John Pudney facts for kids

John Sleigh Pudney (born January 19, 1909 – died November 10, 1977) was a British poet, journalist, and writer. He became well-known for his popular poems written during the Second World War. He also wrote novels, short stories, and books for children. John Pudney wrote many non-fiction books too, often on special request, which helped him earn a living.

Early Life and Start in Writing

John Pudney was born in Langley Marish. He was the only son of Henry William Pudney, a farmer, and Mabel Sleigh Pudney. He went to Gresham's School in Holt. There, he met famous people like W. H. Auden and Benjamin Britten.

He left school in 1925 when he was 16. For several years, he worked as an estate agent and studied to become a surveyor. At the same time, he started writing articles for the News Chronicle. He also wrote short stories and poems about his love for the countryside.

John Pudney was part of a group of young writers. This group included Dylan Thomas and George Barker. They often met at a bookshop near London's Red Lion Square. His first book of poems, Spring Encounter, came out in 1933. It caught the eye of Lady Ottoline Morrell, who became a supporter of his work.

Pudney also wrote for The Listener magazine. He worked as a producer at the BBC. There, he helped create a radio play called Hadrian's Wall in 1937. He also wrote one of the first plays for television, Edna's Fruit Hat, shown in 1939. His first novel, Jacobson's Ladder, came out in 1938. It described interesting city life in the 1930s.

Poetry During Wartime

When the Second World War began, John Pudney found his main topic: how war affects everyday people. In 1940, he joined the Royal Air Force as an intelligence officer. This was a non-fighting role. He was part of a special unit for creative writers.

While serving at RAF St Eval in Cornwall, he wrote one of the war's most famous poems. It was called For Johnny. This poem captured the feelings of people in London during 1941. He wrote it during an air raid. It first appeared in the News Chronicle. Later, it was featured in the film The Way to the Stars:

John Pudney published several poetry collections during the war. These included Dispersal Point (1942) and South of Forty (1943). The second book described his experiences in North Africa. Both books together sold over 250,000 copies! One reviewer at the time said his poems were "immediately current" and meant for a wider audience. They noted how well he combined being a journalist and a poet.

Later Career and Children's Books

After the war, John Pudney continued to write. He worked as a journalist and editor. He was a book critic for the Daily Express from 1945. He also worked for News Review from 1948 to 1950.

Then, he moved into publishing. He became a director and literary advisor for two publishing companies. At Evans Brothers, Ltd., he greatly improved their children's book section. He wrote his own adventure series for boys, called the 'Fred and I' series. This series had 11 books, like Monday Adventure and Spring Adventure. One of these, Thursday Adventure (1955), was even made into a film called The Stolen Airliner (1955). These books had classic illustrations by artists like Ley Kenyon. He also wrote six 'Hartwarp' adventure books for younger children. Both series were very popular in the 1950s and 1960s.

At Evans, Pudney also asked Paul Brickhill, a former fighter pilot, to write a book. This led to the famous book The Great Escape, published in 1950. After its success, Evans also published The Dam Busters (1951). This book sold over one million copies in its first 50 years!

Some of his novels, like The Net (1952) and Thin Air (1961), were well-liked. The Net was made into a film in 1953. In the same year, Pudney wrote the script for a documentary called Elizabeth is Queen. This film won a BAFTA award.

From 1949 to 1963, he edited a yearly collection called Pick of Today's Short Stories. Writing non-fiction, especially about aviation, became a big part of his income later in life. He wrote a history of the British airline B.O.A.C. called The Seven Skies (1959). He also wrote about the Courage Brewery in A Draught of Contentment (1971).

Poetry remained very important to him. His later poems, starting with Spill Out (1967), had a more thoughtful and sometimes funny style. They were easy to understand, not overly academic. His last two poems were published shortly after he passed away.

Family Life

On October 30, 1934, John Pudney married Crystal Selwyn Herbert. She was a writer and the daughter of A. P. Herbert, a well-known writer and politician. They first lived in Cornwall in a converted lifeboat. Later, they moved to a farm in Essex.

They had two daughters and one son. John and Crystal divorced in 1955. John then married his second wife, Monica Forbes Curtis. In 1976, John Pudney developed throat cancer. He passed away almost two years later. He wrote bravely about his illness in his book Thank Goodness for Cake, which was published after his death.

John Pudney's daughter, Tessa (1942-2004), became a university professor. She was known for her work in media studies. Her son, Toby Perkins, is a Labour Member of Parliament for Chesterfield.

Works

Poetry

• Spring Encounter (1933)
• Open the Sky (Boriswood 1934)
• Dispersal Point and other Air Poems (1942)
• The Grass Grew All Round (1942)
• Beyond This Disregard (1943)
• South of Forty (1943)
• Ten Summers: Poems 1933-1943 (1944)
• Almanack of Hope: Sonnets (1944)
• Air Force Poetry (1944) (anthology, edited with Henry Treece)
• Flight above Cloud (1944)
• World Still There (1945)
• Selected Poems (1946)
• Low Life (1947)
• Commemorations (1948)
• Sixpenny Songs (1953)
• Collected Poems (1957)
• The Trampoline (1959)
• Spill Out: Poems and Ballads (1967)
• Spandrels: Poems and Ballads (1969)
• Take This Orange: Poems and Ballads (1971)
• Selected Poems 1967-1973 (1973)
• Living in a One-Sided House (1976)
• Writers' Workshop, poetry anthology publication, editor with Norman Hidden and Michael Johnson (from 1967)

Novels

• Jacobson's Ladder (1938)
• Estuary, a Romance (1947)
• Shuffley Wanderers (1948)
• The Accomplice (1950)
• Hero of a Summer's Day (1951)
• The Net (1952)
• A Ring for Luck (1953)
• Trespass in the Sun (1957)
• Thin Air (1961)
• Tunnel to the Sky (1965)
• The Long Time Growing Up (1971)

Short Stories

• And Lastly the Fireworks (Boriswood 1935)
• Uncle Arthur and other stories (1939)
• Edna's Fruit Hat (1946)
• It Breathed Down My Neck (1946) (selected short stories)
• The Europeans: Fourteen tales of a Continent (1948)
• The Pick of Today's Short Stories, 14 volumes (1949-1963), anthologies, editor

For Children

• Saturday Adventure (1950) "a story for boys"
• Sunday Adventure (1951)
• Monday Adventure: The Secrets of Blackmead Abbey (1952)
• Tuesday Adventure: The Affray in the Sardanger Fjord (1953)
• Wednesday Adventure (1954)
• Thursday Adventure: The Stolen Airliner (1955)
• Friday Adventure (1956)
• The Grandfather Clock (1957)
• Crossing the Road (1958)
• Spring Adventure (1961)
• Summer Adventure (1962)
• The Hartwarp Light Railway (1962)
• The Hartwarp Balloon (1963)
• The Hartwarp Circus (1963)
• The Hartwarp Bakehouse (1964)
• Autumn Adventure (1964)
• The Hartwarp Explosion (1965)
• Winter Adventure (1965)
• The Hartwarp Jets (1967)

Autobiographical

• The Green Grass Grew All Round (1942)
• Who Only England Know (1943)
• Home & Away - An Autobiographical Gambit (1960)
• Thank Goodness for Cake (1978)

Non-Fiction

• The Air Battle of Malta (1944) (HMSO Information Books)
• Atlantic Bridge (1945) (HMSO Information Books)
• World Still There (1945)
• Laboratory of the Air:The Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough (1948) (HMSO)
• Music on the South Bank: An Appreciation of The Royal Festival Hall (1951)
• His Majesty King George VI (1952)
• The Thomas Cook Story (1953)
• The Queen's People (1953), photographs by Izis Bidermanas
• The Smallest Room: a Discreet Survey Through the Ages (1954)
• Six Great Aviators (1955)
• The Book of Leisure (1957) editor
• The Leisure-Hour Companion (1959)
• The Seven Skies (1959), history of B.O.A.C.
• A Pride of Unicorns: Richard and David Atcherley of the R.A.F. (1960)
• Bristol Fashion. Some Account of the Earlier Days of Bristol Aviation (1960)
• The Camel Fighter (1964)
• The Golden Age of Steam (1967)
• Flight and Flying (1968) editor
• Suez: De Lesseps' Canal (1968)
• A Draught of Contentment. The Story of the Courage Group.(1971)
• Crossing London's River: the Bridges, Ferries and Tunnels Crossing the Thames Tideway in London (1972)
• Brunel and His World (1974)
• London's Docks (1975)
• Lewis Carroll and His World (1976)
• John Wesley and His World (1978)