Jan Stewer, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Jan Stewer

Date of Birth: 14-Mar-1876

Place of Birth: Woolwich, England, United Kingdom

Date of Death: 18-Aug-1965

Profession: writer

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Albert John Coles (also known as Jan Stewer; 14 March 1876 – 18 August 1965) was an English author. Jan Stewer is generally known in the South West of England as a character in the song Widecombe Fair (song), the chorus of which ends with 'Uncle Tom Cobley and all'.
This was also the name adopted by Albert John Coles, who, over 64 years, wrote and performed Devonshire dialect stories, plays and songs under this name.
He was also (as Mr.
A.
J.
Coles) by turns a schoolteacher , soldier, farmer, managing editor of a newspaper, and "journalist, playwright" (self description in 1939).
He was described by John Betjeman, before he was Sir John, 'as one of the great and understanding humorists'., Coles wrote many books, wrote some 5,000 stories for local papers, toured town and village halls with his vaudeville stage acts, wrote, acted and produced plays, (one of which was performed in the Haymarket Theatre in London), acted in films and broadcast on the BBC, in the course of his career as Jan Stewer.