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User:Magnoliasouth/draft James Herriot

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"James Heriot" redirects here. For the American soldier, see James D. Heriot.
James Alfred Wight
Herriot’s former surgery.
Herriot’s former surgery at 23 Kirkgate, Thirsk is now the World of James Herriot tourist attraction.
Born(1916-10-03)3 October 1916
Sunderland, County Durham, England
Died23 February 1995(1995-02-23) (aged 78)
Thirlby, Hambleton, North Yorkshire, England
Resting placeCremated and ashes scattered in unknown location
Pen nameJames Herriot
OccupationVeterinary Surgeon
LanguageEnglish
NationalityEnglish
EducationMRCVS
Alma materGlasgow Veterinary College
Period1970-1995
Subjectautobiographical, memoirs
SpouseJoan Catherine Anderson Danbury (1941-his death)
ChildrenJames Alexander Wight
(13 February 1943-present)
Rosemary Page (Née Wight)
(9 May 1947-present)
RelativesJames Henry Wight (father)
Hannah Bell (mother)

James Herriot is the pen name of James Alfred Wight, OBE, FRCVS also known as Alf Wight (3 October 1916 – 23 February 1995), an English veterinary surgeon and writer, who used his many years of experiences as a veterinarian to write a series of books with stories about animals and their owners. He is best known for these semi-autobiographical works, which are often referred to collectively as the All Creatures Great and Small series of books, and in film and television adaptations of the books.[1] [2]

Biography

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Early life and education

[edit]
  • Ancestors and trades
  • Parents, their trades and marriage.

James (1890–1960) and Hannah Bell (1890–1980) Wight[1] in Glasgow James took work as both a ship plater and pianist for a local cinema[1] Hannah was a singer as well as a dressmaker[1] Married in 1915[1]

  • Financial stability
  • Date of birth and location

James Alfred Wight was born on 3 October 1916, in Sunderland, County Durham, England[1]

  • Point out his English status vs his Scottish accent.
  • Return to Scotland

For Alf's birth, his mother returned to Sunderland, bringing him back to Glasgow when he was three weeks old.[1]

  • Primary school Yoker Primary School, in Glasgow. [1]
  • Secondary school Hillhead High School 3 sept 1928, when it was an elite private school, in 1977 it became public[1]

Developed love of literature sports and music [1] p26 Made good grades with his best subjects as English, French and Latin. p26 Maths was more difficult for him. p26

  • College

In 1939, at the age of 23, he qualified as a veterinary surgeon with University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine.

  • Athletics and hobbies

From his father he gained a passion for the Sunderland Football Club (In 1992 he was named a Life President of the club) and remained a lifelong fan

Shortly after their wedding, the Wights moved from Brandling Street, Sunderland to Glasgow in Scotland, where , while Hannah was a singer as well as a dressmaker. For Alf's birth, his mother returned to Sunderland, bringing him back to Glasgow when he was three weeks old. He attended and . . .

Beginning veterinary career

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  • Job prospects.
  • Working in Thirsk
  • Friendships made
  • Love of the Yorkshire Dales
  • Dedication to career

In January 1940, he took a brief job at a veterinary practice in Sunderland, but moved in July to work in a rural practice based in the town of Thirsk, Yorkshire, close to the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors, where he was to remain for the rest of his life.

Courtship and marriage

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  • Ancestry
  • How he met her.
  • Notable dates, if any
  • Marriage
  • Note that their marriage led to their children and name them.

On 5 November 1941, he married Joan Catherine Anderson Danbury.

World War II

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  • Dates and ranks of service
  • His feelings on the subject
  • His visit home when his son was born
  • Reason for discharge.

Wight served in the Royal Air Force in 1942. His wife moved to her parents' house during this time, and upon being discharged from the RAF as a Leading Aircraftman, Wight joined her.

Family

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  • Is this even needed?

The couple had two children, James Alexander (Jim), born 1943, who also became a vet and was a partner in the practice, and Rosemary (Rosie), born 1947, who became a physician in general practice.

Return to practice

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  • Their adjustment back to normal post war life.
  • Important locations
  • Birth of second child
  • Any further notable events.

They lived with her parents until 1946, at which point they moved back to 23 Kirkgate, staying until 1953. Later, he moved with his wife to a house on Topcliffe Road, Thirsk, opposite the secondary school. The original practice is now a museum, "The World of James Herriot", while the Topcliffe Road house is in private ownership and not open to the public. He later moved with his family to the village of Thirlby, about four miles from Thirsk, where he resided until his death.

Published author

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  • Decision to begin writing
  • Previous failures
  • His feelings on the enormity of his success.

[3] Wight intended for years to write a book, but with most of his time consumed by veterinary practice and family, his writing ambition went nowhere. Challenged by his wife, in 1966 (at the age of 50), he began writing. After several rejected stories on other subjects like football, he turned to what he knew best. In 1969 Wight wrote If Only They Could Talk, the first of the now-famous series based on his life working as a vet and his training in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Owing in part to professional etiquette which at that time frowned on veterinary surgeons and other professionals from advertising their services, he took a pen name, choosing "James Herriot" after seeing the Scottish goalkeeper Jim Herriot play for Birmingham City F.C. in a televised game against Manchester United. If Only They Could Talk was published in the United Kingdom in 1970 by Michael Joseph Ltd, but sales were slow until Thomas McCormack, of St. Martin's Press in New York City, received a copy and arranged to have the first two books published as a single volume in the United States. The resulting book, titled All Creatures Great and Small, was an overnight success, spawning numerous sequels, movies, and a successful television adaptation.

Later years and retirement

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Wight was found to have prostate cancer in 1991,[1] and underwent treatment in the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk.

Death

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He died on 23 February 1995, aged 78, at home in Thirlby.[4]

Authorship

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  • The span of years he spent writing.
  • Fictional replacements

Wight's books are partially autobiographical; many of the stories are, however, rather loosely based on real events or people and thus can be considered to be partly fictional.

In his books, Wight calls the town where Herriot lives and works "Darrowby", which he based largely on the towns of Thirsk[5] and Sowerby. He also renamed Donald Sinclair and his brother Brian Sinclair as Siegfried and Tristan Farnon, respectively, and used the name "Helen Alderson" for Joan Danbury.

Writing style

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The Herriot books are often described as independent "animal stories" (Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"[6]), and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories. Yet animals play a lesser, sometimes even a negligible role in many of Wight's tales: the overall theme of his stories is Yorkshire country life, with its people and their animals primary elements that provide its distinct character. Further, it is Wight's shrewd observations of persons, animals, and their close inter-relationship, which give his writing much of its savour. Wight was just as interested in their owners as he was in his patients, and his writing is, at root, an amiable but keen comment on the human condition. The Yorkshire animals provide the element of pain and drama; the role of their owners is to feel and express joy, sadness, sometimes triumph.

The animal characters also prevent Wight's stories from becoming twee or melodramatic — animals, unlike some humans, do not pretend to be ailing, nor have they imaginary complaints and needless fears. Their ill-health is real, not the result of flaws in their character which they avoid mending. In an age of social uncertainties, when there seem to be no remedies for anything, Wight's stories of resolute grappling with mysterious bacterial foes or severe injuries have an almost heroic quality. Best of all, James Herriot has an abundant humour about himself and his difficulties. He never feels superior to any living thing, and is ever eager to learn — about animal doctoring, and about his fellow human creatures.

From a historical standpoint, the stories help document a transitional period in the veterinary industry: agriculture was moving from the traditional use of beasts of burden (in Britain, primarily the draught horse) to reliance upon the mechanical tractor, and medical science was just on the cusp of discovering the antibiotics and other drugs that eliminated many of the ancient remedies still in use. These and other sociological factors, like increased affluence, prompted a large-scale shift in veterinary practice over the course of the 20th century: at its start, virtually all of a vet's time was spent working with large animals: horses (motive power in both town and country), cattle, sheep, goats and pigs.

By the year 2000, the majority of vets practised mostly on dogs, cats, and other companion animals belonging to a population having a larger disposable income, people who could afford, and had the leisure time, to keep animals merely for pleasure. Wight (as Herriot) occasionally steps out of his narrative to comment, with the benefit of hindsight, on the primitive state of veterinary medicine at the time of the story he is telling, for example, describing his first hysterectomy on a cat, and his first (almost disastrous) Caesarean section on a cow.

Success OR reception

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  • Book sales, reviews
  • Impact on local economy
  • Impact in British veterinary careers

Criticism

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Graham Lord wrote an unauthorized biography about Mr. Wight.[7] In it, Lord revealed that many of the names had been changed in the books, many of the characters were not exactly as they had been described and there was another reason Mr. Wight left the RAF. Lord even intimated that half of Mr. Wight's stories were fiction.[7]

His son however wished to expand on what Lord did not share in the books. His son stated flatly in an interview, "The vast majority of the stories were based upon real characters and real incidents. I should know -- I knew the people and I remember many of the incidents."[7] Jim also explains in his book that this was the very reason he wrote the biography on his father, to set the record straight.[1]

There was also tension between Mr. Wight and Donald Sinclair after the initial success of the books.[1] Sinclair believed his portrayal was too much and even filed a lawsuit for a time. "Alfred, this book is a real test of our friendship," Sinclair said.[1] The lawsuit however was eventually dropped and an agreement was made between Mr. Wight and Sinclair on toning down "Siegfried" a bit in subsequent books.[1]

Legacy

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Achievements

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Mr. Wight was the very first person to be obtain an honorary membership to the American Association of Bovine Practitioners.[1] [2] Though it was an American association, the editor of the Bovine Practitioner was an expatriate from Wales known as Professor Eric Williams of the Oklahoma State University College of Veterinary Medicine. In 1982 Professor Williams traveled to Yorkshire to present the honor. [1]

Also in 1982, Mr. Wight was awarded a prestigious Fellowship with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).[1] [2] This is the highest honor any member of the RCVS can attain.[8] According to the official RCVS website it says that in order to be awarded such a fellowship the ... "Fellows, through their research, push frontiers by creating new knowledge in a wide range of subject areas."[8]

In 1984, Mr. Wight was awarded the British Tourist Authority Award for "... making people even more aware of the delights of Yorkshire and Britain." Unintentionally, his descriptive writing within his books helped to increase tourism to the area.[1] [2] [9]

The Humane Society of the United States awarded Mr. Wight with its highest honor, the Joseph Wood Crutch Medal.[10] [2] The award was given in 1986, but in addition to this in 1987 an annual "James Herriot" award, separate from the Crutch Medal, was created in Mr. Wight's honour.[10]

Formerly the Red Bear, this Market Place pub has adopted the town's pseudonym.

This award is given to those exhibiting special kindness to animals.[2] Mr. Wight received a special edition of his own named reward, while at the same time, the first actual recipient was Paul Harvey, both were awarded in 1987. Other notable award winning recipients include Betty White, Al Gore and Walter Cronkite among many others.[10]

Memorials

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The University of Glasgow opened the doors of the James Herriot Library in 1994, but the official dedication was not until a year later. Mr. Wight had passed away only the day before the official dedication and so his son attended the ceremony in his stead. The extensive library houses the college's veterinary collection which dates as far back as the 17th century. [2] [11]

Grand Central Class 180 DMU named for James Herriot

Within the same year following Mr. Wight's passing, the Hambleton District Council purchased what is affectionately known to readers as "Skeldale House" at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk.[12] The council performed an extensive restoration and re-opened the building in 1999 as the "World of James Herriot" museum.[12] It is designed to experience life in the 1940s and even has some of the original equipment which dates back to the 1890s.[12] It also boasts of having obtained set props from the popular television series which includes the Austin 7 motor car.[12]

In Mr. Wight's honour a Class 180 train, with special number DMU No. 180112, was named after "James Herriot" by Grand Central Railway, and was dedicated on the 29th of July in 2009 at King's Cross station. Grand Central provides services from London to the northeast, such as Sunderland and Thirsk, his birth place and later his practice. At the ceremony, the train was officially named by Wight's children, his son Jim and his daughter Rosie.[13]

Herriot's fame has generated a thriving tourist economy in Thirsk.[3] [9] In addition to the museum local businesses include the Darrowby Inn, a pub on Market Place in Thirsk[14] and the Yorkshire Museum of Farming where many of the original contents of his surgery can be found and is located in Murton, York.[15]

Biopics and biographies

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Koco Drama announced, during the summer of 2010, that a subsidiary of Shed Media would be producing a three part drama, titled either Young Herriot or Young James, for the BBC inspired by the true story of James Herriot and his university years in Scotland.[16] [17] The series will be based on diaries and case notes Mr. Herriot recorded while attending Glasgow Veterinary College, as well as his son's biography and archival documents.[18] The book to accompany the series is written by the historian and author John Lewis-Stempel.

There are many books published by other authors based on the life of Alfred Wight. Of these, the most notable are listed below.

  • Lord, Graham. James Herriot: The Life of a Country Vet (1997) ISBN 978-0786213870
  • Wight, Jim. The Real James Herriot: The Authorized Biography (1999) ISBN 978-0345434906
  • Lewis-Stempel, John. Young Herriot: The Early Life and Times of James Herriot (2011) ISBN 978-1849902717

Adaptions

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Part of the BBC TV set for All Creatures Great and Small, on permanent display at the World of James Herriot museum in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

The books, or portions thereof, have been adapted for television, film and stage. The first of which is the made for television film, titled All Creatures Great and Small, which originally aired in 1975. It starred Simon Ward as Herriot and Anthony Hopkins as Siegfried and is presently available on DVD. [2]

It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet was released in 1976 in the U.K. and though it was a sequel of sorts, this film was released in theaters. It did not however premiere in the U.S. until 1979 and was released as All Things Bright and Beautiful. This time however, changes were made in casting, such as replacing Ward and Hopkins with other actors.[19] This film has not yet been released on DVD.

Bill Sellars stepped forward to create a BBC television series, which retains the original title All Creatures Great and Small. The show premiered in 1978, was an instant hit and ran for a total of seven series', which lasted through 1990.[2] The entire series is available on DVD.

Much later, the next move was onto the stage and once again titled, All Creatures Great & Small. The first professional stage adaptation premiered on 30 September 2010, at the Gala Theater in Durham, England, and ran for two weeks. [20] [21] [22]

Bibliography

[edit]

At the time of his death, Time Magazine stated that his twenty published books had been translated into twenty different languages.[23]

Books for adults

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  • An opening statement needs to go here.

All Creatures Great and Small (adult series)

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Anthologies (adult)

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Omnibus editions

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In the United States, Herriot's novels were considered too short to publish independently, and so several pairs of novels were collected into omnibus volumes. The title All Creatures Great and Small was taken from the second line of the hymn All Things Bright and Beautiful, and inspired by a punning suggestion from Herriot's daughter, who thought the book should be called Ill Creatures Great and Small.

  • All Creatures Great and Small (1972) (incorporating If Only They Could Talk and It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet) ISBN 0-312-96578-8
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful (1976) (incorporating Let Sleeping Vets Lie and Vet in Harness) ISBN 0-718-11454-X
  • All Things Wise and Wonderful (1977) (incorporating Vets Might Fly and Vet in a Spin) ISBN 0-312-02031-7

Books for children

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Wight, Jim. 2000. The real James Herriot: A memoir of my father. New York: Ballantine Books. ISBN 9780345421517
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i James Herriot Museum. "James Herriot Timeline". Hambleton District Council. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011.
  3. ^ a b Kanfer, Stefan (29 June 1981). "The Marcus Welby of the Barnyard". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2011-10-11. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ Associated Press, Obituary
  5. ^ "Thirsk Tourist Information". Hello Yorkshire. Retrieved 2009-06-08.
  6. ^ Margolis, Jonathan (12 December 2002). "But It Did Happen To A Vet". Time Magazine
  7. ^ a b c Perrett, N. Glenn. "An Interview With Jim Wight". Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  8. ^ a b RCVS. "Fellowships". RCVS.org.uk. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  9. ^ a b Beeton, Sue (2005). Film-induced Tourism. Vol. Aspects of Tourism, Volume 25. Channel View Publications. p. 20. ISBN 9781845410148.
  10. ^ a b c HSUS. "Protecting All Animals: A 50 Year History of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Chapter 1 ([[pdf]])" (PDF). HSUS. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
  11. ^ "James Herriot Library". University of Glasgow. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011.
  12. ^ a b c d World of James Herriot. "About the Centre". Hambleton District Council. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011.
  13. ^ Douglas, Andrew (29 July 2009). "Grand Central Railways honour James Herriot". The Northern Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 2009-09-16.
  14. ^ "Pubs in Thirsk Sowerby & Carlton Miniott". Thirsk.net. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  15. ^ "Collections". Yorkshire Museum of Farming. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  16. ^ "Young Herriot". kocodrama.com. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011.
  17. ^ BBC. "Cast announced for new BBC One drama, Young James – inspired by true story of James Herriot". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 Oct 2012.
  18. ^ BBC. "BBC One and drama announce two exciting new commissions for Scotland". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 12 Oct 2012.
  19. ^ Maslin, Janet (9 March 1979). "Movie Review: It Shouldn't Happen to a Vet (1976) Screen: Bright and Beautiful:House Calls". New York Times. Retrieved 13 October 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ Cain, Ian. "All Creatures Great & Small – The Gala Theatre, Durham". thepublicreviews.com. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  21. ^ Burbridge, Steve. "All Creatures Great and Small". thebritishtheaterGuide.info. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  22. ^ "All Creatures Great and Small, Tickets". whatsonstage.com. Retrieved 5 October 2011.
  23. ^ Adams, Kathleen; Gorman, Christine; Lofaro, Lina; Quinn, Michael; Subramanian, Sribala; Urquhart, Sidney (6 March 1995). "Milestones Mar. 6, 1995: Died. James Herriot". Time Magazine. Retrieved 12 Oct 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
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