Born in Leeds, England, on May 10, 1922, John Rowe Townsend grew up a poor child in a large industrial city.

His playground was the city street, and his amusements were adventure books.

His father suffered from Parkinson's disease and could not work, so the family's income was limited. Thus it was fortunate that Townsend won a scholarship to Leeds Grammar School, although his presence there caused him many anxieties. Most of the other students had plenty of money, and field trips and uniforms were expensive.

Townsend avoided forming close friendships so he would not be expected to pay his way to events with other boys; he also skipped school trips because of the expense.

In Townsend's family, a good education was respected but not necessarily desired, and he left school at age sixteen to go to work. During World War II, he served in the...