J. O. Francis

Alyce von Rothkirch (Swansea University)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

John Oswald Francis, usually known as J.O., was born in Merthyr Tydfil in 1882. His father David Francis was a blacksmith from Merthyr and his mother Dorothy had moved to Merthyr from West Wales. She spoke Welsh and J.O. may have spoken Welsh as a child, but, like so many of his generation, he lost whatever Welsh he might have had when he grew up, although he learnt Welsh in middle age. He was one of the first pupils at the new Intermediate School in Merthyr, which enabled him to go to the University of Wales College, Aberystwyth. During his time there he joined the Fabian Society, but then became a lifelong member of the Liberal Party. Francis graduated with a First in English in 1903, spent some time in France and then returned to Wales to teach English at Ebbw Vale County School beforeā€¦

759 words

Citation: von Rothkirch, Alyce. "J. O. Francis". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 May 2011 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=12953, accessed 19 March 2024.]

12953 J. O. Francis 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.