Hugh "Bulldog" Drummond is a fictional character, created by H. C. McNeile and published under his pen name "Sapper". Following McNeile's death in 1937, the novels were continued by Gerard Fairlie. Drummond is a First World War veteran who, fed up with his sedate lifestyle, advertises looking for excitement, and becomes a gentleman adventurer. The character has appeared in novels, short stories, on the stage, in films, on radio and television, and in graphic novels.
First edition cover of Bulldog Drummond
No man's land, where Drummond honed the skills he later used during his exploits
Gerald du Maurier, who first portrayed Drummond on stage in 1921
Poster for the 1922 film Bulldog Drummond, based on McNeile's play of the same name
Herman Cyril McNeile, MC, commonly known as Cyril McNeile and publishing under the name H. C. McNeile or the pseudonym Sapper, was a British soldier and author. Drawing on his experiences in the trenches during the First World War, he started writing short stories and getting them published in the Daily Mail. As serving officers in the British Army were not permitted to publish under their own names, he was given the pen name "Sapper" by Lord Northcliffe, the owner of the Daily Mail; the nickname was based on that of his corps, the Royal Engineers.
McNeile, 1930s Portrait by Howard Coster
Cheltenham College, where McNeile enjoyed playing sports, but did not excel at them
US cover of No Man's Land, published in 1917
Lobby card for US screenings of the 1922 film, Bulldog Drummond
