Peggie Cannam

Peggie Cannam wrote full-time, but before that worked as a nurse in a children’s hospital, in an office, and in the Women’s Landy Army for three years. After the war, she worked on poultry farms, but then moved to Jersey where she carried on in agricultural work. Her books did not pay her enough to live on all the time, so she would do whatever came along to keep the wolf from the door: type, work in shops, can tomatoes or pick potatoes!

One of her books, Hoof Beats, is autobiographical, and I quote the blurb below:

“This is the story of four friends – two girls, Peggie and Tim, and their ponies, Firefly and Sherry. At first the 2 girls had to share Peggie’s pony, Firefly, purchased cheaply from a benevolent horse dealer, whose horses the girls used to ride. When only Firefly occupied the field, one of the girls had to accompany the other on a bicycle when they went riding, but at last came the wonderful day when Firefly was joined by Sherry. From that time on, adventures for the four friends were abundant.

A pony club called the ‘Stirrup’ was their first enterprise. Although somewhat haphazard in organisation, they managed to produce several gymkhanas and had a club photograph taken at which a large number of vain young people turned up who were less enthusiastic supporters of the more strenuous events. Adventures were not confined to the Stirrup Club. With their ponies, Peggie and Tim rode, hunted and camped, sleeping in hammocks and battling with dew-soaked wood to light the fire which they so badly needed in the early hours of the morning.”