John Pollard was a
British writer
British literature is literature from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. This article covers British literature in the English language. Anglo-Saxon (Old English) literature is inc ...
who wrote a number of books on
Classic History and his travels in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
. His African books include many stories of
Raymond Hook, a larger than life character who ran a zoo farm.
Biography
John Pollard was born in
Exeter
Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol.
In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...
in 1914, educated in
Herefordshire
Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...
and
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
and at
Exeter College,
Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. Formerly a classical schoolmaster, then a lecturer in Classics at
St Andrews University and the
University of Wales.
During
WWII
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
he served as an officer with the
Devonshire Regiment
The Devonshire Regiment was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that served under various titles and served in many wars and conflicts from 1685 to 1958, such as the Second Boer War, the First World War and the Second World War. In 1958 ...
and the
King's African Rifles in Italian
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
,
Abyssinia
The Ethiopian Empire (), also formerly known by the exonym Abyssinia, or just simply known as Ethiopia (; Amharic and Tigrinya: ኢትዮጵያ , , Oromo: Itoophiyaa, Somali: Itoobiya, Afar: ''Itiyoophiyaa''), was an empire that historica ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
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and
Uganda
}), is a landlocked country in East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
.
He travelled extensively throughout the whole African continent and throughout Europe, with a keen interest in
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
,
natural history,
angling and sport of every description.
He later moved to
Bangor, North Wales with his wife and children.
Books
Books on Africa
''Adventure Begins in Kenya'' (1957)
Published by Robert Hale, 1957. Pollard's first book set in Africa describes a quest for the rare
Lammergeyer vulture-eagle. The search takes him to
Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya (Kikuyu: ''Kĩrĩnyaga'', Kamba, ''Ki Nyaa'') is the highest mountain in Kenya and the second-highest in Africa, after Kilimanjaro. The highest peaks of the mountain are Batian (), Nelion () and Point Lenana (). Mount Kenya is locat ...
where he is accompanied by remarkable hunter and naturalist,
Raymond Hook.
''Africa for Adventure'' (1961)
Published by Robert Hale, 1961. A follow up to his first book, Pollard recounts a further series of adventures with Raymond Hook throughout
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
. Including tales of charging
elephants
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae and ...
, dangerous snakes,
man-eating lions and tragedy on an icy mountain.
''African Zoo Man'' (1963)
Published by Robert Hale, 1963. Pollard's biography of his remarkable friend Raymond Hook. Recounting Hook's search for the
Spotted Lion, running an African zoo, milking deadly
puff adders, surviving two
World War
A world war is an international conflict which involves all or most of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World WarI (1914 ...
s, and racing
cheetahs against
Greyhounds.
''The Long Safari'' (1967)
Published by Robert Hale, 1967. Pollard's fourth and final book set in Africa, he recounts his ambitious 2,000 mile safari from
Mwingi
Mwingi is a town in the Kitui County in the Eastern Region of the Republic of Kenya. It has an urban population of 15,970 (2009 census). The town is located along the A3 Road between Nairobi and Garissa, north of its county capital Kitui, and eas ...
,
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
through the wilderness to reach
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
on the
Red Sea
The Red Sea ( ar, البحر الأحمر - بحر القلزم, translit=Modern: al-Baḥr al-ʾAḥmar, Medieval: Baḥr al-Qulzum; or ; Coptic: ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϩⲁϩ ''Phiom Enhah'' or ⲫⲓⲟⲙ ⲛ̀ϣⲁⲣⲓ ''Phiom ǹšari''; T ...
.
History Books
*''Journey to the Styx'' (C.Johnson, 1955)
*''Wolves and Werewolves'' (Robert Hale, 1964)
*''Seers, Shrines and Sirens'' (George Allen & Unwin, 1965)
*''Helen of Troy'' (Robert Hale, 1965)
*''Birds in Greek Life and Myth'' (Thames and Hudson, 1977)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollard, John
1914 births
Writers from Exeter
Year of death missing