Ronald Leslie Bassett

DSM DSM or dsm may refer to: Science and technology * Deep space maneuver * Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** DSM-5, the fifth ed ...

(10 April 1924 – March 1996) was a British writer and novelist. He wrote numerous works of

historical fiction Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym for historical fiction literature, it can also be applied to other ty ...

, sometimes under the pseudonym of "William Clive".Atkinson, Frank (1987) ''Dictionary of Literary Pseudonyms: A selection of popular modern writers in English'' (4th ed.) Library Association Publishing, London, He received many awards for his medical and pharmaceutical writing.

Personal life

Bassett was born in London to George William Bassett, a bank clerk, and Louisa (Vine) Bassett. He attended high school in London, and while in the military married Ivy Owens on 21 November 1944. His first wife died and he later married Sylvia Cruttwell on 6 November 1956, and they had two children.

Military

Bassett joined the King's Royal Rifle Corps as a rifleman in 1938 and then transferred to the

Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery (RA) and colloquially known as "The Gunners", is one of two regiments that make up the artillery arm of the British Army. The Royal Regiment of Artillery comprises t ...

as a gunner. In 1940 he transferred to the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

, where he worked in the communications branch. He served as a radio operator on the heavy cruiser during the Bismarck action and during the North African landings. Bassett was a radio operator on a landing craft during the Normandy invasion. As a non-commissioned officer during the

Second World War 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 received the

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

for bravery and resourcefulness. He remained in the navy after the war, and served on an aircraft carrier in the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

zone. He retired from the navy in 1954 as

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...

Later life

In 1956, Bassett went to work for Smith, Kline & French Laboratories Ltd. as a

public relations Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. P ...

officer, and remained with them until 1966. After devoting himself solely to writing for three years, in 1969 he returned to the pharmaceutical corporate world going to work as a public relations officer for E. R. Squibb & Sons, a post he held until 1975 when he and his wife retired to

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. ...

Fiction

Bassett's historical fiction includes ''The Carthaginian'' (1963), ''The Pompeians'' (1965), ''Amorous Trooper'' (1968), and ''Blood of an Englishman: A Novel of the Siege of Cawnpore'' (1975). His novel ''

Witchfinder General Matthew Hopkins ( 1620 – 12 August 1647) was an English witch-hunter whose career flourished during the English Civil War. He claimed to hold the office of Witchfinder General, although that title was never bestowed by Parliament, a ...

'' (1966) was made into the controversial 1968

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

of the same title directed by

Michael Reeves Michael Reeves (17 October 1943 – 11 February 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He is best remembered for the 1968 film ''Witchfinder General'' (known in the US as ''Conqueror Worm''). A few months after the film's rel ...

and starring

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

Awards

Among Bassett's awards are: * British Medical Association – Silver medal :1964 for "Small Price to Pay" :1965 for "Interuterine Contraception" and "Hypertension" *British Medical Association – Gold medal :1966 for "The Right to Work" :1967 for "Seven Ages of Psychiatry"

Notes

References

* Gale Research Co. (2001) "Ronald Bassett 1924–" ''Contemporary Authors'' Gale Research Co., Detroit {{DEFAULTSORT:Bassett, Ronald Leslie 1924 births 1996 deaths 20th-century British novelists British male novelists British medical writers British historical fiction writers King's Royal Rifle Corps soldiers Recipients of the Distinguished Service Medal (United Kingdom) Royal Navy personnel of World War II Royal Navy officers 20th-century British male writers British Army personnel of World War II Royal Artillery soldiers Royal Navy personnel of the Korean War Military personnel from London