Duncan Falconer
Encyclopedia
Duncan Falconer is an author and former Special Boat Service
commando
. As a child, he was raised in an orphanage
in North London
before being adopted by a family from Battersea
.
at the age of 17. At 19 years of age, he attended SBS selection
in Poole
Dorset
and was one of nine Marines to successfully complete the course out of 150 men. Exceptionally he had been allowed to undergo selection without being required to build experience in a Commando formation although later in his career he was posted in the Commando role as a broadening opportunity.
Falconer served the majority of his career with the SBS. He also underwent selection to 14 Intelligence Company
and served in that role in Northern Ireland
. He served in the US, Mediterranean, and Northern Ireland.
His first literary publication was First into Action which was a non-fiction account of the actions carried out by the SBS and was initially seen as an attempt to go against the tide of many of the British Special Forces biographies of the time. The tales were to a lesser extent on the heroic actions of the men and show the more humorous, realistic side of the troops. The book did, however, highlight the rivalry and antagonsm between the Special Boat Service and Special Air Service
and the history behind their conflict.
Such was the success of the book, Time Warner publishing
again approached Falconer with the view to him writing a military based novel. He has since written a series of novels, all except one based around his central character John Stratton. Stratton is a former SBS operative and appeared in The Hostage, The Hijack, The Operative and his first Hardback book Undersea Prison, while the central character in The Protector is former Royal Marine turned private security contractor Bernie Mallory.
Duncan Falconer divides his time between England, North America and South Africa.
Special Boat Service
The Special Boat Service is the special forces unit of the British Royal Navy. Together with the Special Air Service, Special Reconnaissance Regiment and the Special Forces Support Group they form the United Kingdom Special Forces and come under joint control of the same Director Special...
commando
Commando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
. As a child, he was raised in an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
in North London
North London
North London is the northern part of London, England. It is an imprecise description and the area it covers is defined differently for a range of purposes. Common to these definitions is that it includes districts located north of the River Thames and is used in comparison with South...
before being adopted by a family from Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
.
Military career
Falconer joined the British Royal MarinesRoyal Marines
The Corps of Her Majesty's Royal Marines, commonly just referred to as the Royal Marines , are the marine corps and amphibious infantry of the United Kingdom and, along with the Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary, form the Naval Service...
at the age of 17. At 19 years of age, he attended SBS selection
United Kingdom Special Forces Selection
United Kingdom Special Forces Selection is the selection and training process for members of the United Kingdom's three Special Forces formations: 22 Special Air Service, Special Boat Service, and Special Reconnaissance Regiment...
in Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and was one of nine Marines to successfully complete the course out of 150 men. Exceptionally he had been allowed to undergo selection without being required to build experience in a Commando formation although later in his career he was posted in the Commando role as a broadening opportunity.
Falconer served the majority of his career with the SBS. He also underwent selection to 14 Intelligence Company
14 Intelligence Company
14 Field Security and Intelligence Company is alleged to have been an element of the British Army Intelligence Corps which operated in Northern Ireland from the 1970s onwards. The unit conducted undercover surveillance operations against suspected members of Irish republican and loyalist...
and served in that role in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He served in the US, Mediterranean, and Northern Ireland.
After the SBS
Since leaving the SBS, Falconer followed the route of many ex-special forces members and moved in the world of Private military companies. There he has worked as a hostile environment instructor and security consultancy for journalists and has operated in many countries including those in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. .His first literary publication was First into Action which was a non-fiction account of the actions carried out by the SBS and was initially seen as an attempt to go against the tide of many of the British Special Forces biographies of the time. The tales were to a lesser extent on the heroic actions of the men and show the more humorous, realistic side of the troops. The book did, however, highlight the rivalry and antagonsm between the Special Boat Service and Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
and the history behind their conflict.
Such was the success of the book, Time Warner publishing
Time Warner
Time Warner is one of the world's largest media companies, headquartered in the Time Warner Center in New York City. Formerly two separate companies, Warner Communications, Inc...
again approached Falconer with the view to him writing a military based novel. He has since written a series of novels, all except one based around his central character John Stratton. Stratton is a former SBS operative and appeared in The Hostage, The Hijack, The Operative and his first Hardback book Undersea Prison, while the central character in The Protector is former Royal Marine turned private security contractor Bernie Mallory.
Duncan Falconer divides his time between England, North America and South Africa.
Non-Fiction
Fiction
- The Hostage
- The Hijack
- The Operative
- The Protector
- Undersea Prison
- The Mercenary (published: 4 Jun 2009)
- Traitor