Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was a Scottish writer and scriptwriter on whom Sapper (

H. C. McNeile Herman Cyril McNeile, MC (28 September 1888 – 14 August 1937), commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H. C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches ...

) supposedly based the character of

Bulldog Drummond Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, ...

. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulldog Drummond book series. Fairlie was born in Kensington, London, educated at

Downside School Downside School is a co-educational Catholic independent boarding and day school in the English public school tradition for pupils aged 11 to 18. It is located between Bath, Frome, Wells and Bruton, and is attached to Downside Abbey. Original ...

, Somerset and the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. He was commissioned in December 1918 in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

. He was both an Army boxing champion and a member of the

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It i ...

team in the

bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics At the 1924 Winter Olympics, only one bobsleigh event was contested, the four man event. However, rules at the time also allowed a fifth sledder to compete. The event was held on Saturday and Sunday, 2 and 3 February 1924. Medalists Results ...

at Chamonix, France; his team finished fifth. He married Joan Roskell in 1923 and became a journalist and screenwriter. He again served as an army officer in the Second World War. In addition to the Drummond series Fairlie wrote series books about Victor Caryll, Johnny Macall and Mr Malcolm. He died in East Lavington in West Sussex.

Bibliography

Non-series novels

* ''The Man Who Laughed'' (1928) * ''Scissors Cut Paper'' (1928) * ''The Exquisite Lady'' (1929) – a.k.a. ''Yellow Munro'' * ''Stone Blunts Scissors'' (1929) * ''The Reaper'' (1929) * ''The Muster of the Vultures'' (1930) * ''Suspect'' (1930) * ''The Man with Talent'' (1931) * ''Unfair Lady'' (1931) * ''Birds of Prey'' (1932) * ''The Rope Which Hangs'' (1932) * ''The Treasure Nets'' (1933) * ''Copper at Sea'' (1934) * ''That Man Returns'' (1934) * ''The Pianist Shoots First'' (1938) * ''They Found Each Other'' (1946) * ''The Reluctant Cop: The Story and Cases of Detective Superintendent Albert Webb (late of Scotland Yard)'' (1958)

The Mr. Malcolm Series

* ''Shot in the Dark'' (1932) * ''Men for Counters'' (1933) * ''Mr. Malcolm Presents'' (1934)

The Bulldog Drummond Series

* ''Bulldog Drummond on Dartmoor'' (1938) * ''Bulldog Drummond Attacks'' (1939) * ''Captain Bulldog Drummond'' (1945) * ''Bulldog Drummond Stands Fast'' (1947) * ''Hands Off Bulldog Drummond!'' (1949) * ''Calling Bulldog Drummond'' (1951) * ''The Return of the Black Gang'' (1954)

The Johnny Macall Series

* ''Winner Take All'' (1953) * ''No Sleep for Macall'' (1955) * ''Deadline for Macall'' (1956) * ''Double The Bluff'' (1959) * ''Macall Gets Curious'' (1959) * ''Please Kill My Cousin'' (1961)

Non fiction

* ''With Prejudice: Almost an Autobiography'' (1952) * ''Flight Without Wings: The Biography of

Hannes Schneider Johann "Hannes" Schneider (24 June 1890 – 26 April 1955) was an Austrian ski instructor of the first half of the 20th century, famous for pioneering the Arlberg technique of instruction. Many consider him the Father of Modern Day Skiing. A ...

'' (1957) * ''The

Fred Emney Frederick Arthur Round Emney (12 February 1902 – 25 December 1980) was an English character actor and comedian. Emney was born in Prescot, Lancashire,GRO Register of Births Mar 1902 Frederick Arthur R Emney 8b 725 PRESCOT1901 Census: R ...

story'' (1960) * ''The Life of a Genius:

Sir George Cayley Sir George Cayley, 6th Baronet (27 December 1773 – 15 December 1857) was an English engineer, inventor, and aviator. He is one of the most important people in the history of aeronautics. Many consider him to be the first true scientific aeri ...

, Pioneer of Modern Aviation'' (1965) (with Elizabeth Cayley)

Selected filmography

* ''

The Lad ''The Lad'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by Henry Edwards and starring Gordon Harker, Betty Stockfeld and Jane Carr. It was made at Twickenham Studios. The film is based on a novel by Edgar Wallace. Plot Bill Shane is The Lad, an opp ...

'' (1935) * '' The Ace of Spades'' (1935) * '' The Big Noise'' (1936) * '' Chick'' (1936) * ''

Calling Bulldog Drummond ''Calling Bulldog Drummond'' is a 1951 British crime film directed by Victor Saville and featuring Walter Pidgeon, Margaret Leighton, Robert Beatty, David Tomlinson and Bernard Lee.''Harrison's Reports'' film review; 20 October 1951, page 167. ...

'' (1951)

External links

*
Dictionary of Literary Biography on Gerard Fairlie, BookragsBibliography, Fantastic Fiction

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fairlie, Gerard 1899 births 1983 deaths People from Kensington People educated at Downside School Bobsledders at the 1924 Winter Olympics English male bobsledders English male boxers English male journalists English male screenwriters English thriller writers Olympic bobsledders of Great Britain Scots Guards officers 20th-century English novelists Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst British male novelists Boxers from Greater London 20th-century English male writers 20th-century English screenwriters