James alfred wight biography of martin

For example, the books suggest that Wight joined the practice in the late s and had been working with Sinclair for at least a year before Sinclair and subsequently Wight himself departed to serve in World War 2; in reality, the war was already underway when Wight was employed in July with a specific brief to run the practice in Sinclair's absence , just weeks before Sinclair left to join the RAF.

Wight himself was conscripted in Other typical examples of Wight's dramatic licence include the implication that Thirsk represented his first professional employment after leaving veterinary college he was actually employed as a vet for six months in Sunderland following his graduation , and that he was given a partnership as a wedding present; in reality, Wight married in but did not become a full partner in the veterinary practice until 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 England, primarily the draught horse to reliance upon the mechanical tractor, and medical science was just on the cusp of discovering the antibiotics and other treatments that eliminated many of the ancient remedies still in use.

These and other sociological factors prompted a largescale shift in veterinary practice over the course of the 20th century: at the start of the century, virtually all of a vet's time was spent working with farm animals; by the turn of the millennium, the majority of vets practice mostly or exclusively on small animals dogs, cats, and other pets.

In the stories, Wight as Herriot occasionally steps out of the narrative at hand, to comment with the benefit of hindsight on the primitive state of vet medicine at the time. Among the episodes included in the books are memories of his first hysterectomy on a cat, and his first almost disastrous abdominal surgery on a cow. The Herriot books are often described as "animal stories" Wight himself was known to refer to them as his "little cat-and-dog stories"[2] , and given that they are about the life of a country veterinarian, animals certainly play a significant role in most of the stories.

However, there are a few of the stories in which animals play little or no part particularly those about his courtship of Helen , and the overall theme of the stories is actually Yorkshire country life as a whole, with the people and animals being two of the primary elements that give it its distinct character. Local businesses include the "World of James Herriot" museum located in 23 Kirkgate, the original practice surgery , and a pub called the "Darroby Fayre".

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. Email This BlogThis! No comments:. Father of [private son s - unknown ] and [private daughter s - unknown ].

Profile last modified 18 Mar Created 26 May Is Alf your ancestor? Please don't go away! Login to collaborate or comment , or contact the profile manager, or ask our community of genealogists a question. 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.

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 a huge success, spawning numerous sequels, movies and a successful television adaptation. Wight was found to have prostate cancer in , and underwent treatment in the Lambert Memorial Hospital in Thirsk.

He died on 23 February , aged 78, at home in Thirlby. The ceremony was carried out jointly by Alf Wight's daughter Rosie and son Jim. Retrieved 7 May The New York Times. Retrieved 4 January Publishers Weekly. The Buffalo News. James Herriot: the life of a country vet. Thorndike Press. Retrieved 3 June Archived from the original on 27 February Thirteen Media.

Open Road Integrated Media. The Guardian. Retrieved 18 February Retrieved 12 February James Herriot's Yorkshire.

James alfred wight biography of martin

The Bridgehead. Retrieved 4 March The Times. The Yorkshire Post. Retrieved 25 April British Theatre Guide. BBC Press Office. Retrieved 7 January Retrieved 8 April Penguin Books. Retrieved 12 April Retrieved 23 February Masterpiece, PBS. Retrieved 26 February Get Out and About. Archived from the original on 2 March Oxford Mail. Retrieved 15 January The Economist.

Murton Park. The Northern Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 16 September Heriot-Watt University. Retrieved 7 April Clydebank Post. Retrieved 5 August Thirsk Town Council. Archived from the original on 6 April