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Ronald George Blythe CBE (6 November 1922 – 14 January 2023) was a British writer, essayist and editor, best known for his work Akenfield (1969), an account of agricultural life in Suffolk from the turn of the century to the 1960s. He wrote a long-running and considerably praised weekly column in the Church Times entitled "Word from Wormingford".

Early life and education

Blythe was born in Acton, Suffolk, on 6 November 1922,[4] the eldest of six children. His father, Albert, who had seen action in the First World War at Gallipoli and in Palestine, came from generations of East Anglian farmers and farm workers.[5] His London-born mother, Matilda (née Elkins), had worked as a Voluntary Aid Detachment nurse during the war and passed on to her son her passion for books.[6][5][7] Blythe could remember as a child seeing the sugar beet being farmed by men in army greatcoats and puttees.

He was educated at St Peter's and St Gregory's school in Sudbury, Suffolk,[8] and grew up exploring churches, architecture, plants and books.[6] He left school at 14[5] but was, he said, "a chronic reader",[7] immersing himself in French literature and writing poetry.

Later life and death

Blythe never married. He continued to live and work at Bottengoms Farm in Wormingford until his death, following the opinion expressed in The View in Winter that the elderly should remain in their own homes whenever possible.[23] He never learned to drive and did not use a computer.[9]

He turned 100 on 6 November 2022[24] and died at his home just over two months later, on 14 January 2023.

Courtesy – Wikipedia

- Ronald Blythe

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