Edgar Wallace was born April 1st, 1875 in Greenwich, London. When he was nine days old, Richard Horatio Edgar, was adopted by George Freeman, a porter at Billingsgate Fish Market, and grew up under the adopted name of Dick Freeman. At 11, he started his life-long association with Fleet Street - selling newspapers at Ludgate Circus.
At 18 Edgar Wallace left his adopted parents to go to Woolwich and enlist in the 'Royal West Kent Regiment'. In 1896, when he was 21, he was transferred to Simonstown in South Africa. In 1899, he bought himself out of the army and, at the beginning of the South African War, he was engaged as a correspondent for Reuters. In 1900. after a brief visit to England, Edgar Wallace returned to South Africa as the Daily Mail War Correspondent - and later married in Simonstown. After this outcome, Edgar returned to Johannesburg to edit the Rand Daily Mail. Here, he indulged in disastrous gambling on the South African Stock Market and finally returned to England and the Daily Mail, reporting crimes, hangings and trials. One of his assignments was an interview in Morocco with the Brigand Rasuli. In 1904, he became Editor of the Evening News. In 1905 he founded the Tallis Press and published Smithy and The Four Just Men. For the Daily Mail, he covered the wedding of King Alfonso of Spain and managed to smuggle a
telegram of the incident to Lord Northcliffe at the Daily Mail - for which Northcliffe paid Wallace's debts up to £1000. In 1905 Edgar Wallace was fired by the Daily Mail. It was typical that he regarded it as a distinction to be the first reporter ever dismissed by the paper.
There followed work on various paper, as Racing editor to the Weekend and as Racing Editor and Special Correspondent to the Evening Times. He also edited ideas, The Story Journal and Town Topics In 1914, Wallace became military correspondent for the Birmingham Post. In 1917, he became a special Constable of the Lincolns Inn Branch, and additionally he undertook for the War Office the interviewing of disabled British Pensioners of War, returned by agreement from German Prisoner of War Camps. After the war, Edgar Wallace wrote sketches and lyrics for the Albert de Courville's revues at the Palace and Hippodrome - as well as a variety of articles for a variety of newspapers. His first marriage had ended in divorce and in 1921 he married again. There was no time for a honeymoon with 'Jim' as he had christened her, for rehearsals had already commenced on his play M'Lady. In 1929, he returned to the United States and on his return to England wrote the play On The Spot. Now living at 'Chalklands' at Bourne End, Wallace became Chairman of British Lion Film Company, whose studios were situated conveniently
near at Beaconsfield. In 1931, he stood as Liberal Candidate for Blackpool. He was not elected, although he drew more votes than had been expected.
Later in 1931, he received an offer from R.K.O. for a three month script-writing contract in Hollywood and this he decided to accept. He sailed to the United States on the ship 'The Empress of Britain'. In Hollywood, he worked on the alterations to his forthcoming play The Green Pack and had arranged for 'Jim' to join him in mid-February. At this time he had a sore throat - within three days he was dead, for the sore throat had become double pneumonia. His body was brought back to England on the Berengaria, and he was buried in the country churchyard he could see from his study window in 'Chalklands'.
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