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John McKay served in the Royal Air Force for seven years before pursuing a career in the Fire and Rescue Service. He lives in Wigan, Lancashire, with his wife, Dawn, and has two daughters and two granddaughters.
With a huge interest in all things World Wars One and Two, John took up writing a few years ago, embarking on an ambition he had held since childhood. This has led to an interest in the Russian/Arctic Convoys of World War Two and him completing the wartime memoir of a veteran of those voyages, Charlie Erswell (Surviving the Arctic Convoys, The Wartime Memoir of Leading Seaman Charlie Erswell, Pen & Sword, 2021). He has also written an in-depth account of PQ18, one of the most significant seaborne operations of the whole war (Arctic Convoy PQ18, 25 Days That Changed The Course of the War, Pen & Sword, 2023).
His short story, V for Victory, featured in the anthology The Darkest Hour, Tales of WW2 Resistance in 2019, which went on to appear in the USA Today bestseller list. The story has been made into a full novel and will be published by Jelso Publications later this year.
John was also asked to contribute to the production of a permanent exhibition to the Arctic convoys at the Western Approaches Museum in Liverpool and was on the judging panel for a literary prize to coincide with the opening in February 2022.
He was also involved in the production of a memorial to Tom 'Ginger' Jones, an SAS original and hero of World War Two, at the Armed Forces Centre in Wigan in 2021, after reading his story in Damien Lewis's book, SAS Band of Brothers.
John’s novel, Hell and High Water, won the inaugural Aspects of History Historical Fiction Award and was published by Sharpe Books. His Manner of Men series pays homage to Britain’s airborne forces of World War Two. Books in the series have been endorsed by renowned historians and authors, Damien Lewis and Saul David.
John can be found on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and BlueSky
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