Dornford Yates

Cecil William Mercer
Cecil William Mercer in 1909
Cecil William Mercer in 1909
Born(1885-08-07)7 August 1885
Walmer, Kent
Died5 March 1960(1960-03-05) (aged 74)
Umtali, Southern Rhodesia
Pen nameDornford Yates
OccupationAuthor
NationalityEnglish
Alma materUniversity College, Oxford
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service/branch British Army
Years of service1914–1919
RankSecond Lieutenant
UnitCounty of London Yeomanry
Battles/warsWorld War 1

Cecil William Mercer (7 August 1885 – 5 March 1960), known by his pen name Dornford Yates, was an English writer and novelist whose novels and short stories, some humorous (the Berry books), some thrillers (the Chandos books), were best-sellers during the Interwar Period.

The pen name Dornford Yates, first in print in 1910, resulted from combining the maiden names of his grandmothers – the paternal Eliza Mary Dornford, and the maternal Harriet Yates.


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