John Neil

John Neil is a British author and former senior civil servant at the Home Office. Born near Reigate, where he still lives, he has a lifelong passion for history, literature, and music.

He co-authored "The Man Who Tested Parachutes with Andrew Colley", chronicling the remarkable life of Charles Agate—a schoolteacher and RAF serviceman who played a key role in the development of Britain’s airborne forces. The book is published by Pen & Sword, with whom he has also published “The Bitter Fight for Italy”, a biography of his father, Dennis Neil and his role in the Allied campaign in Italy in the World War II.

In addition to military history, he has a keen interest in 20th-century literature, particularly the works of Gay Taylor and A. E. Coppard and he is currently working on an expanded and annotated version of Gay Taylor’s masterpiece “A Prison, A Paradise.”

Beyond writing, he is an avid fan of soul and R&B music, particularly the rich sounds of Philadelphia black music. A long-suffering Fulham FC season ticket holder, he balances his literary pursuits with a career as a data and digital consultant, specialising in cybersecurity.