Harry Kay

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Harold 'Harry' Kay was a UK fan from Staines to the west of London active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a member of the Science Fiction Association and was its librarian. He was also a member of the British Fantasy Society. He attended the Third British Convention in London. In a letter to the original edition of Then, Eric C. Williams spoke of 'Harry Kay, who outclassed "Ego' for egoism but never flagged despite all the chaff he received.'

Fantast #3 (June 1939) carried an article 'On Conscription' bylined 'An Anonymous Medical Student'. This was later revealed to be Kay. Subsequent issues carried several reactions.

Kay largely dropped out of fandom after the outbreak of the Second World War. In Gargoyle #3 (December 1940) the columnist 'Centaur' (David McIlwain) announced that Harry Kay was dead and then at its conclusion said 'Mr. Kay is still alive, and apologise for any inconvenience caused.' In June 1942 Sid Birchby wondered in the pages of Futurian War Digest:

WHERE IS HARRY KAY? Comeback you absconding sawbones! What have you done with the SFA library?

He was to reappear in Futurian War Digest #31 in October 1943

Return of a wanderer - who is none other than Harry Kay, erstwhile S.F.A. librarian and member of the executive committee Harry has been extremely busy with his medical course, Home Guard, first aiding during blitzes, & moreover unfortunate in having several letters to onetime prominent fans returned marked unknown, when he tried to contact people. Now, however, he is back in fandom and has joined the BFS, about whose possible post-war relations with the SFA he writes at length. Unfortunately there isn't room in this Fido, and much of the matter has been gone over before. He emphasizes that the SFA, like the BFS, does not want to set up two rival establishments in Anglofandom, and that some form of union betwixt the two organisations is essential. Re the SFA Library, tis intact, but Harry has not the power to dispose of, or loan it in any way, at the moment.

In the 17th bulletin of the British Fantasy Society, Carnell reported:

Harry Kay, the SFA Librarian, has suggested to us that this considerable collection of books and magazines which was left in his care at the outbreak of the war when the SFA suspended its activities might well be made use of by the BFS, an offer for which we are all most grateful. In considering this matter it occurred to me that libraries, being material things, are likely to be of greater duration than societies, which are subject to many diseases. The remainder of the Executive Committee agreeing. we have therefor suggested to the Cosmos Club, who possess a very considerable library too, that all three libraries, BFS, CC, and SFA, be combined and placed under the care of a board of trustees made up of the best-established fans of the country with a view to maintaining it as a permanent body irrespective of the rise and fall of societies. 

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