Lillian Beckwith (1916–2004)

Mrs Comber – who wrote under the name Lillian Beckwith – lived in Kirk Michael with her husband Ted and was famous for writing novels based on her life in the Hebrides.

Her daughter Betty Hopson, who lives in Ballaugh, said her mother was born Lillian Lloyd, in Cheshire, in 1916. She married Ted Comber in 1937 and the couple moved to the Isle of Skye in 1942. 'They bought a croft and her books were based on hers and Ted's experiences while living there. The Hills Is Lonely was published in October, 1959.'

The family moved to the Isle of Man in 1962. When she came here in the 1960s, she and her friend Muffett Tarrant founded the Peel Pantomaniacs,' said Mrs Hopson.

'She wrote the scripts to the pantomimes, they were very original interpretations of traditional stories, with a very local emphasis, lots of in-jokes. She directed as well.'

Mr and Mrs Comber were involved with fund-raising for the World Wildlife Fund and Mrs Comber loved beach combing, poetry, entertaining and cooking. She was gifted and complex and ordinary. She was quite famous but she didn't want to flaunt it over here, she just wanted to be Mrs Comber.