Dick King-Smith | |
|---|---|
 King-Smith in 2002 | |
| Born | Ronald Gordon King-Smith (1922-03-27)27 March 1922 Bitton,Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 4 January 2011(2011-01-04) (aged 88) |
| Resting place | Church of St Margaret, Queen Charlton |
| Pen name | Dick King-Smith |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Period | 1978–2007 |
| Genre | Children's novels,picture books |
| Notable works | The Sheep-Pig |
| Notable awards | Guardian Prize 1984 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Website | |
| dickkingsmith | |
Ronald Gordon King-SmithOBE (27 March 1922 – 4 January 2011),[1] known by hispen nameDick King-Smith, was an English writer ofchildren's books. He is best known forThe Sheep-Pig (1983), which wasadapted as the movieBabe (1995) and translations have been published in fifteen languages.[2] He was awarded an Honorary Master of Education degree by theUniversity of the West of England in 1999[3] and appointed Officer of theOrder of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours.[4][5]
King-Smith was born on 27 March 1922 inBitton,Gloucestershire and grew up in theWest Country. His father was Captain Ronald King-SmithDSOMC, who ran severalpaper mills. King-Smith was educated atBeaudesert Park School andMarlborough College.[1] He was a soldier inWorld War II, serving with theGrenadier Guards inItaly, and a farmer for 20 years before he became a teacher atFarmborough Primary School and author. King-Smith's first book wasThe Fox Busters, published in 1978 while he was living and teaching inFarmborough.
In 1941, at the age of 19, King-Smith enlisted as a recruit in theGrenadier Guards, and was subsequently commissioned into the Grandier Guards in December 1942.[6] As a young platoon commander in September 1943, he took part in theSalerno Landings inItaly. On arrival in Salerno, his platoon fought their way up Italy, along with many others, which took months. On 12 July 1944, King-Smith was seriously injured by a British hand grenade thrown by a German soldier. He was only saved from certain death because he was sheltering behind a tree, which took the brunt of the explosion. He suffered extensive sharp wounds, and later, when he was back in England, a cerebral embolism, either of which could have killed him. He relinquished his commission in June 1946, "on account of disability",[7] and returned to farming.
King-Smith met his wife, Myrle, onChristmas Day 1936. They were both 14. They were married at St. Mary's Church, Bitton, on 6 February 1943. They had three children: Juliet, Giles and Liz.[1] Myrle died in 2000, and King-Smith subsequently married Zona Bedding, a family friend.[8] He presented a feature on animals onTV-AM's children's programmeRub-a-Dub-Tub (1983).[9]
King-Smith died on 4 January 2011 at his home nearBath, Somerset at the age of 88. He was survived by his 3 children, 14 grandchildren, 4 great-grandchildren, and 1 great-great-grandchild.[10]
King-Smith andThe Sheep-Pig won the 1984Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, a once-in-a-lifetime book award judged by a panel of British children writers.[11]
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