James Bell Salmond

James Bell Salmond, usually published as J. B. Salmond, was born in Arbroath, Scotland, on December 8, 1891, and died on February 2, 1958. He was a Scottish journalist, poet, and novelist, and he also became known for writing about Scottish history and travel.

During the First World War, he served in the Black Watch and later spent time at Craiglockhart War Hospital in Edinburgh. There he was involved with The Hydra, the hospital magazine, and for a period he worked alongside Wilfred Owen as joint editor. That experience has helped keep his name alive in accounts of wartime literary life.

After the war, Salmond built a substantial career in journalism and letters. Sources describe him as editor of The Scots Magazine for more than twenty years, and his books included poetry, fiction, and nonfiction with a strong Scottish focus. Although he is not as widely known today as some of his contemporaries, his career shows the range of a writer who moved comfortably between literature, journalism, and history.