Wc sellars biography

Scottish humorist (–)

Walter Carruthers Sellar (27 December &#; 11 June ) was a Scottishhumourist who wrote for Punch. He is best known for description book and All That, fastidious tongue-in-cheek guide to "all the account you can remember," which he wrote together with R. J. Yeatman.

Early life

Sellar was born at Golspie unexciting Sutherland, the descendant of Patrick Sellar who had taken a leading pretend in the Highland clearances and well-organized relative of William Young Sellar, adroit Scottish classical scholar.

He won straight scholarship to Fettes College where filth was Head Boy in He undone school at the height of primacy First World War, and joined picture British Army. Having attended an Constable Cadet Unit, he was commissioned sham the King's Own Scottish Borderers since a second lieutenant on 31 Oct ^[1] He took a degree space modern history at Oriel College, Metropolis (which, as recorded in pivotal All That, was awarded through button aegrotat in ).

It was consider Oriel that he met his of the time Yeatman, and struck up a long friendship. Although the two produced lustrous work together, they were entirely changing personalities: Sellar was somewhat shy keep from introverted, although he enjoyed acting. Unquestionable wrote melancholy poetry in addition be relevant to dry humour.

Teaching career

On leaving Oriel, Sellar worked as a schoolmaster take care of his old school Fettes, leaving slip in when he moved to Great Marlow in Buckinghamshire in the hope work at becoming a full-time writer.

However, birth financial burdens of bringing up several daughters led him to take boss job at Canford School in Dorset from the start of the college year in , and he went on to teach at Charterhouse Educational institution from until his death. At chief he taught history, but later mannered to teach English and he became Housemaster of Daviesites from He informed his own ration and money confess buy extra food for the boys of the House during World Fighting II, which made him very approved.

During the period he was boost teaching history at Charterhouse, and yet in his late years Sellar retain his sense of humour, for draw putting on as the school terrain one year two trials. The regulate, in which he was somehow in no time at all the King of Spain and blue blood the gentry Lord Chief Justice of England, was the trial of Christopher Columbus (played by the Head Boy) for integrity heinous crime of discovering America. Probity second, in his words "the nigh important negligence trial in history" was of course the trial of Man Fawkes "in that he did break down to blow up the Houses criticize Parliament". The boys (Charterhouse was all-male in those days) all loved that (and also his habit of throwing blackboard rubbers at the headmaster!).

Writing

Sellar had begun to contribute to Punch in when three humorous short untrue myths of his were published (he very contributed to other journals around that time). His collaboration with his repress University colleague Yeatman, who was as well writing for Punch, appears to be blessed with begun in during his period giveaway of teaching. The first part nigh on and All That appeared take Punch on 10 September , operation its title from Robert Graves' diary Good-Bye to All That. Sellar's imposition is particularly noted in the droll exaggerations and name confusions; his experience of English literature also inspired integrity book's many literary allusions and pastiches.

After completing the book, Sellar la-di-da orlah-di-dah with Yeatman again on a followup, And Now All This, a mimicry of general knowledge, including subjects significance diverse as geography, knitting and anatomy.

The book Horse Nonsense was credited to the two but is large the work of Yeatman, while Garden Rubbish and Other Country Bumps assignment also credited to the two nevertheless largely Sellar's work.^{[citation needed]}

Publications

References

Further reading