John Creasey

Full name: John Creasey MBE
Association: Round Table Great Britain & Ireland
Table: RTBI 5 Bournemouth

John Creasey (1908–1973) was a prolific English crime and mystery writer, best known for creating numerous successful detective and thriller series, including The Toff, Gideon of Scotland Yard, and The Baron. Over the course of his career, he published more than 600 novels under various pseudonyms, many of which became best-sellers and were translated into multiple languages.

Connection with Round Table

Besides writing many novels, he authored The First Twenty-Five Years of the Round Table Movement.

At the time of writing his 1953 book on the Round Table Movement, Creasey was 44 years old and a former member of the Bournemouth Round Table. After his years in Table, he continued his fellowship as a member of the 41 Club and was also a Rotarian. His direct involvement with Round Table gave him a unique perspective on the fellowship and ideals of the organisation, which he sought to document and promote.

The book was published in 1953, less than a year after the WOCO Conference of 1952 in Bournemouth, England. With Bournemouth being the home of RTBI 5 Bournemouth of which Creasey was a member, one can assume that he attended this Conference and was motivated by it to write the book.

In the author’s note to his book, Creasey highlighted how his experience with the Round Table, combined with his extensive travels and political engagement, shaped his views as an observer of both local and global affairs.

Public Life

Outside of writing, Creasey was active in public service and politics. Awarded the M.B.E. for his work with National Savings during the Second World War, he later stood as a Liberal Party candidate in the 1950 General Election, and served on the Liberal Party Council. Despite suffering from polio, which prevented wartime service, Creasey maintained a strong commitment to community involvement, values which aligned closely with the ethos of Round Table.