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Robert William Service’s Life Story
There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Written by Robert W. Service, beginning of “The Cremation of Sam McGee”
Robert Service led a life full of adventure, roaming around the world. His stories are still told from generation to generation throughout the world.
Robert William Service was born January 16, 1874 in Lancashire, England. He was the oldest of nine brothers and sisters. Writing was his life, but not his heritage. His father was a successful Scottish banker who wanted the same success for his children, as most successful bankers do. When Robert was very young he moved in with his grandfather, tired of having numerous siblings, and wrote his first ever-recorded poem at the young age of six called “God bless the cakes and bless the jam.”
God bless the cakes and bless the jam;
Bless the cheese and the cold boiled ham;
Bless the scones Aunt Jeannie makes,
And save us all from belly-aches. Amen
A few years later, homesick, he moved back with his parents in Canada. He attended an English school, in which he turned out being popular amongst the staff and students. He was smart and read day-in and day-out. However, Robert treasured troublemaking as well, and recognized by all for his good humor.
When he was fifteen Robert’s father convinced him that he was broke, and furthermore, that going into the banking business would be essential. Robert Service loathed banking and all its rules, but he needed the money. Since banking was a time-consuming and an important business, reading was not allowed. Robert Service, however, found his way around the reading rules, slipping a glance at a book whenever the manager wasn’t looking.
When he was 22 he jumped at the chance of working on a ranch and kept at it for eighteen months before he set out for California. For the next six years he lived taking little jobs here and there, such as being a correspondent, cook, hobo, clerk, orange picker, and dishwasher. Robert was then introduced to dairy farming and there he stayed for four years. Tired of dairy products and with 200 dollars in his pockets he set off for some schooling, but failed all his classes and didn’t get far, thus he decided to go back into banking. He was hired by a bank in Whitehorse, Yukon in 1904. It was here in the Yukon wilderness that Service was inspired to write some of his most famous poems. He loved living in the outdoors, on the frontier, or in the woods. Then World War I began.
He moved to France to help out in the war. There he fell in love with and married a French girl named Germaine Bougeoin and they had a daughter. In 1916 he was arrested and almost executed when he was thought a spy by France’s desperate government. After WWI he and his family lived a high-quality life with much money and happiness. He somehow avoided WWII. Meanwhile, his writing had reached as far as Hollywood. The famous poet was asked if famous directors could use his poems and stories for a few Hollywood films in 1921 and so they moved to California.
After watching a number of his works made into films, Robert Service, his wife, and his daughter moved back to their old house in Paris, France. Their house had been demolished in WWII but they soon rebuilt it, and he had a wonderful time there with his family for the rest of his life. He died September 11, 1958 from a heart attack and was buried near his house.
During his life, Robert William Service wrote and published over 1,000 poems and short stories. He lived a magnificent and long lasting life. He is well known around the globe for his humorous and expressive poetry; a good life lived… for a banker.
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