans Andersen’s fairy tales." Christmas had been the Naval officer overseeing operations at the northernmost point of mainland Denmark, Skagen, from 1914 until 1916.

Authorship Christmas' headstone in Garrison Cemetery, Copenhagen which describes him as "the author Walter Christmas". Walter Christmas published approximately 30 plays, novels, and short-stories in addition to a biography and series of memoirs. He published his first book in 1892 while in Thailand, titled Amazonfloden, erindringer og skildringer (English: Amazon River, memories and depictions) about his journey on the Amazon river.

Christmas is credited with popularizing Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in Denmark. He had seen William Gillette's production Sherlock Holmes several times in 1899 while attempting to sell the Danish West Indies to the United States. He took extensive notes on Gillette's production which he then largely copied and reproduced in Denmark under the same title. Christmas' production of Sherlock Holmes debuted in 1901 in Copenhagen and was soon taken up by traveling acts which toured Denmark for several years. These traveling acts paid him for performance rights, despite the reality that the play was a copy of Gillette's, for which Christmas never gave him credit. Danish intellectual property laws of the time initially took no issue with this obvious case of piracy, though by 1903 Denmark had signed the Berne Convention and Christmas was forced to become more cautious.

Christmas was a member of the Danish Writers Guild's board of directors.

Selected bibliography All of Christmas' works were originally published by Gyldendal, with the exception of Fejl Kurs, a novel manuscript which was posthumously published by Hasselbalchs Forlag. The works are listed below.

Amazonfloden, Erindringer og skildringer, 1892 Et Aar i Siam, 1894 Maïma: Novellistiske Forsøg, 1895 Kærlighedens ret, 1895 Sherlock Holmes, 1901 Peder Most, 1901 Frits Banner, 1902 Fremtidslande, 1903 Styrmand Most, (Peder Most series) 1903 Kong Peder, (Peder Most series) 1904 En lektion: Komedie i fire Akter, 1905 På Livet løs, (Peder Most series) 1906 Skærsild: Skuespile i fire Akter 1906 Smaa Helte, 1907 Guldminen Malibran, 1908 Rivaler: Lystspil i fire Akter, 1908 Eventyrblomstren, 1909 Millionærdrengen, 1909 Under Tropesol, 1909 Svend Spejder, 1911 Karusellen, 1912 Annelise, 1912 King George of Greece (Danish: Kong Georg I, Prins af Danmark) 1913 Dødningehovedet, 1915 Peder Most paa Krigsstien, (Peder Most series) 1921 , 1923 Krydstogt gennem livet: Med skum om Bov!, 1923 Fejl Kurs, 1927