James Herriot is the pen name of James Alfred Wight, who was a practicing country veterinarian in Yorkshire for over fifty years. The James Herriot books are based on the stories of Alf Wight's veterinary life. In his books, Alf changed most names and molded incidents and characters for creative purposes, but he claimed that his stories were "90% true." Below is a fairly detailed biography of Alf Wight's life. For a gloriously interesting version, read his books!
Early Life
James Alfred Wight (James Herriot), the only child of James Henry and Hannah Bell Wight, was born on 3rd October 1916 in Sunderland, England. The family moved to Glasgow, Scotland three weeks after the birth of James Alfred, whom everyone called Alf. Alf lived in Glasgow for twenty years and this, combined with his Glaswegian accent, gave many the impression he was a Scot.
Upon reading an article entitled "Veterinary Surgery as a Career" in a maganize at age thirteen, Alf decided on the spot to commit himself to a career in veterinary science. He attended the Glasgow Veterinary College and qualified as a veterinary surgeon in Glasgow in December 1939. Top
Early Practice in Yorkshire
Alf Wight's first position after qualifying was in Sunderland in January 1940, and in July 1940 he took a position as assistant in the practice of Donald Sinclair (Siegfried Farnon in the books). He also met Donald's brother Brian Sinclair, who became the "Tristan" of his books and another lifelong friend.
The practice, located at 23 Kirkgate (Skeldale House in the books) was in the town of Thirsk, called Darrowby in his books. Thirsk was a market town in the Yorkshire Dales of northern England, and Alf fell in love with the green pastures and high, windswept moorland. The work was mainly agricultural with the large animals at the surrounding farms, with some small animal work. He would spend his entire working career in this one practice and one locale. Top
Courtship and Marriage
In 1941, Alf met his wife Joan Catherine Danbury (Helen in the books). She was not the daughter of a farmer, as is said in the books, but a secretary at a corn mill. Alf was smitten - Joan had a string of admirers, but she saw something special in Alf and she did not resist as he pursued her. Their courtship was not extravagant, since both Alf and Joan had little money, but their relationship was to last over fifty years. They soon married at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Thirsk on 5 November 1941 and spent their honeymoon working: doing tuberculin testing together. Top
Royal Air Force
When WWII broke out in September 1939, Alf's work as a veterinarian helping out with vital agriculture at first put him in the military catageory of "Reserve Occupation," but he volunteered for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and was called up in 1943. He served as an enlisted man and a pilot trainee, eventually flying solo.
After qualifying as an aviator, Alf was on the verge of being shipped to war in Europe but an old recurring ailment caused his medical discharge from the RAF. He returned to Thirsk and resumed his practice, which was mainly large animal practice at the farms in the open country of Yorkshire. Top
Children
While on active service in 1944, Alf went AWOL to be at Joan's side as she gave birth to their first child. Their son James (the "Jimmy" of the books) was born 13 February and is today a qualified veterinarian and partner in the practice.
On 9 May 1949, the second and last Wight child, Rosemary, was born. Rosie, though she loved to go on veterinary calls with her father, ultimately grew up to be a human medical doctor. A few days before Rosie was born, Donald Sinclair gave Alf full partnership in the practice of Sinclair and Wight. Top
Early Writing
After years of listening to Alf relate the amusing tales of his days in the Dales attending to animals, it was his wife that finally pushed him into putting pen to paper. He bought himself a typewriter and each night, while watching television, he would type out a chapter. He began to seriously pursue serious creative writing in 1966, and his manuscript was finally accepted for publication in 1969. Top
First published works
In 1970 ‘If Only They Could Talk’, Alf’s first book was published under the pseudonym of James Herriot. Alf came to choose his pen name while typing his book in front of a televised football match against Birmingham City. Jim Herriot, Birmingham’s star player and a fellow Scot, caught Alf’s attention and from then on, all his stories of life as a Yorkshire vet were told by James Herriot.
These wonderful books relate years of real-life experiences - he tells his readers affectionately of the animals he dealt with and expressed his admiration of the farmers he met during his years as a vet. Top
Movies and Television
In 1978 his fame grew even more when the BBC created the popular series, “All Creatures Great and Small”, a program which ran for a total of 13 years and spread the name and popularity of James Herriot even further. Two feature films were also produced. Top
Literary Success and Fame
Alf Wight made the area of Yorkshire that lies between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales into “Herriot Country” famous worldwide. His books have sold over 10 million copies and have been translated into over 40 languages. As a result, millions of visitors visit this area of Yorkshire each year.
Alf Wight was respected locally and did not let his fame as an author change his lifestyle. He remained first and foremost a veterinarian and a family man, and was ever generous, humble and selfless. Despite extremely high taxation in the mid and late 70s (at times the rate at which he was taxed was 80%) he refused to leave Britain, preferring to remain in his beloved Thirsk. Top
Death
Alf was diagnosed with cancer in December of 1991. He lived for a little over three years after diagnosis, and he was in much pain by his life's end. Alf Wight died 23rd February 1995 at his home in Thirlby near Thirsk. A small private funeral was held, and his ashes were spread among the moorland grass at the top of the Whitestone Cliffs - in view of the areas in which he worked, played and loved throughout his life.
A public memorial service was held in York Minster on 20 October 1995. The occasion was a memorable celebration of Alf's life, pervaded not by sadness but by humor. The service was attended by 2300 people, including friends, family, representatives of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, the British Veterinary Association, and the publishing world. Hundreds of fans from all over the UK also came to pay their respects.
Alf Wight had remained astonished by his success until the end of his life. He persistently regarded himself primarily as a veterinary surgeon, but he was constantly praised in reference to his achievments as a writer.
In the biography of his father, Alf's son Jim writes: "James Herriot, the unassuming veterinary surgeon who enthralled millions, was no fictional character. There was a man I knew, who possessed all the virtues of the famous veterinarian - and more. A totally honest man whose fine sense of humor and air of goodwill towards others ensured that he was respected by all who knew him. A man on whom, after his death, a Yorkshire farmer delivered his final verdict: 'Aye, he were a right decent feller.' That man was James Alfred Wight." Top
Page created by Elizabeth Hubbard Fine, 2004.
evfine@umn.edu.