Bernard Keble Sandwell

Canadian editor and essayist

BK Sandwell

B. K. Sandwell in 1939, by Yousuf Karsh

Born|

Bernard Keble Sandwell

(1876-12-06)December 6, 1876

Ipswich, England

Died| December 7, 1954(1954-12-07) (aged 78)

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Nationality| Canadian
Alma mater| University of Toronto
Occupation(s)| Editor, essayist
Awards| Pierre Chauveau Medal

Bernard Keble Sandwell, or BK as he was more commonly known, (December 6, 1876 - December 7, 1954) was a Canadian author, and a magazine and newspaper editor, best known as the editor of Saturday Night (1932-1951).

## Early life

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Sandwell was born in Ipswich, England, to George Henry Sandwell, a congregationalist minister and Emily Johnson. He traveled to Canada where his father was posted, and attended Upper Canada College.[1] He remained in Canada when his father's mission ended, and attended the University of Toronto from 1893 to 1897, where he gained a BA in Classics.[2]

## Career

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On leaving university, Sandwell joined the staff at The Evening News in Toronto. He moved to Montreal in 1904 to write a drama column for the Montreal Herald.[3] He joined the Montreal Financial Times in 1911 as an associate editor and remained there until 1919, when he joined Stephen Leacock at McGill University as an assistant professor of economics.[2] Subsequently in 1923, Sandwell took the position of Head of English at Queen's University.

Sandwell was often called upon as a public speaker.[4] He made several speeches to the Empire Club of Canada throughout his career. He also wrote several books and was a frequent contributor to the Reader's Digest.

Returning to Toronto in 1931, Sandwell became the editor of Saturday Night in 1932, and made the magazine the mouthpiece of Canadian Liberalism until his retirement from the journal in 1951.[5]

A man with a prolific output, Sandwell in his later years appeared to increase his work rate. In 1944, he was appointed rector of Queen's University and in the same year he was appointed Governor of the CBC, a post held until 1947.

## Personal life and death

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Sandwell died in 1954 of lung cancer,[6] and was survived by his wife Marion Street Sandwell and a sister, Vera. His younger brother Captain Arnold Sandwell flew with the RNAS in World War I and served with the Royal Canadian Airforce until his death in 1940.

## Books

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* The Musical Red Book of Montreal (1907)
* The Privacity Agent and other modest proposals (1928)
* The Molson family (1933)
* The Diversions of Duchesstown and other essays (1955)
* The Canadian Peoples (1941)

## References

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1. ^ Lyn Harrington. Syllables of Recorded Time: The Story of the Canadian Authors Association 1921-1981. Dundurn; 1 August 1981. ISBN 978-1-4597-1362-8. p. 16–.
2. ^ a b Frederick W. Gibson. Queen's University: Volume II, 1917-1961: To Serve and Yet Be Free. MQUP; 1 October 1983. ISBN 978-0-7735-6080-2. p. 54–.
3. ^ Mary Baker McQuesten. The Life Writings of Mary Baker McQuesten: Victorian Matriarch. Wilfrid Laurier Univ. Press; 22 April 2004. ISBN 978-0-88920-437-9. p. 252–.
4. ^ Robert Craig Brown. Canada and the First World War: Essays in Honour of Robert Craig Brown. University of Toronto Press; 2005. ISBN 978-0-8020-8445-3. p. 323–.
5. ^ Ivana Caccia. Managing the Canadian Mosaic in Wartime: Shaping Citizenship Policy, 1939-1945. MQUP; 1 February 2010. ISBN 978-0-7735-9094-6. p. 17–.
6. ^ Anton Wagner. Establishing Our Boundaries: English-Canadian Theatre Criticism. University of Toronto Press; September 2010. ISBN 978-1-4426-1183-2. p. 197–.

## External links

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* Bernard Keble Sandwell at The Canadian Encyclopedia
* M. O. Hammond, Photographer: Bernard Keble Sandwell, August 27, 1933 at www.archives.gov.on.ca

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States
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Other|

* IdRef
* SNAC