David was born in Oxford, England, in 1959. He graduated from London's City University with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in Journalism. In addition he has a teaching PGCE from Lancaster University and an M.A. Arts (Dist) in Scriptwriting from the University of Central Lancashire. He continues his professional development by undertaking Post Graduate research and history courses at the University of Oxford. He has written several plays, including critically acclaimed Naturally Insane! The Life of Dan Leno, about the famous Victorian music hall comedian, presented at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End and on national tour. He has also written theatre history books and novels, screenplays, and works as a theatre producer, director and consultant. He was the Ivor Novello Consultant on the Oscar and BAFTA winning film Gosford Park, Directed by Robert Altman, and the script advisor and guest for the week for BBC Radio 3 special Composer of the Week programmes dedicated to Ivor Novello, for the firs time, with presenter Donald McCloud."At the heart of his career is a twin devotion: to reviving forgotten voices and bridging the worlds of stage and scholarship. Slattery-Christy has cultivated a reputation as a careful researcher, an intuitive dramatist, and a steward of cultural memory. His work finds purchase where actor and archivist meet — where the ghosts of Edwardian stages and wartime letters might be reimagined for contemporary audiences. Whether through lyric biography or theatrical invention, he continues to explore the resonances of past lives in our own time."

"Very engaging and absorbing read.I enjoying every minute of reading the fantastic evocations of the many and varied stages of the author's grandfather's life. It has clearly been very carefully researched to provide such an impressive level of detail about so many aspects of his experiences." Amazon Review *****"All the fun of the fair! David Slattery-Christy brings to life all the romance and magic of the fairground in this vivid tale of his grandfather Reg Pratley..." Amazon Review *****

• Author's ForewordChapters:1. A Murder of Crows - 52. Appleton - 193. Lure of the Fairground - 394. The Great Escape - 535. Gallopers - 676. Devonport & Fate - 817. HMS Impregnable - 958. Love & War - 1179. Billy Nichols & The 1920s - 16910. Galloping Through the 1930s - 197After the Fair - 233Gertrude Bartholomew - 229Pratley Family Tree - 236/237Bulloch Family Tree - 238White Family Tree - 239Bartholomew Family Tree - 240Reginald Pratley Death Record - 241Matthew Pratley Death Record - 242City of London Cemetery - 24351 B&W Images

David was born in Oxford, England, in 1959. He graduated from London's City University with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in Journalism. In addition he has a teaching PGCE from Lancaster University and an M.A. Arts (Dist) in Scriptwriting from the University of Central Lancashire. He continues his professional development by undertaking Post Graduate research and history courses at the University of Oxford. He has written several plays, including critically acclaimed Naturally Insane! The Life of Dan Leno, about the famous Victorian music hall comedian, presented at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End and on national tour. He has also written theatre history books and novels, screenplays, and works as a theatre producer, director and consultant. He was the Ivor Novello Consultant on the Oscar and BAFTA winning film Gosford Park, Directed by Robert Altman, and the script advisor and guest for the week for BBC Radio 3 special Composer of the Week programmes dedicated to Ivor Novello, for the firs time, with presenter Donald McCloud."At the heart of his career is a twin devotion: to reviving forgotten voices and bridging the worlds of stage and scholarship. Slattery-Christy has cultivated a reputation as a careful researcher, an intuitive dramatist, and a steward of cultural memory. His work finds purchase where actor and archivist meet — where the ghosts of Edwardian stages and wartime letters might be reimagined for contemporary audiences. Whether through lyric biography or theatrical invention, he continues to explore the resonances of past lives in our own time."

"Very engaging and absorbing read.I enjoying every minute of reading the fantastic evocations of the many and varied stages of the author's grandfather's life. It has clearly been very carefully researched to provide such an impressive level of detail about so many aspects of his experiences." Amazon Review *****"All the fun of the fair! David Slattery-Christy brings to life all the romance and magic of the fairground in this vivid tale of his grandfather Reg Pratley..." Amazon Review *****

• Author's ForewordChapters:1. A Murder of Crows - 52. Appleton - 193. Lure of the Fairground - 394. The Great Escape - 535. Gallopers - 676. Devonport & Fate - 817. HMS Impregnable - 958. Love & War - 1179. Billy Nichols & The 1920s - 16910. Galloping Through the 1930s - 197After the Fair - 233Gertrude Bartholomew - 229Pratley Family Tree - 236/237Bulloch Family Tree - 238White Family Tree - 239Bartholomew Family Tree - 240Reginald Pratley Death Record - 241Matthew Pratley Death Record - 242City of London Cemetery - 24351 B&W Images

David was born in Oxford, England, in 1959. He graduated from London's City University with a B.A. (Hons) Degree in Journalism. In addition he has a teaching PGCE from Lancaster University and an M.A. Arts (Dist) in Scriptwriting from the University of Central Lancashire. He continues his professional development by undertaking Post Graduate research and history courses at the University of Oxford. He has written several plays, including critically acclaimed Naturally Insane! The Life of Dan Leno, about the famous Victorian music hall comedian, presented at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End and on national tour. He has also written theatre history books and novels, screenplays, and works as a theatre producer, director and consultant. He was the Ivor Novello Consultant on the Oscar and BAFTA winning film Gosford Park, Directed by Robert Altman, and the script advisor and guest for the week for BBC Radio 3 special Composer of the Week programmes dedicated to Ivor Novello, for the firs time, with presenter Donald McCloud."At the heart of his career is a twin devotion: to reviving forgotten voices and bridging the worlds of stage and scholarship. Slattery-Christy has cultivated a reputation as a careful researcher, an intuitive dramatist, and a steward of cultural memory. His work finds purchase where actor and archivist meet — where the ghosts of Edwardian stages and wartime letters might be reimagined for contemporary audiences. Whether through lyric biography or theatrical invention, he continues to explore the resonances of past lives in our own time."

"Very engaging and absorbing read.I enjoying every minute of reading the fantastic evocations of the many and varied stages of the author's grandfather's life. It has clearly been very carefully researched to provide such an impressive level of detail about so many aspects of his experiences." Amazon Review *****"All the fun of the fair! David Slattery-Christy brings to life all the romance and magic of the fairground in this vivid tale of his grandfather Reg Pratley..." Amazon Review *****

• Author's ForewordChapters:1. A Murder of Crows - 52. Appleton - 193. Lure of the Fairground - 394. The Great Escape - 535. Gallopers - 676. Devonport & Fate - 817. HMS Impregnable - 958. Love & War - 1179. Billy Nichols & The 1920s - 16910. Galloping Through the 1930s - 197After the Fair - 233Gertrude Bartholomew - 229Pratley Family Tree - 236/237Bulloch Family Tree - 238White Family Tree - 239Bartholomew Family Tree - 240Reginald Pratley Death Record - 241Matthew Pratley Death Record - 242City of London Cemetery - 24351 B&W Images