Geoffrey AbbottGeoffrey Abbott joined the Royal Air Force as an aero-engine fitter prior to the Second World War. He saw active service in North and East Africa, Somalia and India, post-war in the Suez Canal Zone, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Cyprus, Malta, Ira and the Gulf States, and later served with NATO in France, Germany and Holland. After 35 years' service with the RAF he retired in 1974 with the rank of Warrant Officer. On becoming a Yeoman Warder ('Beefeater'), he lived in the Tower of London and was sworn in at St James' Palace as a Member of the Sovereign's Bodyguard of the Yeomen of the Guard Extraordinary, and by Justices of the Peace as a Special Constable of the Metropolitan Police. His qualifications for writing this book are unquestionable. He once spent some time in the condemned cell of Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow, and later stood on the 'drop' trapdoors in the execution chamber (as a fact-finding author, of course, rather than a convicted criminal). He also had the experience of having a noose placed round his neck by a hangman, the late Syd Dernley, a man endowed with a great, if macabre, sense of humour! Geoff now lives in the Lake District where he acts as consultant to international TV and film companies, and he has appeared in several documentaries on UK and American television channels. By invitation, he has also written the entries on torture and execution for the latest edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica. In addition to being Sword Bearer to the Mayor of Kendal, Cumbria, he is also a qualified helicopter pilot. Read More Read Less