THE LATE MR. W. J. TURNER
WE deeply regret to announce the death of Mr. Walter Turner, Literary Editor of The Spectator, which took place last Monday, November 18th. Mr. Turner, who had lately returned, in appar- ently excellent health, from a late holiday in Devonshire, was seized with a cerebral haemorrhage on Tuesday of last week and died, as stated, last Monday without having regained consciousness. Though he had been Literary Editor of this journal only since 1942, he had by then established a recognised reputation as a peculiarly sensi- tive and sincere musical critic and a poet of a high order. He had also written plays—notably, The Man Who Ate the Popomack, which ran for some time at the Savoy in 1923—and was the author of many volumes of poems and several books on musical criticism. As Literary Editor he showed himself a conscientious and discern- ing reviewer and a wise selector of other reviewers. In the office no one could have been a more loyal and co-operative colleague. Mr. Turner, who was aged 57, was an Australian by birth, being the son of the late W. T. Turner, organist of St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral, Melbourne. Before joining The Spectator he had been musical critic of the New Statesman, dramatic critic of the London Mercury and Literary Editor of the Daily Herald. He was married but without children.
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