Writer who came in from the cold with military story of a lifetime

THEY say that everyone has a novel in them and in Eric Firth’s case that was certainly true.

The former Harrogate councillor dedicated the last few years of his life to writing his own espionage thriller, based on his experiences in the British Army in which he served for more than 20 years. And now, four years after he died, his book has been published thanks to his daughter.

Firth served with the Royal Corps of Signals from 1944 to 1966, stretching from the Second World War right the way through to the Cold War and taking him to many exotic and far-flung places along the way. He started his military career as a sergeant in India and from there he served in Pakistan, Sudan, Egypt, Libya, Malaya and Singapore.

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As well as echoing the retreat of the once great British Empire, his military career also spanned one of the most important periods in modern history. He was posted to Berlin during the blockade that started in 1948, completing two tours of Germany, and was based in India during its troubled partition that saw violence break out with newly formed Pakistan.

It was India which provided the backdrop for Firth’s novel, Kingsman, whose protagonist Sergeant Harding finds himself embroiled in a post-war world of secrets and intrigue.

“That was his first posting and he had a lot of vivid memories from his time spent in India,” says his daughter, Sue Firth. “I know his experiences in India, both good and bad, had a significant impact on him, he was there at the time the country was partitioned and those memories stayed with him throughout his life.”

After leaving the Army in the mid-60s, Firth moved to Harrogate with his wife Vera where he spent the remainder of his life. He became a Tory councillor in 1974, but his daughter says it wasn’t until later that he started writing.

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“I think his interest in writing came from his Open University studies. He wrote several short stories and was an active member of a local writers group in Harrogate and he wanted to write a novel about his experiences during his time in the Army.” He finished the book shortly after his wife died in 2001 and began the task of trying to find a publisher.

“I read it and thought it was very good,” says Sue, “but then he was struck down with a stroke in 2005 that greatly affected his speech and writing so that put the brakes on everything.”

Sue, who was working overseas in Asia, came back to look after him. He died two years later and it was then that she decided to try to get her father’s cherished novel published.

“About a year after he died, I started trying to find a publisher for the book. I tried about 18 different agents and publishers and although they made very pleasant comments about it they said as a one-off novel it just wasn’t commercially viable. It was only a chance conversation with someone while I was on holiday who happened to mention Matador, a self-publishing imprint, that things started to happen.

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“They had a good reputation so I talked to them and after the manuscript was read by a published author I decided to go with them and they’ve done an excellent job,” she says.

“It’s a shame he didn’t live to see his book finally get published, but I know he would have been absolutely thrilled with it.”

Kingsman, by Eric Firth, is published by Matador, priced £9.95.