| Description | 16 letters 1928-1936. Including references to 'Salar the Salmon', 'Tarka the Otter', 'The Pathway', literature, Germany, the war and pacifism in the letters 1935. Henry Williamson mentioning Thomas Hardy's 'Jude', Conrad, Defoe and Kipling in a discussion about literature and fiction, July 1933
Please note: see also 1/1/H/HEYGATE/1/4 for a letter by HW to John Mills-Whitham regarding literature, John Heygate and Nazism, 1935.
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| AdminHistory | John Mills Whitham (1883-1956), novelist and historian, also known as 'Jan' Mills Whitham, was born in Folkestone in 1883. He was educated at Liverpool College, and became an architect before turning to writing. In 1912 his first novel, 'Broom', was published by Stephen Swift and Co under the name J Mills Whitham. This was followed by 'Starveacre' (Methuen, 1915), 'Wolfang' (Methuen, 1917) and a further seven novels over the years 1919-1925. He then published two biographical works on the French Revolution under his full name in 1930 and 1933. His final novel, 'Swings and Roundabouts', was published by Duckworth in 1937. He was also a conscientious objector during the First World War, appeared in front of Military Service Tribunal and was initially sent to prison. Then the Home Office released him to work as a farm labourer near Combe Martin where he met and married artist Silvia Frances Milman. He lived at The Cottage, Holdstone Down, North Devon, until his death in 1956.
He was a friend of Henry Williamson |