author
James Bell Salmond
1891–1958
A Scottish journalist, poet, and novelist, he is best remembered for writing about Scotland with warmth and wit, and for his connection to the literary world of the First World War. His life linked magazine journalism, war poetry, and popular fiction in a way that still feels vivid today.
1 Audiobook
My Man Sandy
by James Bell Salmond
About the author
Born in Arbroath on December 8, 1891, James Bell Salmond became known as J. B. Salmond. He studied at Arbroath High School and St Andrews University, where he was already active in student writing and editing.
During the First World War, he served in the Black Watch and wrote poetry shaped by the experience of war. While at Craiglockhart Military Hospital in Edinburgh, he was for a time joint editor of The Hydra, the hospital magazine, alongside Wilfred Owen. That connection places him close to one of the most striking literary circles to emerge from the war.
After the war, Salmond built a substantial career as a journalist, editor, poet, novelist, and historian. He edited The Scots Magazine for more than twenty years and wrote books including the well-known novel My Man Sandy as well as works on Scottish history and travel. His writing is often praised for its strong sense of place and its lively, accessible picture of Scottish life.