Henry Canova Vollam Morton was born at 17 Chester Square in Ashton-under-Lyme on 25th July 1892.
He learnt his trade as a
journalist at the Birmingham Gazette & Express leaving as assistant
editor in 1912, and later furthered his professional skills on Fleet
Street working for Empire Magazine, The Evening Standard and The Daily
Mail.
During WW1 he was commissioned in the Warwickshire Yeomanry until his return to Fleet Street in
1919
In 1923, he was chosen to cover a unique event, the discovery of the
Tutankhamen tomb at Luxor, Egypt.
he produced his first book in 1925.
In 1926, Morton decided to tour the country and write about his journey,
resulting in a bestseller (The idea was originally a Daily Express
project).
He later travelled Europe and also the Holy Land producing
excellent books about his journeys to these places.
In 1941, he was chosen to cover another unique event (along with another
writer Howard Spring), that of the
meeting by Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt in Placentia Bay,
Newfoundland, which took place aboard HMS Prince of Wales. The
meeting led to the signing of the 'Atlantic Charter'. Morton wrote the
book 'Atlantic Meeting' about this event.
He wrote over fifty travel books during his lifetime and eventually settled in South Africa where he died
in 1977 at the age of 86, at his home in Somerset West.
H. V. Morton Society
In December 2003, the H. V. Morton Society was set up by Peter Devenish and Kenneth Fields. The membership continues to grow and information can be retrieved from there.
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