George Blake
George Blake was a Scottish writer and journalist, born in Greenock in 1893. He initially studied law at Glasgow University but interrupted his studies to serve in World War I, where he was wounded. His war experiences inspired his book "Path of Glory." After the war, he transitioned into journalism, first working for the Glasgow Evening News and later taking on editorial roles at John O'London's Weekly and the Glasgow Evening Citizen. Blake married Ellie Malcolm Lawson in 1923, and they had three children together. He also directed Porpoise Press, focusing on Scottish literature, and published notable works, including his best-known novel "The Shipbuilders" in 1935. In his later years, he shifted focus to writing histories of the shipping industry, contributing articles to various Scottish newspapers until his death in 1961. Blake's literary legacy is closely tied to his Greenock roots and his exploration of Scottish themes.
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Subject Terms
George Blake
Writer
- Born: October 28, 1893
- Birthplace: Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland
- Died: August 29, 1961
- Place of death: Glasgow, Scotland
Biography
Born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1893, George Blake attended Greenock Academy and later studied law at Glasgow University. He abandoned his studies to join the army during World War I and was wounded in action. He later wrote a book about this experience entitled Path of Glory. Upon his return from the war, Blake began working for the Glasgow Evening News as a journalist. In 1923, Blake married Ellie Malcolm Lawson, a native of Greenock, Blake’s home town and the setting of many of his novels. The couple had two sons and a daughter together.
Blake became editor of John O’London’s Weekly in 1924, a position he held for four years. In 1928, he took a position with Strand Magazine, but soon moved on to become director of Porpoise Press, a publishing house devoted to Scottish literature. Blake briefly retired from journalism in 1935 to concentrate on his novels. His best-known novel, The Shipbuilders, was released that year. He returned to journalism in 1939 to serve as editor of the Glasgow Evening Citizen.
In the later years of his career, Blake turned his attention to histories associated with the shipping industry, such as Lloyd’s Register of Shipping and The Ben Line: A History of Wm. Thomson and Co. of Leith and Edinburgh and of the Ships Owned and Managed by Them, 1825—1955. He also produced articles for the Scottish Daily Express and the Glasgow Herald until he died in 1961.