James Herriot was the pen name of James Albert “Alf” Wight. James was born in Sunderland, County Durham, England on October 3, 1916. His parents, James and Hannah, lived and worked in Glasglow, Scotland, but Hannah returned to England to give birth to James. When James was three weeks old, his mother brought him back to Glasgow, Scotland, where he was raised.
In 1939, when Wight was 23 years old, he graduated from Glasgow Veterinary School. In 1940, after briefly joining a veterinary practice in Sunderland, England, he joined a veterinary practice in Yorkshire. Wight lived in Thirsk, near the Yorkshire Dales, in England, which was where he set his novels.
In 1941, Wight married his wife,...
