Masefield , John Edward , 1878-1967 , poet and novelist

John Edward Masefield was born in Ledbury, Herefordshire in 1878. He entered the Merchant Navy and deserted ship in America, where he drifted for some time. Returning to England he became a journalist. He published several volumes of poetry before the outbreak of World War One. During the war Masefield was a member of the Red Cross and witnessed the disaster at Gallipoli, which he later wrote about in his position as head of the War Propaganda Bureau. During the 1920s and 1930s Masefield wrote numerous successful volumes of poetry, as well as two novels and an autobiography. Masefield continued to write until his death in 1967.