John Lymington

John Richard Newton Chance (1911 – 3 August 1983), who wrote as John Lymington, was an English writer of short stories, children's literature, mystery, and science fiction novels. An obituary in Ansible credits Lymington with writing over 150 novels, 'including 20+ SF potboilers', adding that he 'made a steady income by delivering thrillers to Robert Hale (the publisher) at a chapter a week'.

Early life Chance was educated in a private school in London, and subsequently attended a technical college with the intention of becoming a civil engineer, an ambition which he left behind to become a quantity surveyor. By the age of 21, he decided to give up this job and began to work full-time as a writer.

Military service During Lymington's career with the Royal Air Force, which began in the summer of 1940, he became a flying instructor at South Cerney, Long Newnton and Bibury airfields in the Cotswolds. The three airfields were administrated under the Cerney office. In this role, he applied his experience of flying from as early as 1928. In November 1943, Chance was given indefinite leave, and was invalided out with the permanent rank of flight lieutenant on 8 February 1944. He wrote about this time in his autobiography, Yellow Belly, published by Robert Hale in 1959.

Personal life In 1943, Lymington met his wife-to-be, Shirley Savill, at the time serving as a section officer in the WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force). They married on 22 July. After the war, they moved to Hampshire, where their three sons were born. The family moved to the Isle of Wight in 1956, to take up management of a pub.