![Heresies of Sea Power (1906)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Heresies_of_Sea_Power_%281906%29.djvu/page1-1200px-Heresies_of_Sea_Power_%281906%29.djvu.jpg)
John Fredrick Thomas Jane (6 August 1865 – 8 March 1916) was the founding editor of
reference books
A reference work is a work, such as a paper, book or periodical (or their electronic equivalents), to which one can refer for information. The information is intended to be found quickly when needed. Such works are usually ''referred'' to f ...
on warships (''
All the World's Fighting Ships'') and aircraft (''
All the World's Airships'') and the namesake of what would become
Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.
History
Jane's Informatio ...
and many of its publications.
Biography
Jane was born in
Richmond
Richmond most often refers to:
* Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States
* Richmond, London, a part of London
* Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England
* Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada
* Richmond, California, ...
,
Surrey
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...
, England, but worked most of his life in
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
. His father was a Church of England vicar and he attended
Exeter School
Exeter School is an independent co-educational day school for pupils between the ages of 7 and 18 in Exeter, Devon, England. In 2019, there were around 200 pupils in the Junior School and 700 in the Senior School.
History
The School traces its ...
. He first began to sketch warships in his teens, and was notable in the 1890s for illustrating
scientific romance
Scientific romance is an archaic, mainly British term for the genre of fiction now commonly known as science fiction. The term originated in the 1850s to describe both fiction and elements of scientific writing, but it has since come to refer to ...
s by
George Griffith
George Griffith (1857–1906), full name George Chetwynd Griffith-Jones, was a prolific British science fiction writer and noted explorer who wrote during the late Victorian and Edwardian age. Many of his visionary tales appeared in magazin ...
and other authors, as well as for his own science fiction novels such as ''
To Venus in Five Seconds
''To Venus in Five Seconds: An Account of the Strange Disappearance of Thomas Plummer, Pillmaker'' is a science fiction satire written by Fred T. Jane, the author of the original ''Jane's Fighting Ships'' and the founder of what would in time be ...
'' (published in 1897) and ''The Violet Flame'' (1899).
![Argentine Navy 1914](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Argentine_Navy_1914.png)
An avid miniatures
wargamer, Jane first published ''All the World's Fighting Ships'' (known as ''
Jane's Fighting Ships
''Jane's Fighting Ships'' by Janes Information Services is an annual reference book of information on all the world's warships arranged by nation, including information on ships' names, dimensions, armaments, silhouettes and photographs, etc. E ...
'' after 1905) in 1898, which catalogued all the warships operated by each country, their armaments, and other details, as a supplement to a wargame he designed. It was a success from the start and has become the standard reference directory on the topic. ''The Naval Warrant Officer's Journal'' suggested that the book be on every ship, and in 1902 said that it should be available to every naval officer. The Admiralty were less enthusiastic, partly due to Jane's irreverent behaviour - although some ships did acquire copies.
In 1909, he created ''
All the World's Aircraft''. Jane's firm is now
Jane's Information Group
Jane's Information Group, now styled Janes, is a global open-source intelligence company specialising in military, national security, aerospace and transport topics, whose name derives from British author Fred T. Jane.
History
Jane's Informatio ...
.
Jane was an accomplished maritime and naval artist whose works were widely published in periodicals and his own books, those illustrations are now collectable.
He was also involved in politics, standing as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
candidate for
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
in the
1906 general election. He was strongly opposed to the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
(especially its left wing) and when a left-wing Liberal candidate
Edward Hemmerde
Edward George Hemmerde, KC (13 November 1871 – 24 May 1948) was an English rower, barrister, politician, and Georgist.
Education, the Law and family
Hemmerde was born at Peckham, south London, the son of James Godfrey Hemmerde and his wife ...
was nominated in 1910, he arranged a stunt to disrupt their election campaign. At another public meeting, Jane arranged for a sailor to ask Hemmerde to insist on the supply of
hammock
A hammock (from Spanish , borrowed from Taíno and Arawak ) is a sling made of fabric, rope, or netting, suspended between two or more points, used for swing (seat), swinging, sleeping, or Human relaxation, resting. It normally consists of one ...
ladders should he be elected: Hemmerde fell for this and gave the pledge. He also once kidnapped
Victor Grayson
Albert Victor Grayson (born 5 September 1881, disappeared 28 September 1920) was an English socialist politician of the early 20th century. An Independent Labour Party Member of Parliament from 1907 to 1910, Grayson is most notable for his sensat ...
MP in a political stunt.
![Fred T Jane - 17 Elphinstone Road Southsea Portsmouth PO5 3HP](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a2/Fred_T_Jane_-_17_Elphinstone_Road_Southsea_Portsmouth_PO5_3HP.jpg)
His
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council.
Portsmouth is the most dens ...
home, on
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort and a geographic area of Portsmouth, Portsea Island in England. Southsea is located 1.8 miles (2.8 km) to the south of Portsmouth's inner city-centre. Southsea is not a separate town as all of Portsea Island's s ...
Common, now bears a plaque recording that he lived there.
In later life Jane lived at
Bedhampton
Bedhampton is a former village, and now suburb, located in the Borough of Havant, Hampshire, England. It is located at the northern end of Langstone Harbour and at the foot of the eastern end of Portsdown Hill.
Early mentions of Bedhampton are r ...
, and was instrumental in setting up one of the first
Scout
Scout may refer to:
Youth movement
*Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement
**Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom
**Scouts BSA, sectio ...
troops.
After catching a chill while on a speaking tour in December 1915, Jane became ill, and in March 1916, died alone in his apartment from influenza and heart congestion. He is buried in Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea.
History of Highland Road Cemetery, Southsea
/ref>
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
*
*
''The Angel of The Revolution'' and ''Olga Romanoff'', illustrated by Jane.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jane, Fred T.
1865 births
1916 deaths
English illustrators
English science fiction writers
People educated at Exeter School
Bedhampton
Writers from Portsmouth
People from Richmond, London