Lambeth Fantastical - January 2026

May Wynne and the Message from Mars

Mabel Winifred Knowles was born in Streatham on New Year's Day 1875. Her father was a merchant banker. Her first book was published when she was 24. 'Life's Object, Some Thoughts for Young Girls', included the advice not to give attention to mawkish love stories, which turned out to be somewhat ironic as romance was the central theme of a good number of the 200 novels she published in her lifetime.

Under the pen name May Wynne she pioneered two of the common tropes which would become staples in girl's fiction in the 20th century. The Girls' boarding school story in novels such as Peggy’s First Term (1922) and The Girls of Old Grange School (1924). And the pony story with The Story of Heather (1912) and its follow ups which are told from the perspective of the horse, in a similar vein to Anna Sewall's Black Beauty.

Earlier in her career she wrote under other pen names. Historical swashbuckling fiction, such as 'The Honour of Bayard' and 'A Robin Hood of France', as Michael Kaye. And adventure stories as Mark Winchester, 'Lord of the Lonely Isle' and 'The Secret Trail'.

Under the name Lester Lurgan she published detective and mystery novels, including 'The League of the Triangle' (1911) and 'Bohemian Blood' (1910). It was under this pen name that she was commissioned to write a novelisation of 'A Message From Mars' in 1912. 'A Message From Mars' started of life as an 1899 stage play by Richard Ganthory. It was a huge success, running for 500 performances in the West End, and touring America as well as Australia and New Zealand, where it was made into a short silent movie by director Franklyn Barrett in 1903.

The plot centres on Ramiel who commits a crime which results in him being expelled from Martian society and exiled to Earth. In order to redeem himself and be accepted back on Mars he must show Horace Parker, a wealthy but extremely selfish man, the error of his ways. Like the ghosts in 'A Christmas Carol' Ramiel leads Parker down the road to redemption and this redeems himself providing grounds for the pardon that allows him to return to Mars.

Under Ramiel's supernartural influence Parker makes ammends with a tramp he had treated with distain ealier in the plot, rescues a poor woman and her children from a house fire, inviting them to stay at his apartment, and rekindles his engagement to his previously hard put upon fiancee. Thus remeemed Ramiel returns in triumph to Mars where he is pardoned for his crimes and welcomed back into the fold of Martian society.

A year after the Lester Lurgan novelisation 'A Message From Mars' made into a British silent film, directed by J Wallet Waller and starring the cast from the stage play, Charles Hawtrey as Parker and E. Holman Clark as Ramiel. The film used trick photography to depict the fururistic powers and gagetry of the Martians such as thought tranferance and teleportation and the type of glass stelar observation device HG Wells had depicted in 'The Cystal Egg' (1897). The Martian's Romanesque / knights Templar futuristic costumes foreshadowed what would later become a common trope in scifi matinee serials such as Flash Gordon. When the film was released special editions of Mabel's novelisation could be purchased with a set of stills from the film. The film was restored by the BFI in 2014 and it is recogised as the first full length British scifi film. It's also been shown on Talking Pictures TV.

A third Message from Mars film was made in America in 1921 by Metro Picures, one of the predecessor studios to MGM (Metro - Goldwyn - Mayer) and directed by Maxwell Karger, Metro's founder. 

From 1924 until her death in 1949, Mabel Knowles led the St Luke’s Mission Church in the Victoria Docks area of West Ham, East London. Known locally as the 'Angel of Custom House', she was described as being a tall, austere figure, dressed in a battered felt hat and carrying a basket from which she handed out butter, cheese, and other necessities to those in need. She used the proceeds from her prolofic literary output as a professional writer to personally finance her missionary activities.

If you are interested in the history of fantastical cinema from the silent era up until the Hammer movies of the 70s and beyond why not join me on my 'History of Horror' walking tour. The next scheduled date is at 12.30 on Saturday 24th January, starting at Charing Cross station. 

Details here - History of Horror Walk