A WELL-KNOWN author from Sopley who wrote over 50 published books and war novels in her lifetime, has died aged 89.

Edna Dawes, who wrote under the pen names Emma Drummond and, more recently, Elizabeth Darrell, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in February and pass away in her home on the morning on Friday November 20.

Edna was born into a large military family and, as her father was a member of the British Army, she used her own personal experiences as inspiration for her many novels.

Barbara Donovan, Edna’s daughter, said: “She was dedicated to her books.

“She wrote over 50 published books in all different languages and had them made into audio books and large print books as well.

“Two years ago, she was number on in the list of most popular eBooks in Australia.

“A lot of them were war novels, and later on she started writing a military detective’s series, written in the same sort of style at Foyle’s War.”

Having published a book as recently as last year, Edna was contracted to write a book when she got her diagnosis in February, which led to her stopping her writing.

Having spent her early childhood in Hong Kong, where her father was stationed, she married a senior British Civil Servant and eventually became an officer in the army in the Women's Royal Army Corps before becoming a full-time writer.

Edna loved to live her books and gain first-hand experience related to her books. Some of her experiences includes going down a gold mine, flying in a Chinnock and visiting Royal Air Force Odiham in Hampshire.

A very family orientated person, Edna also decided to feature her granddaughter Jenny in one of her most well-known books The Savage Sky, set in Florida in 1941.

Barbara added: “My father died 27 years ago and after that she threw herself into her books.”

“I own a business called Joseph Bear which is a crocheting business for people to make their own designs with kits provides by us.

“She started to write stories about Joseph Bear to go along with the crocheting sets that I had made

“I have a show on Hochanda, the crafts channel, every six weeks and whilst on there, I take a Joseph Bear toy and a some of the books she wrote about him.

As her condition worsened in the last few weeks, Edna wished to spend her last moments in her home in Sopley, a wish which her daughter Barbara was able to grant, thanks to the Marie Curie nurses.

“Her wish was that she wanted to be at home in her dying moments and I managed to keep her promise, with the help of her Marie Curie nurses.

“They came in to help her four times a day, to make her comfortable and to give her a bit of company,” Barbara said.

“They really are fantastic and made her last moments with us as pleasant and comfortable as possible.”