William Le Queux

William Tufnell Le Queux was a notable author of fiction, born in London on 2nd July 1864. His father, a French draper's assistant, hailed from Chateauroux, Indre, while his mother was English. Le Queux was educated in Europe and studied art under Ignazio Spiridon in Paris. He spent considerable time traveling across France, Germany, and other parts of Europe, supporting himself through writing for French newspapers. It was during this period that he caught the attention of the famous French novelist, Emile Zola, who encouraged him to become a full-time writer.

Le Queux's writing career took off in the late 1880s when he returned to London. He edited magazines such as 'Gossip' and 'Piccadilly' before joining 'The Globe' as a parliamentary reporter in 1891. However, he resigned in 1893 to concentrate on writing and traveling. His extensive travels took him to Russia, the Near East, North Africa, Egypt, the Sudan, and the Balkan War in 1912-1913. He became an expert revolver shot due to the necessities of his travels. Le Queux's first book, 'Guilty Bonds,' was published in 1891 and focused on political conspiracy in Russia. He went on to publish over 100 books throughout his career, mainly related to espionage activity.

Le Queux claimed to have been employed for several years as a member of the British Secret Service, where he was an expert on wireless transmission. He was the first wireless experimenter to broadcast from his station at Guildford in 1920/21 and was the president of the Wireless Experimental Association and a member of the Institute of Radio Engineers. Le Queux's autobiography, 'Things I Know about Kings, Celebrities and Crooks' (1923), records some of his personal meetings with royalty and other high-ranking people.

Le Queux was at one time the Consul of the Republic of San Marino and possessed Italian, Serbian, and Montenegrin decorations. He was also a keen collector of medieval manuscripts and monastic seals. Despite his many activities, Le Queux continued to write and produced over 100 books in his lifetime. He died in Knocke, Belgium, on 13th October 1927, after a brief illness. His body was returned to England and cremated at Golders Green with the Reverend Francis Taylor of Bedford conducting the service.