William A Prater

William A Prater has packed a wealth of experience into an interesting life and career. Born the son of a farm worker at West Molesey, he moved to Esher with his family at the age of 7, when Dad left farming for something more financially rewarding. He was educated at Esher; won Francis Mary Eastwood prizes over several years for ‘Proficiency in Knowledge of the Bible’, most notably First Prize in December 1939 – a beautifully illustrated Bible, and was a choirboy at Esher Parish Church from the age of 9 until his fourteenth year when his boyish soprano plummeted earthwards. Marking time with a variety of jobs until he was old enough, Bill signed with the Regular Army (REME) in 1948.

The young soldier learned to box and saw service in Far Eastern Land Forces Hong Kong – where he won a tournament championship as a lightweight, and served with the 1st Commonwealth Division during the Korean War before returning to the UK in 1952.

He married Jean in 1953, who accompanied him together with their young son on his posting to Tripoli in 1956. Their daughter happened along eventually during 1964.

Returning to civilian life in 1961, he joined a nationally-known pre-cast concrete manufacturer and in 1966 became works manager at one of their factories in Cheshire. He was later appointed to a similar position at the group’s structural steel fabrication plant in Trafford Park, becoming redundant in 1973 when he joined a small building company as an administrator. His appointment to general manager followed in 1975.

He is a keen photographer and became a licensed radio amateur and member of the Radio Society of Great Britain in 1984 and, as G0EOL, made many friends around the world – some of whom have visited from as far away as Australia and New Zealand.

Having written The Flyleaf Killer in ‘odd spare moments’, he has a file full of ideas and is currently working on a new novel. Something entirely different.