Eryl was born in Rhuallt and grew up in Ffynnongroyw, two small villages in the old county of Flintshire, North East Wales. He left school with eight ‘O’ levels – much to the surprise of everyone, Eryl included. No one doubted his academic ability or his intellect, it’s just that Eryl was bit of a rebel and applying himself to schoolwork came a distant second to larking about. One form master commented at the bottom of a report, ‘If Eryl devoted one quarter of the time to his studies as he does to entertaining the rest of the class, he would be a brilliant student’. He nevertheless enjoyed Grammar school and is still in contact with many of his old school friends.
Eryl went on to study agriculture at Aberystwyth and then became an estate manager in Northamptonshire, close enough to Milton Keynes for him to continue his studies at the Open University. He returned to North Wales in the early 80s to farm with his father and then on his own account. He also found time to lecture part time at the local agricultural college.
In later life, he ceased full time farming and turned to consultancy, advising on agri-environment, rare breeds and conservation grazing and became a prolific writer on the countryside. He had regular columns in two Daily newspapers as well as articles in lifestyle magazines.
But his ambition was always to combine his love of writing with his passion for WW2 history and this is his first venture into fiction. He combines the historical knowledge he has garnered over the years with his own unique writing style. His ingrained sense of mischief and the bizarre, coupled with a vivid imagination has resulted in Operation Auger – a taut and twisting World War two thriller.
Operation Auger (CandyJar Books, Cardiff). This is my first venture into fiction. I wrote columns on all matters rural for many publications and had a regular columns in the Daily Post for many years. My previous book, The Full Moon and Heron’s Legs, is a compilation of those columns in the Daily Post. Operation Auger has been entered by my publisher for Wales Book of The Year 2025.
