William Woodruff
Encyclopedia
William Woodruff was a professor of world history, but perhaps most noted for his two autobiographical works: The Road to Nab End and its sequel Beyond Nab End; both became bestsellers in the United Kingdom
. The memoirs, covering Woodruff's impoverished upbringing in an English weaving community during the Great Depression
, contain significant amounts of social commentary about the conditions in which he lived.
. His parents were both cotton weavers by trade (although at the time of his birth his father was serving on the Western Front
). The Road to Nab End vividly describes his upbringing and his family's fight to survive the Lancashire
cotton industry
's initial downturn in 1920, through its decline in the 1920s, and the community's slide into the Great Depression
that followed. Woodruff contributed to his family's income, initially as a newspaper delivery boy before and after school. He entered the workforce as a "grocer's lad" (shop assistant) at the age of 14, and after several enforced changes of job decided to leave Lancashire for a promise of a job in London
at the age of 16.
scholarship, he gained a place at the Catholic Workers College (later Plater College
), Oxford. In 1938 he was then admitted as a fully accredited member of the University of Oxford
, joining St Catherine’s Society in St Aldates (now St Catherine's College
). In a unique gesture, Oxford waived its entrance examination to admit him. It was at Oxford that he met his first wife Katharine, whom he married in 1940.
he fought with the 24th Guards Brigade of the British 1st Infantry Division
in North Africa and the Mediterranean region. His wartime experiences became the basis of his work Vessel of Sadness, which A. L. Rowse
called one of the "most sensitive and moving books of the war, both authentic and poetic" in a review in the Times Literary Supplement.
At the end of 1945 he returned to the wife he had seen for "five weeks in five years" and his eldest son, whom he had never met. His first wife died of cancer in 1959, and Woodruff remarried in 1960.
, and in 1952 he went as a Fulbright Scholar to Harvard University
. He then spent a period as a professor at the University of Illinois
before moving in 1956 to head the Department of Economic History at the University of Melbourne
, Australia
, where he met his second wife Helga. He followed this with various visiting professorships to Princeton
, Berlin
, Tokyo
and Oxford. He was a Graduate Research Professor at the University of Florida
from 1966 to his retirement in 1996, when he became a Professor Emeritus.
on September 23, 2008. He is survived by his wife Helga, their daughter and four sons, and by two sons from his first marriage.
The interrelatedness of continents continued to be the focus of further studies.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The memoirs, covering Woodruff's impoverished upbringing in an English weaving community during the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
, contain significant amounts of social commentary about the conditions in which he lived.
Early life
Woodruff was born on September 12, 1916 in Blackburn, LancashireLancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
. His parents were both cotton weavers by trade (although at the time of his birth his father was serving on the Western Front
Western Front (World War I)
Following the outbreak of World War I in 1914, the German Army opened the Western Front by first invading Luxembourg and Belgium, then gaining military control of important industrial regions in France. The tide of the advance was dramatically turned with the Battle of the Marne...
). The Road to Nab End vividly describes his upbringing and his family's fight to survive the Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
cotton industry
Cotton mill
A cotton mill is a factory that houses spinning and weaving machinery. Typically built between 1775 and 1930, mills spun cotton which was an important product during the Industrial Revolution....
's initial downturn in 1920, through its decline in the 1920s, and the community's slide into the Great Depression
Great Depression in the United Kingdom
The Great Depression in the United Kingdom, also known as the Great Slump, was a period of national economic downturn in the 1930s, which had its origins in the global Great Depression...
that followed. Woodruff contributed to his family's income, initially as a newspaper delivery boy before and after school. He entered the workforce as a "grocer's lad" (shop assistant) at the age of 14, and after several enforced changes of job decided to leave Lancashire for a promise of a job in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at the age of 16.
London and Oxford
Beyond Nab End describes his life after arriving in London. He worked for two years as a "sand rat" in an East End iron foundry (the sand being used to make moulds into which molten iron was poured). He attended night school, discovering a love of learning (or perhaps re-discovering, as there are clear indications that his grandmother Bridget, and other adults, encouraged this love when he was younger). In 1936, with the aid of a London County CouncilLondon County Council
London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...
scholarship, he gained a place at the Catholic Workers College (later Plater College
Plater College
Plater College was an adult education establishment which was based in Headington, Oxford, England.- College history :The college was founded in 1922 by the Rev. Leo O'Hea, S.J...
), Oxford. In 1938 he was then admitted as a fully accredited member of the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, joining St Catherine’s Society in St Aldates (now St Catherine's College
St Catherine's College, Oxford
St Catherine's College, often called Catz, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its motto is Nova et Vetera...
). In a unique gesture, Oxford waived its entrance examination to admit him. It was at Oxford that he met his first wife Katharine, whom he married in 1940.
World War II
In 1939 he volunteered for the army and during the Second World WarWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he fought with the 24th Guards Brigade of the British 1st Infantry Division
British 1st Infantry Division
The 1st Infantry Division was a regular British Army division with a long history having been present at the Peninsula War, the Crimean War, the First World War, and during the Second World War.-Napoleonic Wars:...
in North Africa and the Mediterranean region. His wartime experiences became the basis of his work Vessel of Sadness, which A. L. Rowse
A. L. Rowse
Alfred Leslie Rowse, CH, FBA , known professionally as A. L. Rowse and to friends and family as Leslie, was a British historian from Cornwall. He is perhaps best known for his work on Elizabethan England and his poetry about Cornwall. He was also a Shakespearean scholar and biographer...
called one of the "most sensitive and moving books of the war, both authentic and poetic" in a review in the Times Literary Supplement.
At the end of 1945 he returned to the wife he had seen for "five weeks in five years" and his eldest son, whom he had never met. His first wife died of cancer in 1959, and Woodruff remarried in 1960.
Academic career
In 1946 he renewed his studies in economic and world history at Oxford. In 1950 he became a Houblon-Norman research fellow supported by the Bank of EnglandBank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
, and in 1952 he went as a Fulbright Scholar to Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
. He then spent a period as a professor at the University of Illinois
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
before moving in 1956 to head the Department of Economic History at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, where he met his second wife Helga. He followed this with various visiting professorships to Princeton
Institute for Advanced Study
The Institute for Advanced Study, located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States, is an independent postgraduate center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry. It was founded in 1930 by Abraham Flexner...
, Berlin
Free University
Free University may refer to any of the following universities:* Université Libre de Bruxelles, located in Brussels, Belgium* Vrije Universiteit Brussel, located in Brussels, Belgium* Free University of Berlin, located in Berlin, Germany...
, Tokyo
Waseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
and Oxford. He was a Graduate Research Professor at the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
from 1966 to his retirement in 1996, when he became a Professor Emeritus.
Death
He died in Gainesville, FloridaGainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
on September 23, 2008. He is survived by his wife Helga, their daughter and four sons, and by two sons from his first marriage.
Academic history
- Impact of Western Man - A Study of Europe's Role in the World Economy, 1750-1960, London, Macmillan, 1969. It was a path-breaking work which explored the extrusive aspect of European history.
- America's Impact on the World: A Study of the Role of the United States in the World Economy - 1750-1970, London, Macmillan, 1975.
The interrelatedness of continents continued to be the focus of further studies.
- In November 2005 his Concise History of the Modern World: 1500 to the Present was republished in its 5th edition by Abacus (Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
) in London, ISBN 0-349-11837-X
Autobiographical works
- The Road To Nab End: A Lancashire Childhood, Abacus (Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
), 2000 (first published as Billy Boy, Ryburn Publishing Ltd., 1993). ISBN 0-349-11521-4 - A stage adaptation of The Road to Nab End by Philip Goulding premiered at the Oldham Coliseum Theatre under the direction of Kevin Shaw in June 2010.
- Beyond Nab End, Abacus (Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
), 2003 ISBN 0-316-72530-7
Fiction
- Vessel of Sadness (drawn from his experiences during World War II). Gainesville: Kallman Publishing Co., 1969; London: Chatto and Windus, 1970; London: Abacus, Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2004. ISBN 0-349-11811-6 - Paradise Galore, London: Dent and Sons, 1985
- Shadows of Glory, London: Abacus, Little, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and CompanyLittle, Brown and Company is a publishing house established by Charles Coffin Little and his partner, James Brown. Since 2006 it has been a constituent unit of Hachette Book Group USA.-19th century:...
, 2003. ISBN 0-349-11689-X