Rosamund Dashwood was the daughter of celebrated English writer E. M. Delafield, and was one of the top female masters runners in Canadian history.
Background
Dashwood was born in 1924 to Major Arthur Paul Dashwood, an engineer who built the massive docks in Hong Kong Harbour, and E.M. Delafield, the bestselling author who wrote over forty novels and screenplays, including Diary of a Provincial Lady.
Education
After the war, she attended Somerville College and met Leslie Truelove, whom she married.
Career
During World World War II, she joined the WAAF and worked with the newly invented and still top secret RADAR. The couple had four sons: Paul, Simon, Patrick, and Michael. She died on April 3, 2007, at the age of 83, in Squamish, British Columbia, Canada. In 1961, Dashwood published, a light-hearted continuation of her mother"s work.
Stylistically similar to Diary of a Provincial Lady, is Dashwood"s semi-autobiograhical account of domestic life in the 1950s.
In the foreword to the novel, Dashwood wrote:
lieutenant seemed natural to write it in the same idiom, but if the result seems to any reader too imitative, or even plagiaristic, I can only ask their forgiveness, as the original Provincial Lady would, I am sure, most warmly have given hers. The novel was a success and was re-issued in 2002 by Virago.
Despite her late start, she went on to have a remarkable career in which she set numerous age-class world records and Canadian records. Highlights of her career include setting the world record for the fastest 10K by a woman aged 65 or older at 46:18, and winning four gold medals at the World Seniors" Games.
A talented cyclist and swimmer as well, she completed several triathlons.
She also competed in relay triathlons, often with teammates who were many years younger. She continued to run into her seventies.