H. C. McNeile

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**Herman Cyril McNeile**

Pseudonym(s):	Sapper
Born:	1888 Bodmin, Cornwall
Died:	1937
Occupation(s):	Soldier, writer
Nationality:	British
Genre(s):	Thriller

Herman Cyril McNeile (September 28, 1888 - August 14, 1937^[1]) was a British author, who published under the pseudonym "Sapper".

He was one of the most successful popular authors of the 1920's and 1930's; his principal character was Bulldog Drummond.

[edit] Biography

Herman McNeile was born in 1888 at Bodmin in Cornwall. His father was Malcolm McNeile, a Captain in the Royal Navy and, at the time, governor of the naval prison at Bodmin.

He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich. He was commissioned into the Royal Engineers in 1907 and was sent to France in 1914 when World War I broke out. McNeile saw action at both the First and the Second Battle of Ypres. He displayed considerable bravery, was awarded the Military Cross and was mentioned in dispatches.

It is thought that McNeile's first work was published before the First World War, but this is difficult to verify as serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names. His first known published works were short war stories based on his own experiences and were immediately successful. They were originally published in the Daily Mail and, when republished in book form, sold over 200,000 copies within a year. His writing caught the public mood at the time. It was grimly realistic enough to seem authentic, yet managed to conceal the horrific reality of trench warfare and life at the front line. Lord Northcliff was so impressed by this writing that he attempted, but failed, to have McNeile released from the army so he could work as a war correspondent. In 1919, McNeile resigned from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became a full-time author.

He is mainly remembered as the author of the ten Bulldog Drummond books, the first of which was published in 1920. These brought him considerable financial success - the film-rights to the first talkie Bull-Dog Drummond film are reputed to have earned him $750,000. However, the bulk of his work was in the form of short stories that were published in various popular monthly magazines. Most of his books were short story collections.

He died in 1937.