Claude was born in Chelmsford, Essex in 1889, the son of George H. Abbott, a butcher, and his wife Mary, nee Neal.
He became a schoolmaster and in 1930 lectured in English at
the University of Aberdeen where, while researching the work of the Scottish
philosopher James Beattie, he discovered a manuscript of James Boswell’s
journal written in London 1762 – 1763, which was previously presumed to have
been destroyed.
Claude wrote about and edited the work of many notable poets
as well as publishing his own poetry.
During WW1 he joined the Artists’ Rifles as a Private. His WW1 poetry collections include:
‘Collected Poems 1918 – 1958’, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1963
‘Poems’, Blackwell, 1921
‘The Sand Castle, and other poems’, Cape, 1946
‘Youth and Age (poems)’, Sidgwick & Jackson, 1918
Sources: Reilly, Catherine W. ‘English Poetry of the
First World War A Bibliography’ (St. Martin’s Press, New York, 1978)