H.E. Bates
H.E. Bates
LIFE AT A GLANCE
1905 Born 16 May, Essex Street, Rushden
1916 Starts education at KetteringGrammar School
1921 Leaves school and works for 'The Northamptonshire Chronicle' and later as a clerk in a leather dressers but leaves when his first novel is accepted for publication
1925 His first book 'The Two Sisters' accepted for publication by JonathanCape. At this time taken under wing of Edward Garnett a reader for Cape and an influential London literary critic
1931 Marries Marjorie Helen (Madge) Cox and moves to live in Kent. Has four children, two daughters and two sons with her
1940 'My Uncle Silas' stories based on his maternal great-
uncle published. First popular success
1941 Joins RAF as Flight Lieutenant, later reaching rank of Squadron Leader. Writes under name of 'Flying Officer X', publishing 'The Greatest People in the World' (1942), 'How Sleep the Brave' (1943) and other short stories concerning the RAF
1944 Publishes 'Fair Stood the Wind for France' under his own name. Sent to South-East Asia, he publishes 'The Purple Plain' (1947), 'The Jacaranda Tree' (1949) about the War in Burma and India and 'The Scarlet Sword' (1950) about Kashmir
1958 Publishes 'The Darling Buds of May', the first in the series of books, 'A Breath of French Air' (1959), 'When the Green Woods Laugh' (1960), 'Oh! To be in England' (1963) and 'A Little of What You Fancy' (1970) chronicling the doings of the Larkin family
1971 Publishes his last work of fiction 'The Triple Echo'
1973 Awarded CBE
1974 Dies 29 January at Canterbury survived by Madge and
his four children