‘Changeless Elegance’ : The Wonderful World of James Herriot

Alf Wight...know him? Author of ten books which recount his experiences as a vet in the Yorkshire Dales. Of course, I really mean James Herriot, or perhaps I don’t. I really do mean Alf Wight, a modest, unassuming vet, based in Thirsk, who wrote the books under the pseudonym, James Herriot. They have become timeless classics; books which are described in this compilation as capturing ‘a life of endless interest and variety’. Naturally the character of James Herriot is based on Alf, himself, and life as he experienced it when he first moved to Yorkshire and, like so many of us, decided to stay.

Herriot was based at Skeldale House in the fictional village of Darrowby. It was the veterinary surgery of Siegfried Farnon who was to become a lifelong friend and is described as a building of ‘changeless elegance’, a phrase which really could be applied to this book. The Wonderful World of James Herriot is a collection of short stories, written in a semi-biographical fashion. It cleverly interweaves extracts from his novels, with an interesting commentary from his son and daughter which explains who the real people were, behind the fictional creations. Their memories and anecdotes augment the stories and make delightful reading. It is a chance for readers and fans of the Herriot novels to learn how the characters were inspired, and it's a good way to engage a new generation of readers who may be enjoying the remake of the television series, All Creatures Great and Small. The introduction, written by Jim and Rosie, Alf’s children, makes clear the loving family bond which was such an important part of Alf’s life. They say, ‘descriptions are vivid, characters and dialogue brilliantly drawn, the language light and accessible’ and that, to be honest, says it all.

On the cover are the words ‘A Charming Collection of Classic Stories’ and frankly, what you see is what you get. It is a series of extracts and anecdotes from the James Herriot books with a fluid explanation of how they relate to real life: people, places and events – not forgetting the animals which are at the heart of many of the stories. The fictionalised world of James Herriot once more becomes reality.

Alf Wight was acknowledged in the honours list, being awarded an OBE in 1979, and aka James Herriot, was established as the most famous vet in the world. His books and their spin-offs, not least the film and television series and the photographic coffee table books which I still have on my shelf, introduced the wild beauty of Yorkshire, the homely reality of the mid-twentieth century countryside and the down to earth nature of ‘Yorkshire folk’, to a broader audience – a worldwide audience - who may previously have only been familiar with the bleak Yorkshire Moors of Brontë country. This book affords both vets and farming communities the respect they deserve, and humour and pathos make it accessible and appealing to all. The dangers of winter travel in remote parts, the joy of birth, the serenity of the local countryside, the frustrations, the gentle self-mockery and rebuke, all have their place. Alf Wight said there was ‘a kind of solid satisfaction’ in being ‘a tiny wheel in the great machine of British Agriculture’ and this book shares that world with an appreciative audience.

Credit must go to Alf Wight’s son and daughter for their fascinating contributions, and to Emma Marriot who has performed the remarkable task of editing this excellent book.

PS. Did I not know or have I just forgotten, that Alf was actually born in my own home town of Sunderland and was an avid supporter of Sunderland football team – a fine choice! He must have cheered in 1937 (when, incidentally, James Herriot first arrived in Darrowby) and 1973, the two occasions when we lifted the FA cup! Just had to get that in...