Ernest Thesiger Autograph Page Mounted

Ernest Frederic Graham Thesiger, CBE (15 January 1879 – 14 January 1961) was an English stage and film actor. He is noted for his performance as Doctor Septimus Pretorius in James Whale’s film, Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

After the outbreak of World War I, on 31 August 1914, he volunteered with the British Army’s Territorial Force, enlisting into the 2nd Battalion of the 9th London Regiment (Queen Victoria’s Rifles), as Rifleman No.2546 at its Regimental Headquarters in London’s West End. After training in England for three months, he was sent to the Western Front in late 1914 with the Q.V.R.’s 1st Battalion.

On 1 January 1915, he was wounded in the trenches, and medically evacuated back to England. His interest in needlework had begun with buying and repairing pieces of historical embroidery with his brother in law William Ranken whilst in France. After the incident in a barn explosion, his hands had been damaged and on return home, despite the Ministry of Pensions declaring it “too effeminate an occupation for men”, Thesiger developed small sewing kits for soldiers similarly injured to provide activity and pain relief. This became The Disabled Soldiers’ Embroidery Industry, 42 Ebury Street, London. As Honorary Secretary Cross-Stitch, Thesiger was convinced that needlework could improve injured men’s morale and earn some money, as he also obtained commissions, including an altar frontal for private use in Buckingham Palace.

In 1960, Thesiger was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). He was Vice Patron of the Embroiderers Guild. His last film appearance was a small role in The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone (1962). Shortly after completing it, Thesiger died in his sleep from natural causes on the eve of his 82nd birthday. His body was buried in Brompton Cemetery in London.