Denys Val Baker
| Denys Val Baker | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | Denys Baker 24 October 1917 Poppleton, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 6 July 1984 (aged 66) Penzance |
| Pen name | David Eames, Henry Trevor, David Valentine |
| Occupation | novelist, journalist, short story writer, editor |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Genre | Autobiography, short story |
Denys Val Baker (24 October 1917 – 6 July 1984) was a Welsh writer, specialising in short stories, novels, and autobiography. He was also known for his activities as an editor, and promotion of the arts in Cornwall.
Born Denys Baker in Poppleton, York, North Riding of Yorkshire on 24 October 1917 where his father, Welsh born Valentine Henry Baker, was stationed as a pilot instructor during World War I. His mother was Dilys Eames, who was from Anglesey in North Wales and had played harp at the National Eisteddfod of 1901. He grew up in Sussex and eventually lived with his parents in Surbiton, then in Surrey, now in Greater London.
Val Baker was always proud of being of Celtic ancestry, and he considered himself to be more Welsh than English, and this was an influence in his writings.
A lifelong pacifist and vegetarian, he registered as a conscientious objector in June 1939, prior to World War II, and volunteered to join a group of some 200 COs sailing to Jersey in May 1940 to work on the tomato and potato harvests. The impending German invasion of the Channel Islands led to the return of half of the COs, including Val Baker. He became secretary of a pacifist community, Youth House, in Camden Town. and carried out rescue work in London during the Blitz.
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