Patrick Gordon Campbell, 3rd Baron Glenavy (6 June 1913 – 10 November 1980) was an Irish journalist, humorist and television personality.

Life and career

Campbell was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

, the first son of Charles Campbell, 2nd Baron Glenavy and Beatrice, Lady Glenavy (the artist Beatrice Elvery). He was educated at

Rossall School Rossall School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school (English Independent school (United Kingdom), independent Day school, day and boarding school) for 0–18 year olds, between Cleveleys and Fleetwood, Lancashire. Rossall was fou ...

(which he loathed) and then

Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named aft ...

, but left Oxford without completing his degree. He was taken on by ''

The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' by Robert Smyllie and reported on "Courts Day by Day". During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, he served as a

Chief Petty Officer A chief petty officer (CPO) is a senior non-commissioned officer in many navies and coast guards. Canada "Chief petty officer" refers to two ranks in the Royal Canadian Navy. A chief petty officer 2nd class (CPO2) (''premier maître de deuxiè ...

in the Irish Marine Service. After the war he re-joined ''The Irish Times'' (using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

'Quidnunc'), and given charge of the column "Irishman's Diary". He had a weekly column for the Irish edition of the ''

Sunday Dispatch The ''Sunday Dispatch'' was a prominent British newspaper, published between 27 September 1801 and 18 June 1961. It was ultimately discontinued due to its merger with the ''Sunday Express''. History The newspaper was first published as the ''Wee ...

'' before working on the paper in London from 1947 to 1949. He was assistant editor of '' Lilliput'' from 1947 to 1953. His writings also appeared in ''

The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...

''. His books, mostly collections of humorous pieces that were originally published in newspapers and magazines, included ''Constantly in Pursuit'', ''Come Here Till I Tell You'', ''Life in Thin Slices'' (1951), ''An Irishman's Diary'', ''Patrick Campbell's Omnibus'' (1954), ''A Short Trot with a Cultured Mind'', ''A Long Drink of Cold Water'', ''How to Become a Scratch Golfer'' (1963), ''The P-P-Penguin Patrick Campbell'' (1965), ''Brewing Up in the Basement'', ''Rough Husbandry'', ''All Ways on Sundays'' (1966), ''A Bunch of New Roses'', ''The Coarse of Events'', ''Gullible Travels'', ''The High Speed Gasworks'', ''Waving All Excuses'', ''Patrick Campbell's Golfing Book'', ''Fat Tuesday Tails'' (1972), ''35 Years on the Job'' (1973), ''The Campbell Companion'' (1987) and an autobiography, ''My Life and Easy Times''. Campbell was married three times, first in 1941 to Sylvia Alfreda Willoughby Lee, whom he divorced in 1947. Then to Chery Louise Munro in 1947. The two divorced in 1966, the year he married Vivienne Orme. Campbell spoke with a stammer, but nevertheless delighted

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

audiences with his wit, notably as a regular team captain on the long-running show '' Call My Bluff'', opposite his longtime friend, Frank Muir. Muir noted that "When he was locked solid by a troublesome initial letter he would show his frustration by banging his knee and muttering 'Come along! Come along!'". Some of his funniest short stories described incidents involving his stammer. Campbell stood six feet five inches tall, and several of his funniest pieces dealt with the problems faced by a man of his build in merely finding shoes or clothes that fitted him."Fellow Traveller" in ''All Ways on Sundays'' Sphere Books, 1967 He also made regular appearances in '' That Was The Week That Was''. He lived for many years in the South of France, and died in

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...

on 10 November 1980. He was succeeded as the 4th and last Lord Glenavy by his novelist brother Michael.

References

External links

*
List of pieces written by Campbell
for '' Lilliput'' magazine between 1947 and 1960. {{DEFAULTSORT:Glenavy, Patrick Gordon Campbell, 3rd Baron 1913 births 1980 deaths Barons in the Peerage of the United Kingdom Irish magazine editors People educated at Rossall School Comedians from Dublin (city) The Irish Times people