Miss Vera Elizabeth Claythorne was a sports mistress at a girls’ school. During the summer she had been hired as Secretary to a Una Owen on Soldier Island.
Role in the novel (warning; contains spoilers)
She was responsible for the death of Cyril Hamilton, a child in her care while she was a governess. Vera let him drown because, if Cyril died, Hugo Hamilton (Cyril’s uncle) inherited the money and then would have married Vera. However, when Hugo found out (unbeknownst to the police) he broke up with her.
Vera was invited to Soldier Island along with nine other people, and became increasingly distraught as each of them were murdered. After shooting Philip Lombard out of panic, she hung herself, as stated in the poem-- "One little soldier boy, left all alone / He went and hung himself and then there were none".
Portrayals
- 1945 - In the 1945 film Vera Claythorne was portrayed by June Duprez. In this adaptation she is accused of murdering her sister's fiancé.
- 1965 - In the 1965 film the character was renamed Ann Clyde and was portrayed by Shirley Eaton. She is accused of murdering her sister's fiancé.
- 1974 - In the 1974 film the character was renamed Vera Clyde and was portrayed by Elke Sommer. She is accuses her of having murdered her sister's fiancé.
- 1989 - In the 1989 film Vera Claythorne was portrayed by Sarah Maur Thorp.
- 2015 - In the 2015 BBC miniseries Vera Claythorne was portrayed by Maeve Dermody. In this version a sub-plot is added concerning an affair with Philip Lombard. This does not happen in the original novel.
