Jack was born in London in 1924 - he lost his mother when he was very young, and after the death of his father, his life was initially taken over by an aunt and uncle. He was educated at a school for 'deserving' children. In 1942 he joined the Royal Air Force where he served as a mechanic, and later a Bomb Aimer, until 1945. His time in the armed forces was divided between the UK and India
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The war ended while he was stationed in India, but it wasn't until 1949 that he began to make a career out of writing. In 1952, Jack married Jane Belson and they moved to Devon where their first daughter, Lucy, was born. His other children were Peter (born 1955) and Peggy (born 1958).
In 1970 he became a full-time writer and lived with his family in Barnstaple, North Devon. Jack died on 20th February 2007 leaving behind a legacy of more than 250 books.