Gerard Fairlie

Col Francis Gerard Luis Fairlie (1 November 1899 – 31 March 1983) was an English writer and scriptwriter on whom Sapper (H. C. McNeile) supposedly based the character of Bulldog Drummond, in turn Ian Fleming stated that James Bond was influenced partially by the character. After Sapper's death in 1937, Fairlie continued the Bulldog Drummond book series. Fairlie's grandfather was Army officer and golfer James Ogilvie Fairlie.[citation needed ]

Fairlie was born in Kensington, London, educated at Downside School, Somerset and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. He was commissioned in December 1918 in the Scots Guards. The French awarded Fairlie with a Croix de guerre on two occasions during World War II whilst he was undertaking intelligence work. He was both an Army boxing champion and a member of the Great Britain team in the bobsleigh at the 1924 Winter Olympics 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.