Sandy Sanderson

(December 15, 1931 – May 12, 1993)

Sandy Sanderson at Loncon, 1957. Photo by Norman Shorrock.

Harold Peter "Sandy" Sanderson was a 1950s UK fan and editor. He is primarily remembered for the hoax he perpetuated with his creation of the Joan W. Carr persona, and then for his role in the love triangle of Inchmery Fandom.

Sanderson was from Manchester, UK and joined the Nor'west Science Fantasy Club group in 1952, apparently soon helping run the Mancon. He was an Army Sergeant (which explains his military-style, surname-abbreviating nickname), and after learning of the Tucker Death Hoax, started thinking of something in reverse. In 1953–6 was deployed to Egypt, whence he did fanac by mail (and occasional furloughs), providing him with an ideal opportunity to create a fictive femmefan in his unit's women's auxiliary.

After he returned to a desk job in the War Office, Sanderson became a lodger in the home of Joy and Vin¢ Clarke, with whom he had become close during the hoax. Together they created the intensely prolific Inchmery Fandom. At some point, he and Joy began an affair, and in early June 1960, she dumped Vin¢ to marry and move to the US with Sanderson. (Vin¢ Clarke retained custody of their 18-month daughter, Nicki.)

Sanderson was running for TAFF in the midst of this, but the 1960 TAFF Race was won by Eric Bentcliffe, with whom he had feuded – Sanderson placed last out of three. However the deadline was on 15 June, so the starting bad publicity due to the breakup could not have influenced the results much (certainly not the July Ex-Inchmery Fan Diary, Vin¢’s embittered acusing gafiation letter substitute). The running tallies show that Sanderson was by far the least popular in Britain consistently throughout all spring, even though he had a slight lead in the US. (Perhaps he was one of those people who are better through zine than in person? Or did his ambitious drive to victory rub his compatriots the wrong way?)

Sanderson and Joy moved to New York with help from WSFS, Inc. backers Belle and Frank Dietz. After that, their traces weaken. Lynch's obituary said:

Sandy's involvement with fandom diminished [in the U.S.] His last convention appearance was the 1981 Worldcon in Denver, but he continued to show up from time to time in the letters column of a few fanzines, and maintained his interest in fandom right up until his death.

More Reading:

• Obituary by Dick Lynch in File 770 98 (June 1993, p. 8). Contains largely retelling of the Carr affair in quotes from Wealth of Fable
• Photo on page 150 of Harry Warner's A Wealth of Fable (SCIFI, 1992).

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Aporrheta [1958–60]
• Clause [1957–9?], for FAPA
• Femizine [1954–5/6, as Joan W. Carr]
• Goontact [1957] – one-off spoof 1st April "№ 13" with Vincent Clarke (editor), Joy Clarke and Chuch Harris, OMPA and FAPA postmailing

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Person

1931—1993

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