French
DeutschRowland Johns
Rowland Johns | |
|---|---|
 Johns (second from left) at National Animal Welfare Week in 1931 | |
| Born | Charles Rowland Johns 8 March 1882 |
| Died | 29 March 1961 |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouse | Jessie Harvey (m. 1909) |
Charles Rowland Johns (8 March 1882 – 29 March 1961) was a Welsh animal welfare activist, journalist and writer. He was secretary of the National Canine Defence League and authored many books on dogs.
Career
[edit]Johns was born in Holyhead.[1] He was secretary of the National Canine Defence League (NCDL) from 1909 to 1946. He was awarded the Argus Medal from the League in 1947.[1] He was honorary consultant on dogs and road safety to the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in 1947. In the 1950s he was a campaign director to the NCDL and a trustee.[1][2]
He was a British Delegate to the American Humane Convention in San Francisco in 1932, Washington, D.C. in 1935 and St. Louis in 1938.[1] He was honorary vice-president of the American Humane Education Society.[1] In the 1930s he was editor of NCDL's Dog Bulletin. In 1936, Johns was awarded the Silver Meritorious Service medal of the RSPCA in recognition of his services for animal welfare.[3]
Ethel Douglas Hume described Johns as "an expert business man, as well as a staunch humanitarian and delightful writer".[4] During World War II, he campaigned to protect dogs from poison gas by sharing leaflets giving directions for the construction of a simple home-made gas resisting box.[5] Johns recognized that dogs played an important role on the home front, offering consolation to women whose husbands were at war.[6]
Personal life
[edit]Johns resided at Bognor Regis.[1] He married Jessie Harvey in 1909; they had two children. His son R. Harvey Johns succeeded him as secretary of the Canine Defence League but was dismissed from the League in 1959.[7] His son established a rival organization, the World Dog Defence Campaign.[7] Johns died on 29 March 1961.[8]
Selected publications
[edit]Johns was the editor of Our Friend the Dog Series (38 books) from 1932 to 1959.[1] He also authored:
- The Pitiful Story of the Performing Animal (1914)
- Mind You (1922)
- Let Dogs Delight (1926)
- All Sorts of Dogs (1929)
- Lucky Dogs (1931)
- Rowland Johns Dog Book (1933)
- Every Dog Its Day (1934)
- Jock: The King's Pony (1936)
- The A1 Dog Book (1939)
- 250 Questions Answered About Dogs (1944)
- The Dog Owners' Treasury (1948)
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g Oakes, Charles Henry (1961). Who's Who, Volume 113. A. & C. Black. p. 1612.
- ^ "Canine Defence League Action". The Scotsman. June 15, 1956. p. 11.
- ^ "26 Years' Work". Daily Herald. February 21, 1936. p. 13.
- ^ Hume, Ethel Douglas (1939). The Mind-Changers. M. Joseph Limited. p. 177.
- ^ "Dogs and Poison Gas". Perthshire Adviser. April 12, 1941. p. 11.
- ^ Kean, Hilda (1998). Animal Rights: Political and Social Change in Britain Since 1800. Reaktion Books. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-86189-014-6.
- ^ a b "Workman and Persson v. Johns" (PDF). Report of Patent, Design, and Trade Mark Cases. 10: 265–269. 1960.
- ^ "New General Catalog of Old Books and Authors". Archived from the original on February 6, 2025.
