J. B. Priestley

J.B. Priestley, originally named John Priestley, was born on September 13th, 1894 in the West Riding of Yorkshire. He was the son of a schoolmaster. The individual experienced the loss of his biological mother during his early childhood, thereafter being raised by his stepmother.

Upon his departure from Belle Vue School at the age of 16, he began employment in a wool office. However, driven by his aspiration to pursue a career in writing, he allocated his diligently earned funds towards purchasing books and dedicated his free time to experimenting with various forms of writing. This included contributing a recurring column to the Bradford Pioneer, a local periodical, without receiving any monetary compensation. The Archive in the Special Collections of the J.B. Priestley Library at the University of Bradford houses preserved examples of his early written works. The initial work of his professional writing career was an essay titled “Secrets of the Rag-Time King,” which was published in London Opinion on December 14th, 1912.

Priestley enlisted in the military in September of 1914 and subsequently rendered five years of service in both England and France. After the war he became a student Trinity College Cambridge where he graduated in two years.

The war generations most recall him for his weekly Postcripts on BBC radio throughout World War Two. For many of Britain’s populace, who believed these shows were a great comfort and a morale booster, they were rather vital.

J B Priestley welcomes Hywel Davies into his estate at Brook Hill, Isle of Wight, in the attached video tab

Following an astonishingly active lifespan spanning much of the 20th century, the Grand Old Man of English writings, J.B. Priestley OM, passed away on August 14th 1984. His ashes are buried at the little ancient church at Hubberholme in the Yorkshire Dales.