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At the Circulating Library

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

A Database of Victorian Fiction, 1837–1901

Author: William Fry Shannon

Author: William Fry Shannon (1869–1920)

Biography: William Fry Shannon was born in 1869 in Woolwich, the son of ship carpenter William Shannon and his wife Susanna. He become a bank clerk before joining the civil service in London. He rose through the ranks eventually becoming the superintendent of the Ministry of Pensions. Shannon wrote the single book, the story collection The Mess Deck (1899). He married twice and had a daughter with his second wife. His death on 15 January 1920 in London was a bit confounding: rushing for a train, he may have dropped his glasses and was hit by the train when he reached down for them. The coroner, however, ruled the death a suicide.

Author Tags:

References: British Census (1881, 1891, 1901, 1911); Probate; Westminster Gazette (24 January 1920)

Fiction Titles:

  1. The Mess Deck.  1 vol.  London: Lawrence and Bullen, 1899.