Maurice Procter
Encyclopedia
Maurice Procter was an English
novelist. He was born in Nelson, Lancashire
, England.
In 1927 Maurice joined the police as a constable in Halifax, Yorkshire
. At that time a policeman was not allowed to serve in his home town, so this meant he had to leave his home town of Nelson. He was based at King Cross police station in Halifax, and initially lodged at the station. Later he lodged at 24 Cromwell Street, Halifax with local electrician Arthur Edwin Blakey and his wife Isabella who was in service, working as a cook at Heathfield House, Rishworth
, near Halifax. The couple had three daughters, Phyllis, Eve and Winifred. Maurice married the youngest daughter, Winifred, in 1933 at Saint Mary's Church, Lister Lane, Halifax.
During the war Maurice was transferred from King Cross to Mixenden police station. In those days Mixenden was just a small village, so Maurice was the village bobby and he and his wife lived in the police house for 5 years. Maurice and Winifred and had one child, a son who they named Noel. In total Maurice served in the Halifax police force for 19 years, remaining a constable throughout the time. At that time Halifax had its own police force, including its own chief constable and its own headquarters on Harrison Road near to the town center, so there were fewer opportunities for postings to different parts of the police force than there are today. Maurice did, however, spend some as a motor cycle patrol officer and he was involved in one notorious local criminal case, that of the Halifax Slasher in the 1930s.
For most of his life in Halifax Maurice and his family lived at 20 Willowfield Road, in the Pye Nest area of Halifax and only a short distance from the King Cross police station. Born in Nelson, Lancashire, Maurice Procter served as a policeman in Halifax for 19 years, experiencing police procedure at first hand. It was the realism in Procter's work that many reviewers praised.
He began writing fiction whilst a serving police offer, his first book No Proud Chivalry was published in 1947 and as soon as he was earning an income from writing he resigned from the police force. Much of his work was written in the study of his home in Willowfield Road, though in later years he and his wife spent part of the year in Spain
and Gibraltar
.
When not writing Maurice enjoyed his hobbies which were reading, gardening, playing cards, motor cycling and socializing with friends.
Procter is best known for his series of police procedural novels featuring Detective Chief Inspector Harry Martineau of the Granchester City Police. In his novels Granchester was an industrial city in the north of England. Procter based the city on Manchester. When his novel Hell Is a City
(which was published in the USA with the title Somewhere in This City) was filmed in 1960 with Stanley Baker
as Martineau, it was shot on-location in Manchester
.
Chief Inspector Martineau Investigates
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
novelist. He was born in Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson, Lancashire
Nelson is a town and civil parish in the Borough of Pendle in Lancashire, England, with a population of 28,998 in 2001. It lies 4 miles north of Burnley on the Leeds and Liverpool Canal....
, England.
Early life
Maurice Procter was born in Nelson, Lancashire, on 4 February 1906. His parents were Rose Hannah and William Procter who also had two other sons named Emmot and Ned. The family lived in Charles Street, Nelson and Maurice attended Nelson Grammar School before running away to join the army at age 15. He had lied about his age so his parents tried to secure his release from the army, but even with the support of their local MP they were unsuccessful. After the army Maurice worked briefly as a weaver in a Lancashire cotton mill.In 1927 Maurice joined the police as a constable in Halifax, Yorkshire
Halifax, West Yorkshire
Halifax is a minster town, within the Metropolitan Borough of Calderdale in West Yorkshire, England. It has an urban area population of 82,056 in the 2001 Census. It is well-known as a centre of England's woollen manufacture from the 15th century onward, originally dealing through the Halifax Piece...
. At that time a policeman was not allowed to serve in his home town, so this meant he had to leave his home town of Nelson. He was based at King Cross police station in Halifax, and initially lodged at the station. Later he lodged at 24 Cromwell Street, Halifax with local electrician Arthur Edwin Blakey and his wife Isabella who was in service, working as a cook at Heathfield House, Rishworth
Rishworth
Rishworth is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England....
, near Halifax. The couple had three daughters, Phyllis, Eve and Winifred. Maurice married the youngest daughter, Winifred, in 1933 at Saint Mary's Church, Lister Lane, Halifax.
During the war Maurice was transferred from King Cross to Mixenden police station. In those days Mixenden was just a small village, so Maurice was the village bobby and he and his wife lived in the police house for 5 years. Maurice and Winifred and had one child, a son who they named Noel. In total Maurice served in the Halifax police force for 19 years, remaining a constable throughout the time. At that time Halifax had its own police force, including its own chief constable and its own headquarters on Harrison Road near to the town center, so there were fewer opportunities for postings to different parts of the police force than there are today. Maurice did, however, spend some as a motor cycle patrol officer and he was involved in one notorious local criminal case, that of the Halifax Slasher in the 1930s.
For most of his life in Halifax Maurice and his family lived at 20 Willowfield Road, in the Pye Nest area of Halifax and only a short distance from the King Cross police station. Born in Nelson, Lancashire, Maurice Procter served as a policeman in Halifax for 19 years, experiencing police procedure at first hand. It was the realism in Procter's work that many reviewers praised.
He began writing fiction whilst a serving police offer, his first book No Proud Chivalry was published in 1947 and as soon as he was earning an income from writing he resigned from the police force. Much of his work was written in the study of his home in Willowfield Road, though in later years he and his wife spent part of the year in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
.
When not writing Maurice enjoyed his hobbies which were reading, gardening, playing cards, motor cycling and socializing with friends.
Procter is best known for his series of police procedural novels featuring Detective Chief Inspector Harry Martineau of the Granchester City Police. In his novels Granchester was an industrial city in the north of England. Procter based the city on Manchester. When his novel Hell Is a City
Hell Is a City
Hell Is a City is a 1960 film based on the novel by Maurice Procter. It was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions filmed in Manchester it was also written and directed by Val Guest...
(which was published in the USA with the title Somewhere in This City) was filmed in 1960 with Stanley Baker
Stanley Baker
Sir Stanley Baker was a Welsh actor and film producer.-Early career:William Stanley Baker was born in Ferndale, Rhondda Valley, Wales. In the mid-1930s his parents moved to London, where Baker spent most of his formative years...
as Martineau, it was shot on-location in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
.
Death
Maurice Procter died in the Royal Halifax Infirmary in 1973.Novels
| Title | Year of publication |
|---|---|
| No Proud Chivalry | (1947) |
| Each Man's Destiny | (1947) |
| The End of the Street | (1949) |
| Hurry the Darkness | (1952) |
| Rich Is the Treasure aka Diamond Wizard |
(1952) |
| The Pub Crawler | (1956) |
| Three at the Angel | (1958) |
| The Spearhead Death | (1960) |
| Devil in the Moonlight | (1962) |
| The Dog Man | (1969) |
Series
Philip Hunter| Title | Year of publication |
|---|---|
| The Chief Inspector's Statement aka The Pennycross Murders |
(1951) |
| I Will Speak Daggers aka The Ripper / Ripper Murders |
(1956) |
Chief Inspector Martineau Investigates
| Title | Year of publication |
|---|---|
| Hell Is a City aka Somewhere in This City |
(1954) |
| The Midnight Plumber | (1957) |
| Man in Ambush | (1958) |
| Killer At Large | (1959) |
| Devil's Due | (1960) |
| The Devil Was Handsome | (1961) |
| A Body to Spare | (1962) |
| Moonlight Flitting aka The Graveyard Rolls |
(1963) |
| Two Men in Twenty | (1964) |
| Death Has a Shadow aka Homicide Blonde |
(1965) |
| His Weight in Gold | (1966) |
| Rogue Running | (1966) |
| Exercise Hoodwink | (1967) |
| Hideaway | (1968) |