John Pudney

John Pudney was a British poet, journalist, and editor. Born in Langley Marish, England, he befriended W.H. Auden and Benjamin Britten while studying at Gresham’s School. After leaving school at 16, Pudney began publishing poetry while working as a journalist for the BBC. His first volume of poetry was Spring Encounter (1933).

During World War II, Pudney was commissioned into the Royal Air Force and the Air Ministry’s Creative Writers Unit. During this time, he published “For Johnny,” his best-known and most celebrated poem. After the war, Pudney continued to work as a screenwriter and an editor for several anthologies and collections until his death in 1977.