Claire Rayner

Claire Berenice Rayner OBE née Chetwynd; (22 January 1931 – 11 October 2010) was an English nurse, journalist, broadcaster and novelist, best known for her role for many years as an agony aunt. Her birth was registered as Claire B Berkovitch in Stepney Registration District of London. Her father was Percy Berkovitch, although he was know by the names last names of Berk, Brandon and Chetwynd (changed by deed-poll), a tailor, who changed his first name to Peter. Her mother's name was Betty A Dion.

Her autobiography How Did I Get Here from There? was published in 2003, and revealed details of a childhood marred by physical and mental cruelty at the hands of her parents. After the family emigrated to Canada, in 1945 she was placed in a psychiatric hospital by her parents, and treated for 15 months for a thyroid defect. She returned to Britain on her own in 1951 and never saw her parents again.

Claire married her husband Desmond ("Des") Rayner in 1957. They had three children together:

• writer and food critic Jay Rayner,
• electronics reviewer, angling and motoring journalist Adam Rayner and
• events manager Amanda Rayner.

She was a prolific author of both fiction and non-fiction.

Fiction

Performers

• Gower Street (1973)
• The Haymarket (1974)
• Paddington Green (1975)
• Soho Square (1976)
• Bedford Row (1977)
• Long Acre (1978)
• Charing Cross (1979)
• The Strand (1980)
• Chelsea Reach (1982)
• Shaftsbury Avenue (1983)
• Piccadilly (1985)
• Seven Dials (1986)

Poppy Chronicles

• Jubilee (1987)
• Flanders (1988)
• Flapper (1988)
• Blitz (1988)
• Festival (1988)
• Sixties (1988)

George Barnabas

• First Blood (1993)
• Second Opinion (1994)
• Third Degree (1995)
• Fourth Attempt (1996)
• Fifth Member (1997) Quentin Quartet
• London Lodgings (1994)
• Paying Guests (1995) Novels
• The House on the Fen (1967)
• Lady Mislaid (1968)
• Death on the Table (1969)
• The Meddlers (1970)
• A Time to Heal (1972)
• The Burning Summer (1972)
• Reprise (1980)
• The Running Years (1981)
• The Enduring Years (1982)
• Trafalgar Square (1982)
• Family Chorus (1984)
• The Virus Man (1985)
• Sisters (1986)
• Lunching at Laura's (1986)
• Woman (1986)
• Maddie (1988)
• Children's Ward, the Lonely One, Private Wing (1988)
• Starch of Aprons (1990)
• Postscripts (1991)
• Dangerous Things (1993)
• The Final Year (1993)
• Cottage Hospital (1993)
• Company (1993)
• The Doctors of Downlands (1994)
• Nurse in the Sun (1994)
• The Lonely One (1995)
• Children's Ward (1995)
• The Private Wing (1996)
• The Legacy (1997)
• The Inheritance (1998) Non fiction
• What Happens in Hospital (1963)
• Essentials of Outpatient Nursing (1967)
• One Hundred and One Facts an Expectant Mother Should Know (1967)
• For Children (1967)
• Housework the Easy Way (1967)
• One Hundred and One Key Facts on Baby Care (1967)
• Shall I Be a Nurse? (1967)
• People in Love: Modern Guide to Sex in Marriage (1968)
• Parent's Guide to Sex Education (1968)
• Woman's Medical Dictionary (1971)
• About Sex (1972)
• When to Call the Doctor: What to Do Whilst Waiting (1972)
• Child Care (1973)
• Shy Person's Book (1973)
• Where Do I Come from?: Answers to a Child's Questions About Sex (1974)
• Independent Television's Kitchen Garden (1976)
• Atlas of the Body and Mind (1976)
• Claire Rayner Answers Your 100 Questions on Pregnancy (1977)
• Family Feelings: Understanding Your Child from 0 to 5 (1977)
• Body Book (1978)
• Related to Sex: Talking About Sexual Feelings within Your Family (1979)
• Independent Television's Greenhouse Gardening (1979)
• Everything Your Doctor Would Tell You If He Had the Time (1980)
• Baby and Young Child Care: A Practical Guide to Parents of Children Aged 0–5 Years (1981)
• Growing Pains and How to Avoid Them (1984)
• Marriage Guide (1984)
• The Getting Better Book (1985)
• Claire Rayner's Lifeguide: A Commonsense Approach to Modern Living (1985)
• When I Grow Up (1986)
• Safe Sex (1987)
• The Don't Spoil Your Body Book (1989)
• Clinical Judgements (1989)
• Life and Love and Everything (1993)
• Grandparenting Today: Making the Most of Your Grandparenting Skills With Grandchildren of All Ages (1997)
• How Did I Get Here from There? (2003)

Births Mar 1931

• Berkovitch Claire B Dion Stepney 1c 233

Sources, References and Further Reading

• BBC Obituary
• Obituary - The Independent
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claire_Rayner

https://heritage.humanists.uk/claire-rayner/

• Guardian Obituary
• Telegraph Obituary
• Mail Online Obituary