James Wentworth Day (21 April 1899 – 5 January 1983) was a British author and broadcaster, a promoter of Agrarian Right politics and essentially a High Tory. He lived for most of his life in East Anglia. He had a particular interest in wild fowling, and at one time owned Adventurers' Fen, a piece of marshland in Cambridgeshire. He was also a ghost hunter, and wrote several books about this interest. He may be remembered best for his journey around the farms of East Anglia on horseback during World War II, as detailed in his book Farming Adventure (later reprinted with the title Wartime Ride), while for many years he was associated with the magazine East Anglian.
Early life
Born in Exning, Suffolk he was educated at Newton College in Newton Abbot before seeing active service in World War I. He became a journalist after his war service, working for Daily Express newspapers and the magazine Country Life (as well as other sporting publications). He edited the Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News. He also became personal assistant to Lucy, Lady Houston and for a time-shared some of her extreme ideas endorsing Benito Mussolini, although he was suspicious of Adolf Hitler.
Television career
Wentworth Day briefly achieved minor public notice during 1957 and 1958, when he performed as the resident reactionary in Daniel Farson's television series for the company Associated-Rediffusion, most famously Out of Step and People in Trouble. Farson stated that he did not agree with Wentworth Day's sentiments, which were perceived as racist and xenophobic at the time. For instance, in the programme People in Trouble during a discussion concerning mixed marriages, Wentworth Day referred to "coffee-coloured little imps" and claimed that black people must be "inferior" because "in many cases their grandfathers were eating each other". Farson usually chuckled along with the comments and ended them with a remark similar to "I completely disagree with you, but at least you say what you really feel".
However, Wentworth Day was dismissed from Farson's series after he claimed, while contributing to a programme concerning transvestism, that all gay people should be hanged. At the time, homosexual acts were illegal under the Sexual Offences Act 1956, but not punished with death. Farson, who was gay, was afraid Wentworth Day might get him into legal trouble and insisted that the programme be omitted, theoretically because the Independent Television Authority would ban it anyway.
Wentworth Day continued to write until soon before his death. He also endorsed traditional farming methods and opposed the use of pesticides; these opinions were expressed in his book Poison on the Land (1957).
Personal life
During his early years, Wentworth Day had several unsuccessful engagements, as well as two failed marriages, to Helen Alexia Gardom (1925–1934) and Nerina Shute (1936–1943). He married New Zealander Marion McLean in 1943 and the couple had one daughter together, remaining married until his death.