Biographical
John C Vetterlein. 2010.
photo: Ann Chapman.
John Vetterlein was born in 1935. He spent the years of the Second World War at Redbridge, on the eastern approaches to London, and considers himself fortunate to have survived the V1 (flying bomb) and V2 (rocket) attacks. His father served throughout that war in the Royal Air Force.
Having received a basic training in music, Vetterlein went on to study physics and mathematics; he worked in civilian hospitals as a conscientious objector to military National Service. Following his studies in chemistry and pharmacology*, he then went on to work in the NHS for a number of years; his special interests were in the field of toxicology and substance abuse.
He lectured in astronomy and the history of mathematics for London University and at the now University of Surrey, Kinston-Upon-Thames. In 1971 Vetterlein moved to Wales in order to take up a post with the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, from 1983 until its closure in 1990. (He resigned in protest against a drastic reduction in the number of departments that included chemistry, music and philosophy.)
John Vetterlein is a true polymath. He is a prolific writer: his fiction output alone includes sixteen novels, six books of short stories, long stories, plays for radio and monographs on a wide range of topics from peat cutting to binary stars. Additionally, there are twenty-two poetry collections as at May 2015.
An active musician, John Vetterlein is a member of the Haydn Society of Great Britain and a former member of the Rachmaninoff Society and Ralph Vaughan Williams Society. His association with Orkney goes back to 1970. He is currently engaged on upper atmosphere studies from the Island of Rousay, Orkney.
Richard Helmann
October 2015
* Ref. 21017: The Law Relating to Pharmacy (School of Pharmacy) pass, Old Regulation 1967.
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