Roy Beddington

Roy Beddington (16 June 1910 – 31 May 1995) was a British painter, illustrator, fisherman, poet, writer on fishing, and journalist. As an artist he was known for his watercolours, with his first one-man shows being at Grafton and Walker's galleries in London in the 1930s. He continued to exhibit in shows for decades, with his last show exhibiting just shortly before he died in 1995 at 84 years old. In the mid 1930s he illustrated three books for Irish author Stephen Gwynn, mostly with a fishing theme. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1948 Summer Olympics.

As an author, Beddington published a novel, a children's book, a biographical book on a yellow Labrador, two volumes of poetry, and a book on fishing. He also worked for many years as a journalist for Country Life; notably penning a regular column on fishing while occasionally contributing stories on other topics to the magazine. His column and other stories often included his art work in addition to his writing.

Early life and education Born into a prominent Jewish family in Paddington, London, Beddington was the son of Reginald Beddington; a well known fisherman in the United Kingdom who served terms as President of both the Freshwater Biological Association and National Association of Fishery Boards. His mother was the sister of the British philanthropist Basil Henriques, and herself a talented angler who at one time was a record holder for the catching of salmon.

Beddington's father wanted his son to become an accountant; having secured him a place in that capacity with the Mazawattee Tea Company. Many of his watercolours reflect his interest in fishing, and he once wrote: The trouble is, one always wants to fish when one is painting and paint when one is fishing... When one is fishing down a pool, the light suddenly changes and a perfect picture reveals itself. At such a moment I have to make up my mind whether to go on fishing or to take up my paints.

In addition to his work with Gwynn, Beddington also illustrated Anthony Crossley's The Floating Line for Salmon and Sea Trout (1939). At this point, he began to branch out into writing as well as painting after being encouraged by Gwynn to pursue writing as a career. The work tells the story of a boy from a small English village who is taught how to train racing pigeons by his father. He grows up and becomes a young soldier in the British Army in France during World War II. He uses his talent with pigeons from his childhood to aid in the war against the Nazis; ultimately using his own pigeon to send a critical message across the English Channel. His third and final book, Pindar: a dog to remember (1975), was described by James Fergusson in The Independent as "a remarkably unselfconscious biography of a yellow labrador". He also published two volumes of poetry.

Personal life and death Beddington served in the British Army during World War II, specializing in anti-aircraft work. He was discharged after being injured, after which he worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. He was involved with national policy making with Britain's Salmon & Trout Association and was a chairman of the Fisheries Committee's Hampshire River Board. In 1952 he married Anna Griffith with whom he had two daughters. The couple divorced after seven years of marriage, and he married a second time in 1961 to Diana Dobson with whom he had another daughter.

Beddington died on 31 May 1995 at the age of 84 in Salisbury, Wiltshire.