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Jack Hargreaves 1942.
Born in 1911, John Herbert (but always
known as Jack) Hargreaves studied
initially at the Royal Veterinary College
before pursuing a career in journalism.
Supplementing his income by writing
scripts for film and radio, he became one
of the pioneers of radio broadcasting.
Upon the outbreak of the Second World
War, he realised that broadcasting would
be important to the war effort and,
therefore, a reserved occupation, so,
anxious to ‘do his bit’, he immediately
joined the Royal Artillery as a gunner. Quickly promoted to bombardier, he entered Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Royal Tank Regiment on 24th October 1942. His reputation as a broadcaster ensured that Hargreaves came to the attention of General Montgomery, and he was recruited onto the staff to organise radio broadcasts for the troops before and after D-Day. He served in this capacity for the rest of the war, being demobbed as an acting lieutenant-colonel.
Continuing his career in the media, Hargreaves was editor of the iconic photojournalistic magazine Picture Post in the 1950s before being recruited as the information manager for the National Farmers’ Union. In 1959, his growing reputation for creativity led to him being headhunted by the newly franchised Southern Television as both a programme maker and assistant controller. It was at Southern that he made his television debut, presenting the programme Gone Fishing, which showcased his lifelong passion for angling and in which he was the first person to be filmed for television catching a fish.
In the early 1960s, Hargreaves realised the potential of television as a medium for documentaries, which were hitherto used as supporting films before the main feature in cinemas. His collaboration in the Out of Town series (1963–81) and Old Country on Channel 4 (1983–85) made him a household name. The National Film Archive chose to preserve two episodes of Out of Town for prosperity, citing: ‘When they finally cover Britain with concrete, they will have something to remind them of what it was all about’. With his battered hat, pipe, whiskers and an old Barbour jacket,
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