Painting of Martin Booth

Painting of Martin Booth [likely by Jean Overton Fuller, poet, biographer and theosophist].

Jean Violet Overton Fuller was born 7 March 1915, the daughter of Captain John Henry Fuller, officer in the Indian army (d 1914), and Violet Overton Fuller, artist (d 1967). She graduated from the University of London with a degree in English, acted in repertory theatre and, during World War II, worked for the Postal Censorship office in London. Like her mother, Fuller was a keen painter. She trained at the Academie Julien in Paris and went on to exhibit as an artist and to illustrate her own books. Her first literary work to be published was a volume of poetry (Unwin Brothers, 1942) and she continued to have poems published throughout her life, predominantly through Fuller d'Arch Smith Ltd (F d'AS) and Martin Booth's 'Sceptre Press'.

Fuller came to public attention with the publication of her first biographical work in which she told the story of her friend, and former neighbour, the British Special Operations (SOE) agent, Noor Inayat Khan released under the title of her code name, 'Madeleine', in 1952 (later 'Born for sacrifice' 1957 and 'Noor-un-nisa Inayat Khan: (Madelaine): George Cross, MBE, Croix de Guerre with Gold Star' 1971). This was followed by further works relating to the activities of the SOE in France during World War II for which she actively pursued her subject matter through personal interviews and correspondence including conversing with the controversial Henri Déricourt (1909-1962), an SOE officer alleged to have passed information to the Germans.

Her literary works reflect her own personal and professional interests and beliefs and include biographies of poets, Percy Bysshe Shelley, Algernon Charles Swinburne and Victor Benjamin Neuberg, and author, philosopher and statesman, Sir Francis Bacon. Like Neuberg, she wrote on the subjects of theosophy, spiritualism and the occult; she was a regular contributor to the periodical, 'Theosophical History' and wrote a biography of the occultist and co-founder of the Theosophical Society, Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (c1988). She did not shy away from controversial subjects in which she believed as evidenced again in 1990 with the publication of a book in which she identifies the artist, Walter Richard Sickert, as 'Jack the Ripper'.

She died 8 April 2009, two years after the publication of the memoirs which were her final literary work.

Published works: 'My love to thee: poems written to H. H.' (London; Woking: Unwin Brothers, 1942); 'Madeleine: the story of Noor Inayat Khan' (London: Gollancz, 1952); 'The Starr affair' (London, 1954); 'Double webs: light on the secret agents' war in France' (London: Putnam, 1958); 'Double Agent?' (London, 1961); 'Horoscope for a double agent ("Gilbert")' (London: the author, 1961); 'Venus protected: and other poems' (London: Outpost publications, 1964); 'The magical dilemma of Victor Neuburg: a biography' (London: W. H. Allen, 1965); 'Carthage and the midnight sun' (London, 1966); 'Shelley: a biography' (London: Cape, 1968); 'Swinburne: a critical biography' (London: Chatto and Windus, 1968); 'Silver planet for Timothy D'Arch Smith: a poem' (Frensham: Martin Booth, c 1969); 'The sun's cart: a poem' (Martin Booth/Sceptre Press, c 1969); 'Darun and Pitar' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1970); 'Tintagel' (Frensham: Sceptre Press, c 1970); 'Gilby' (Sceptre Press, 1972); 'African Violets, etc' (London: Manifold, 1972); 'Conversations with a captor' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1973); 'The German penetration of SOE: France, 1941-1944' (William Kimber, 1975); 'Shiva's dance' by Helene Bouvard and JOF (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, 1979); 'Prophecy from Helen' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, 1979); 'The norn' (Knotting: Sceptre Press, [1979]); 'Francis Bacon, a biography' (London: East-West Publications, 1981); 'Meeting the snowy north again: poems' by Martin Booth and JOF (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, 1982);
'The prophet' by Aleksandr Sergeevich Pushkin (1799-1837) and JOF (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1983); 'The great adventure of the much-travelled little oak-tree' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, c 1984); 'Between the wishbone of the Hyades and the little plough of Pleides' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, c 1985); 'The mystical tale of two hens' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, c 1985); 'The new arrival' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, c 1987); 'Bambina' (Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1988); 'Blavatsky and her teachers' (East-West in association with The Theosophical Publishing House, c 1988); 'Dericourt: the chequered spy' (Salisbury: Michael Russell, 1989); 'The Nightingale' (Fuller d'Arch Smith, [1989]; 'The passing of Bambina and, The coming of Chalcedony' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1990); 'Sickert and the Ripper crimes: an investigation into the relationship between the Whitechapel murders of 1888 and the English tonal painter Walter Richard Sickert' (Oxford: Mandrake, 1990); 'Leo and America' (London: Fuller D'Arch Smith, 1992); 'Cats and other immortals' (Rushden: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1992); 'Cats and burglars' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1993); 'The secret guardian' (Rushden: Fuller d'Arch Smith, [1994?]);
'The bombed years: poems' (Higham Ferrers: Greylag in association with Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1995); 'Tinta's toe' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1995); 'Plecotus auritus' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1995); 'Watching the moon walk: a poem, picture and setting in A flat' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1997);
'The psychism of Leo: or More often than by chance' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1998); 'A trail of hens' feet' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 1999); 'Lime hawk, Weevil and Frog' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 2000); 'Of space, size and time in infinity' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 2001); 'Two poems conceived in the garden' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 2002); 'Espionage as a fine art' by Henri Dericourt and JOF (Norwich: Russell, 2002); 'Krishnamurti and the wind: an integral biography' (London: Theosophical Publishing House, 2003); 'The wasp and the slug' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 2004);
'Four poems for my cat and chicken' (London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, c 2005); 'Driven to it: an autobiography' (Norwich: Michael Russell, c 2007)

Sources: Guardian obituaries: Jean Overton Fuller by Roderick Bailey, 18 May 2009, available online at http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/may/18/obituary-jean-overton-fuller (accessed 19 December 2012); website of the periodical, ' Theosophical History', available online at http://www.theohistory.org/description-of-issues/desc_XIV.html (accessed 19 December 2012) and the records.

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