Chink: Literary Friendships
Eric O'Gowan (Dorman-Smith)/Chink
Literary Friendships: Ernest Hemingway and Daphne du Maurier
By Elizabeth Thompson
Eric Dorman-Smith, known as Chink, during his time in the British Army
We are delighted to bring you this brilliantly researched article about Eric Dorman-Smith, nicknamed Chink, who later changed his name to Eric O'Gowan. The article was written by Elizabeth Thompson, an extremely knowledgeable Daphne du Maurier enthusiast and a regular attendee of the du Maurier Fowey Literary Festival.
In Elizabeth's article, she discusses Chink's friendships with two literary greats, Ernest Hemingway and Daphne du Maurier. In doing so, she provides us with a fascinating article packed with facts about Chink, Hemingway and du Maurier, including much that many people will be quite unaware of.
It has long been believed that Daphne du Maurier's short story, A Border-Line Case, was in some way connected to Chink. In this article, you will find the truth behind this belief, detailed information about where the story's inspiration came from, and how the story evolved from fact to fiction. Along the way, you will also discover Chink's role in Daphne's marriage to Frederick Browning, known as Tommy by family and Boy by his colleagues.
To read the article, please click here: https://www.dumaurier.org/data/uploads/2291_34935812.pdf
We thank Elizabeth for allowing us to publish her article on the Daphne du Maurier website.
© Elizabeth Thompson, March 2026.