| Cyril McNeile | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 September 1888 Bodmin, Cornwall |
| Died | 14 August 1937 Pulborough, West Sussex |
| Pen name | Sapper |
| Occupation | Soldier, writer |
| Nationality | British |
| Genres | Thriller |
| Notable work(s) | Bulldog Drummond |
(Herman) Cyril McNeile MC (28 September 1888 - 14 August 1937)[1] was a British author, who published under the pen name Sapper.
He was one of the most successful British popular authors of the Interwar period; his principal character was Bulldog Drummond.
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Cyril 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.[2]
He was educated at Cheltenham College and the Royal Military Academy, Woolwich.[2] 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.[2]
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 except during their half-pay sabbaticals, leading to many works being published under pseudonyms such as McNeile's "Sapper."[2] His first known published works were a series of short war stories based on his own experiences, published under the name Sapper in the Daily Mail and in The War Illustrated.[3]
These stories were immediately successful and later sold over 200,000 copies within a year when republished in book form. 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, the owner of the Daily Mail, 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.[2] In 1919, McNeile resigned from the army with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and became a full-time author,[2] publishing his first novel, Mufti, in that year. In 1922, he moved to Sussex and lived there for the rest of his life.
He is mainly remembered as the author of the ten Bulldog Drummond books, the first of which was published in 1920. These brought him public recognition and considerable financial success. The first book was adapted for the stage and produced, to great success, at Wyndham's Theatre during the 1921-1922 season with Gerald du Maurier playing the main character.[4] The film rights to the 1929 Bulldog Drummond film are reputed to have earned McNeile $750,000.[2] However, the bulk of his work was in the form of short stories that were published in various popular monthly magazines. At his peak, in the 1920s, he was the highest paid short story writer in the world.[5] He specialized in the twist in the tail and many of his stories upended the reader's expectations in the final paragraph, sometimes in the final few sentences. Most of his books were short story collections.
McNeile had married Peggy Baird-Douglas and had two sons. He was an unremittingly hearty man, who even his friend and collaborator Gerard Fairlie described as "not everybody's cup of tea". He died on 14 August 1937 at his home in Pulborough, West Sussex.[6] His funeral, with military honours, took place at Woking crematorium.[7]
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