She had graduated with a degree in English and French from London University at the age of 19, was an assistant stage manager, and later worked as a publisher's reader. (Francis has some of his characters fall similarly in love within moments of meeting, as in the novels Flying Finish, Knockdown, and The Edge.) Their families were not entirely happy with their engagement, but the couple married in June 1947 in London. In most interviews, they commented that it was love at first sight. In October 1945, he met Mary Margaret Brenchley (17 June 1924 – 30 September 2000) at a cousin's wedding. He left school at 15 without any qualifications, intending to become a jockey by the time he was 18, in 1938, he also was training horses. Francis grew up in Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. He was the son of a jockey and stable manager and his wife.

His mother had likely returned to her parents' home to give birth, as was the custom. His autobiography says that he was born at his maternal grandparents' farm at Coedcanlas on the estuary of the River Cleddau, roughly a mile north-west of Lawrenny. Some sources report his birthplace as the inland town of Lawrenny, but at least two of his obituaries stated his birthplace as the coastal town of Tenby. More than forty of these novels became international best-sellers.įrancis was born in Coedcanlas, Pembrokeshire, Wales. This person always faces great obstacles, often including physical injury. The stories are narrated by the main character, often a jockey, but sometimes a trainer, an owner, a bookie, or someone in a different profession, peripherally linked to racing. Many of his novels deal with crime in the horse-racing world, with some of the criminals being outwardly respectable figures. Francis retired from the turf and became a journalist and novelist. He came to further prominence in 1956 as jockey to Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, riding her horse Devon Loch which fell when close to winning the Grand National. Richard Stanley Francis CBE FRSL (31 October 1920 – 14 February 2010) was a British steeplechase jockey and crime writer whose novels centre on horse racing in England.Īfter wartime service in the RAF, Francis became a full-time jump-jockey, winning over 350 races and becoming champion jockey of the British National Hunt.

Flying Finish by Dick Francis