Leslie Thomas
Leslie Thomas, OBE (22 March 1931 – 6 May 2014) was a Welsh author best known for his comic novel The Virgin Soldiers.[1]
Early life
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Thomas was born in Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was orphaned at the age of 12, when his mariner father was lost at sea and his mother died only a few months later from cancer.[2] He was subsequently brought up in a Dr Barnardo's home; the story of this upbringing was the subject of his first, autobiographical, book, This Time Next Week.
Thomas attended
Career
This section relies largely or entirely on a single source. (March 2019) |
Upon his return to England in 1951, Thomas resumed his work for the local newspaper group in north London where he had worked before his National Service, but within five years he was working for the
In 1984, Thomas published In My Wildest Dreams recounting his childhood in South Wales, his days in Doctor Barnardo's homes in London, his National Service in the Far East, and his career in journalism. His novels about 1950s British
He was a subject of the television programme
His experiences as a
Thomas was the subject of the first edition of BBC Wales' series Great Welsh Writers, broadcast on BBC One Wales on 25 February 2013.[2] The programme featured interviews with Thomas, Peter Grosvenor, Frederick Forsyth and Tim Rice, as well as archive clips from earlier programmes.[4]
Honours
In the 2005 New Year Honours, he was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to literature.[5]
He died in Salisbury after a lengthy illness on 6 May 2014, aged 83.[1]
Bibliography
Biographical
- This Time Next Week (1964) ISBN 9780140144284
- In My Wildest Dreams (1984) ISBN 9780851406398
Novels
- The Virgin Soldiers (1966)
- Orange Wednesday (1967)
- The Love Beach (1968)
- Come to the War (1969)
- His Lordship (1970)
- Onward Virgin Soldiers (1971)
- Arthur McCann and All His Women (1972)
- The Man with the Power (1973)
- Tropic of Ruislip (1974)
- Stand Up Virgin Soldiers (1975)
- Bare Nell (1977)
- Ormerod's Landing (1978)
- That Old Gang of Mine (1979)
- The Magic Army (1981)
- The Dearest and the Best (1984)
- The Adventures of Goodnight and Loving (1986)
- Orders for New York (1989)
- Evening News Short Stories (1990)
- The Loves and Journeys of Revolving Jones (1991)
- Arrivals and Departures (1992)
- Running Away (1994)
- Kensington Heights (1996)
- Chloe's Song (1997)
- Other Times (1999)
- Waiting for the Day (2003)
- Dover Beach (2005)
- Soldiers and Lovers (2007)
Dangerous Davies novels
- Dangerous Davies, the Last Detective (1976)
- Dangerous in Love (1987)
- Dangerous by Moonlight (1993)
- Dangerous Davies and the Lonely Heart (1998)
Travel
- Some Lovely Islands (1971) ISBN 978-0330026260
- Hidden Places of Britain (1981) ISBN 0851405428
- A World of Islands (1993) ISBN 0413676609
Miscellaneous
- Midnight Clear: A Christmas Story (1978) ISBN 9780851402918
- Almost Heaven: Tales from a Cathedral (2010) ISBN 9781903071236
References
- ^ a b "Virgin Soldiers author Leslie Thomas dies aged 83". BBC News. 7 May 2014. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ a b "Newport novellist [sic], Leslie Thomas features in TV writers' show". South Wales Argus. 22 February 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2022.
- ^ "Leslie Thomas Obituary". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- ^ "Great Welsh Writers, Leslie Thomas". BBC One Wales. 31 July 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
- ^ Webster, Philip (31 December 2004). "Olympic athletes head the field in New Year Honours". The Times. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
External links
- Leslie Thomas at IMDb