George MacDonald Fraser Dead

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

Some MLU readers will also know GMF better for his writings on the war, specifically Quartered Safe Out Here and the McAuslan short stories. After reading the latter, I penned a note to the publisher asking them to please pass GMF my regards; in return, I received a very nice handwritten note from George thanking me for my comments.

He was a good man, a fine writer and "one of the good guys". RIP George, we'll miss you.

Author of Flashman stories dies

The novelist George MacDonald Fraser, author of the Flashman adventure stories, has died aged 82, his publisher has said.

The popular books saw womanising anti-hero Sir Harry Flashman, fight his way around the British Empire.

MacDonald Fraser, who was appointed an OBE in 1999, also wrote the screenplay for James Bond film Octopussy.

The Carlisle-born journalist turned author, who lived on the Isle of Man, had fought cancer for several years.

He was married and had three children.

MacDonald Fraser served as a soldier in Burma and India during World War II and later rose to be deputy editor of the Glasgow Herald newspaper.

He was still working there when the first Flashman book was published in 1969.

A further 11 followed, the last in 2005.

The inspiration for Sir Harry Flashman came from the 19th century novel, Tom Brown's Schooldays, where the character features as the cowardly bully who torments the hero, Tom.

MacDonald Fraser based his tales on the idea that Flashman's "memoirs" had been unearthed in an old trunk in a Leicestershire auction room.

Despite being a vain, cowardly rogue, as well as a racist and a sexist, the character managed to play a pivotal role in many of the 19th Century's most significant events, always emerging covered in glory.

As well as Octopussy in 1983, MacDonald Fraser wrote other screenplays including The Prince and The Pauper and The Three Musketeers.

Fellow author Kingsley Amis called him "a marvellous reporter and a first-rate historical novelist".

The former news editor on the Herald, 83-year-old Bob Brown, described MacDonald Fraser as "a highly competent journalist".

"He was a smashing bloke, amiable, friendly and first-class company," he said.

Murray Ritchie, 66, was taught journalism by MacDonald Fraser on the Dumfries Standard in the 1960s.

"He was a brilliant journalist. He was a superbly gifted writer, he wrote with such clarity, and was a good leader writer and editor."

He added: "Way back in the '60s he was seen as the journalist of his generation in Scotland."

[Jon Skagfeld]

My first reading of Fraser was "Flashman at the Charge".

In this tale, Fraser tells just exactly how the Charge came to be...

In the Crimea, Flashman and his mess mates were drinking up a storm of rough Algerian wine.

Next morning, perched beside Lord Raglan (Cadogan?) on a hilltop, the Russian heavies in sight to the right and the Light Brigade arrayed to the left, Flashman's innards reacted violently to the after effects of that Algerian wine.

Raising one cheek from the saddle, he loosed off a mighty blast of flatulence.

Cadogan's horse, startled by the noise, reared up. Cadogan momentarily lost control of his horse's reins and in so doing dropped his upraised sword in the recognized signal for troops to advance to attack.

The rest is history, but our hero came out of it unscathed.

[PPS]

Another article from today's Daily Mail.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Paul.