About the Author
I was born on a farm near Sevenoaks in Kent. My father and his brother were the farm managers overseeing a mixed livestock and arable farm of about 700 acres. For a young and always curious boy it was a great place to grow up.
As with most children on a farm they learn a lot about the farm animals and all the birds and other wildlife that live on it – I was no exception. Many a day was spent out with my binoculars watching what was going on and noting any new arrivals such as Fieldfares and Redwings. We also had a badgers set less than half a mile from the farmhouse under a mature oak tree. I recall many late summer afternoons siting up the tree waiting for the badgers to come out and embark on their nightly travels. The cubs, when they were around, could be especially playful right under the tree in which I was quietly sitting.
Like many living on farms I was soon into shooting – primarily for vermin control. An air rifle was followed by a single barrelled 20 bore and then a side-by-side 12 bore. Later on I got to train two labradors as pets first but gun dogs second. They were a real delight to have. Sadly the guns and the dogs are all long gone now. Learning how to handle guns safely and effectively was drilled into me by both my father and my older brother. It has stood me in good stead throughout my shooting life.
Although I didn’t follow a farming career my early social life revolved around the Young Farmers movement, where I met my wife, and many of my long standing friends are themselves farmers today. As such I have, and continue to, follow their trials and tribulations in dealing with fly-tippers, poachers and people trespassing on their farms alongside simply trying to make a living off the land. It’s an additional stress that is not warranted but continues nevertheless.
So my background set me up to write Rural Revenge but for more on this see the Background to the Book section.