Sir John Waller, 7th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir John Stanier Waller, 7th Baronet (27 July 1917-22 January 1995) was an English author, poet and journalist. He was one of the group of Cairo poets
during World War II
Waller was the son of Captain Stanier Waller and Alice Harris, who was a barmaid before she married. His father died of wounds from the First World War. He was educated at Weymouth College
and Worcester College, Oxford
. In 1939 Waller founded the magazine Kingdom Come which he edited. He served in the Middle East from 1941 to 1946 and was initially with the Royal Army Service Corps
. Then he was posted to the Ministry of Information, where his sergeant-major was the poet G. S. Fraser
. During the time in Cairo he founded the Salamander Society
with Keith Bullen (poet)
and John Cromer and launched Oasis: the Middle East Anthology of Poetry from the Forces in August 1943.
After the war he wrote a number of works - The Merry Ghosts, Crusade, The Kiss of Stars He edited books and was presented with the Greenwood Award for Poetry in 1947 and became FRSL in 1948. He became Information Officer in the Overseas Press Division of the Central Office of Information. In 1954 on the death of Sir Edmund Waller, 6th Baronet, he inherited the baronetcy
.. However he lost his inherited income as business ventures failed and he gave up writing.
Waller was awarded the Keats Prize in 1974. In 1976 he helped set up the Salamander Oasis Trust. This was originally intended just to reprint Oasis, but Waller suggested collating as much as possible of the material that had not been used, which resulted in to four anthologies.
Waller lived in Isleworth, and in 1974 he married Anne Eileen Mileham. The marriage was dissolved and he died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight.
Cairo poets
The British Army presence in Egypt in World War II had, as a side effect, the concentration of a group of Cairo poets. There had in fact been a noticeable literary group in Cairo before the war in North Africa broke out, including university academics. Possibly as a reflection of that, there were...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Waller was the son of Captain Stanier Waller and Alice Harris, who was a barmaid before she married. His father died of wounds from the First World War. He was educated at Weymouth College
Weymouth College
Weymouth College is a Further Education college located in Weymouth, England.The college has over 7,000 students, studying on a wide range of practical and academic courses in many different subjects...
and Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
. In 1939 Waller founded the magazine Kingdom Come which he edited. He served in the Middle East from 1941 to 1946 and was initially with the Royal Army Service Corps
Royal Army Service Corps
The Royal Army Service Corps was a corps of the British Army. It was responsible for land, coastal and lake transport; air despatch; supply of food, water, fuel, and general domestic stores such as clothing, furniture and stationery ; administration of...
. Then he was posted to the Ministry of Information, where his sergeant-major was the poet G. S. Fraser
G. S. Fraser
George Sutherland Fraser was a Scottish poet, literary critic and academic. He was born in Glasgow, later moving with his family to Aberdeen. He went to the University of St. Andrews....
. During the time in Cairo he founded the Salamander Society
Salamander: A Miscellany of Poetry
Salamander: A Miscellany of Poetry was an anthology of poetry published by George Allen and Unwin in 1947 and featuring the work of many of the Cairo poets. It was edited by Keith Bullen and John Cromer. The title alluded to the rebirth of culture from the ashes of World War II...
with Keith Bullen (poet)
Keith Bullen (poet)
Keith Brebner Bullen was a British poet and teacher who was part of the Salamander group in Cairo during World War II.-Early life and schools:...
and John Cromer and launched Oasis: the Middle East Anthology of Poetry from the Forces in August 1943.
After the war he wrote a number of works - The Merry Ghosts, Crusade, The Kiss of Stars He edited books and was presented with the Greenwood Award for Poetry in 1947 and became FRSL in 1948. He became Information Officer in the Overseas Press Division of the Central Office of Information. In 1954 on the death of Sir Edmund Waller, 6th Baronet, he inherited the baronetcy
Waller Baronets
The have been two Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Waller, one in the Baronetage of Ireland and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom...
.. However he lost his inherited income as business ventures failed and he gave up writing.
Waller was awarded the Keats Prize in 1974. In 1976 he helped set up the Salamander Oasis Trust. This was originally intended just to reprint Oasis, but Waller suggested collating as much as possible of the material that had not been used, which resulted in to four anthologies.
Waller lived in Isleworth, and in 1974 he married Anne Eileen Mileham. The marriage was dissolved and he died at Ventnor, Isle of Wight.