Fortean Times

11. FREDERICK THE GREAT

rederick John Kempster was born in the London suburb of Bayswater in 1889, the second youngest boy in a large family. On Christmas Day 1897, his father, the milkman Joseph Kempster, died of asthma and bronchitis aged just 50, and his mother soon struggled to support her children. In September 1898, Fred and his younger brother George were placed in the care of

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Fortean Times

Fortean Times11 min read
Letters
CONTACT US BY POST: PO BOX 1200, WHITSTABLE CT1 9RH, OR E-MAIL SIEVEKING@FORTEANTIMES.COM PLEASE PROVIDE US WITH YOUR POSTAL ADDRESS On 20 December 2023, as I left our house [in Tennessee] at 3am to catch a long flight to Alaska to visit family, I st
Fortean Times2 min read
Why Fortean?
FORTEAN TIMES is a monthly magazine of news, reviews and research on strange phenomena and experiences, curiosities, prodigies and portents. It was founded by Bob Rickard in 1973 to continue the work of Charles Fort (1874–1932). Born of Dutch stock i
Fortean Times6 min read
The Kids Are Alright
Dir various, UK 1947-1980 BFI, £29.99 (DVD) “The Children’s Film Foundation had a Middle Earth level of complexity!” laughs British Film Institute stalwart Vic Pratt, curator of this latest collection of vintage kids’ flicks. “Everyone was working fo

Related