The Real James Herriot: A Memoir of My Father

406 Pages·2000·3.54 MB·English

by  James Wight

“[A] SOUL-WARMING BIOGRAPHY …
What a joy to stroll once more along the small farms and patchwork fields with
James Herriot! Jim Wight’s memoir of his beloved father resurrects the warmth,
kindness, delight, and simple magic that was James Herriot’s literary legacy to animal
lovers the world over.”
—SUSAN MCELROY
Author of Animals as Teachers and Healers
“A fascinating read … A loving memoir … You’ll be charmed once again by the
Yorkshire countryside and its laconic inhabitants, human and otherwise.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“The Real James Herriot provides fascinating insight into an amazing man, one we all
remember as a wonderful animal-lover, vet, and writer.”
—JACK HANNA
Director Emeritus, Columbus Zoo
Host, Jack Hanna’s “Animal Adventures”
“A thoroughly satisfying biography—believable, entertaining, and filled with
engaging characters … A loving, unsentimental portrait.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Ebullient, moving … An affectionate, candid biography revealing many sides of
Herriot unfamiliar to his fans … A worthy addition to the Herriot saga, it shares many
of the same qualities as the beloved vet’s books: keen observation of human nature,
gentle humor, vivid personalities, and lots of heartwarming anecdotes.”
—Publishers Weekly
“[A] heartfelt, affectionate memoir … Wight met many of the characters evoked so
beautifully in Herriot’s books. Wight describes these real-life personalities fondly, with a
flair that recalls his father’s remarkable storytelling abilities.… What better tribute
could his father have asked for?”
—Bookpage
A Ballantine Book
Published by The Random House Publishing Group Copyright © 1999 by Jim Wight All rights
reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing
Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York. Originally published in Great Britain by
Michael Joseph, a division of Penguin Books Ltd, in 1999.
Ballantine and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
www.ballantinebooks.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data 2001116502
eISBN: 978-0-307-79092-7
v3.1_r1
To
GILL, ROSIE AND MY MOTHER
who have heard it all before
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
List of Illustrations
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Photo Insert
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
1. Hannah Bell, Alf’s mother
2. James Henry Wight, Alf’s father
3. The formal wedding photograph
4. Alf on holiday with his parents near Loch Lomond 5. On holiday
with his mother and relations 6. Alf with Stan Wilkins
7. With Don as a young puppy
8. The Glasgow Veterinary College football team 9. On holiday with
the Boys’ Brigade at North Berwick 10. With his mother in Llandudno
11. At Hillhead School
12. Alf with Donald Sinclair and Eric Parker 13. Alf in the vegetable
garden at 23 Kirkgate 14. TB Testing in the Yorkshire Dales 15. Kirkgate
in Thirsk
16. Alf with his baby son
17. Joan on the beach at Llandudno
18. Pop and Alf with Rosie and Jimmy 19. Alf and Jimmy Youth-
Hostelling in the Dales 20. Alf with Jimmy and Rosie, Alex Taylor with
Lynne 21. Picnic time with Pop and Granny Wight 22. Brian Sinclair in
about 1948
23. Brian Nettleton, t’ vet wi’t badger 24. The author, with his father,
‘always a comforting presence’
25. Hector the Jack Russell and Dan the Labrador 26. Joan was as
fond of the dogs as Alf 27. Bodie, the Border Terrier
28. Rosie with Bodie and Polly at Sanna Bay 29. The brass plate
outside 23 Kirkgate 30. The brass plate outside ‘Skeldale House’
31. The fury of the chase
32. James Herriot meets the other James Herriot 33. Writing in front
of the television in the evening 34. At the Authors of the Year party 35.
The queue in W.H. Smith, Harrogate, 1977
36. Simon Ward and Lisa Harrow with Alf and Joan 37. James
Alderton, Lisa Harrow and Colin Blakely 38. Partners in more sense than
one 39. Arthur Dand with Alf
40. Alf, after receiving the OBE in 1979
41. With granddaughters Zoe and Katrina 42. With Sunderland F.C.
fans on King’s Cross Station 43. After the memorial service at York
Minster
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have helped me with the writing of this book. Two I
wish to thank especially; they have shown great patience and
understanding in enduring the company of an inexperienced and mono-
focused author: my wife Gill, and my editor Jenny Dereham. I also wish
to express particular thanks to my agent Jacqueline Korn, at David
Higham Associates, whose persuasion it was that I should – and could –
write this biography.
I am deeply grateful to my mother, and to my sister Rosie, who have
not only supplied so much vital information but have been very
cooperative and unselfish in agreeing to my sharing so many details of
my father’s life with his myriad fans.
Two important people who have been a tremendous source of
essential material must be especially thanked: my late Grandmother
Wight for saving so many letters and other memorabilia of her son, and
Alex Taylor, my father’s oldest friend, for his informative and
entertaining memories of the countless happy hours spent in my father’s
company.
I am also particularly grateful to Professor Norman Wright, the Dean
of the University of Glasgow Veterinary School and his staff; also Ken
Cunningham, Head Master of Hillhead High School and his staff: from
these I received invaluable help and vital information.
Many others, among them relatives, friends and colleagues of my
father, have provided me with anecdotes, photographs and other such
important pieces of information that went to make up the final accurate
picture of his life. In particular, I would like to thank: Fred Banks,
George Bell, Bertram Bosomworth, Jim Chadwick, John Crooks, Arthur
Dand, The Lady Dean of Harptree, Piers Dudgeon, Marjorie Eves, Alan
Goldsborough, Janet Grey, Ellen Grout, Audrey Hancock, Robert Hardy,
Dr Ken Hibbitt, Professor Peter Holmes, Ken Kilvington, R. M. Major,
Martha Nettleton, Eve Pette, Dr Alistair Porter, Ossy Sandy, Peter Shaw,
Anthea Sinclair, Bob Smith, Joan Snelling, Jimmy Steele, Eddie Straiton,
Chris Timothy, Juliana Wadham.
Without the help and willing cooperation of all these people, the
completion of this book would not have been possible.
Photographic credit
The author would like to thank his family and friends for providing
many of the photographs which appear in this book. In addition, the
author acknowledges the following for permission to reproduce
photographs. Every effort has been made to contact all copyright
holders: the publishers will be glad to make good in future editions any
errors or omissions brought to their attention.
Life Magazine 25, 33, 39; Daily Express 26 and 31; Sunday Express 32;
Desmond O’Neill Features 34; Barratts Photo Press 40; Ian Cook/People
Weekly 41; Evening Press (York) 43