Alf Wight (James Herriot)
1919-1995
Yorkshire Dales National Park
Famous for:
His tales of a vet's life which were turned into the BBC TV series, All Creatures Great And Small
More info:
James Herriot: Life and times
Alf Wright spent much of his working life as a vet the Yorkshire Dales National Park. He qualified as a vet in 1939 and retired in 1980.
Early life
Alf Wight was born James Alfred Wight – pen name James Herriot – in Sunderland. Soon afterward his family moved to Glasgow (his father was a shipyard worker) where the young Alf attended school.
After being inspired to become a vet by an article he read in a magazine, he went on to study at Glasgow Veterinary School, qualifying in 1939.
Yorkshire bound
In 1940 he secured a job in a vet’s practice in Thirsk, north of York where he settled down to work and start a family (after a stint in the RAF).
His house and practice was at 23 Kirkgate in Thirsk. It is now home to the £1.4m World of James Herriot museum which sets out to show the life of a 1940s vet.
Varied writing career
Alf Wight retired from working as a vet in 1980. He also wrote children’s books as well as his more well-known vet stories.
James Herriot: Children's books
It happened to a vet
Alf Wight spent much of his time as a vet working in the four dales of the Yorkshire Dales that feature in his work – Arkengarthdale,
His first book - The Art and Science, written in 1965 - went unpublished. But a revised version the same year, under the pen name James Herriot, was and his writing career was born. He went on to great success, writing many much-loved books:
- If Only They Could Talk (1970)
- It Shouldn’t Happen To A Vet (1971)
- Both books republished in the US as All Creatures Great And Small (1972)
The film, All Creatures Great And Small, released starring Anthony Hopkins as Siegfried and Simon Ward as James was released in 1975. The first episode of the long-running BBC TV series, All Creatures Great And Small was aired in 1978, and starred Christopher Timothy and Robert Hardy. The show ran for 90 episodes over 12 years.
Did you know?
Alf also wrote 8 children's books, all featuring animals!
