[1] The family moved to Scotland in 1931 when Herbert took up the position of Watson Gordon Professor of Fine Art at the University of Edinburgh.
The marriage of Read's parents had been on shaky ground for several years, and they finally split in acrimonious and somewhat scandalous circumstances in 1933.
As his mother became increasingly ill with a debilitating form of paranoia, John spent much of his youth in the city's cinemas, and his desire to become a film maker himself was apparent by the time he was 18 years old.
[2] When he was called up for military service in 1941 his father tried unsuccessfully to get him a position in the RAF Film Unit, but managed to persuade filmmaker George Hollering to let John work as a camera assistant on his film Message of Canterbury, made for the British Council in 1942.
This half-hour film followed the creation of Moore's sculpture Reclining Figure as it was made for the Festival of Britain.