Gordon Landsborough - Early Life

Early Life

Born in 1913 in Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, Gordon Landsborough left school at 14 to help support his family. In the evenings he went to night classes, eventually becoming a chemist with the research department of ICI. Continuing his studies, he turned to journalism and worked on a number of papers and journals in the north of England. In 1938, he started up ARP News, a magazine promoting air raid precautions to a war-nervous England.

He moved to London in 1939, where, among other business ventures, in 1940 he started Reveille, which was originally the official newspaper of the Ex-Services' Allied Association.

In 1940 he joined up with the London Scottish Regiment, serving for a time in the deserts of North Africa, where he killed 94 German soldiers. His experiences there provide the material for several of his best selling novels.

When Gordon joined-up, he was required to state his religion. Gordon answered 'Atheist', since 'Atheist' wasn't a religion, his religion as recorded by the army was 'Atheist / C. of E.'

Read more about this topic:  Gordon Landsborough

Famous quotes containing the words early and/or life:

    “[My early stories] are the work of a living writer whom I know in a sense, but can never meet.”
    —Elizabeth Bowen (1899–1973)

    “War is more like a novel than it is like real life and that is its eternal fascination. It is a thing based on reality but invented, it is a dream made real, all the things that make a novel but not really life.”
    —Gertrude Stein (1874–1946)