Berkely Mather

John Evan Weston-Davies (25 February 1909 – 7 April 1996), known to his friends as Jasper Davies and published as Berkely Mather, was a British writer who wrote fifteen published novels and a book of short stories. He also wrote for radio, television and film.

Shortly before World War I, Mather's family emigrated to Australia, where he received his education. He studied medicine, the family profession at Sydney University.^[1] Finding himself in England without prospects at the height of the Great Depression, he enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery, but failed to gain a commission. He therefore applied to join the Indian Army, in which he rose through the ranks, becoming a sergeant at the outbreak of World War II in 1939. He served in the Iraq campaign under Slim, and ended the war as an acting lieutenant-colonel. After India gained independence in 1947, he rejoined the British Army, serving in the Royal Artillery until he retired in 1959.^[1]

He scripted his first TV series, Tales from Soho in the mid-1950s. Produced by Tony Richardson, it featured his detective Inspector Charlesworth (played by John Welsh), who was used again in later productions. Other TV work included African Patrol, Z Cars, The Avengers and the American series I Spy. Mather's first novel, The Achilles Affair (1959), was a minor best-seller, and his second, The Pass Beyond Kashmir (1960), which received glowing reviews from Ian Fleming^[1] and Erle Stanley Gardner,^[2] did even better. Ernest Hemingway owned copies of both these novels.^[3] Mather's espionage thrillers can be read separately, but are linked to each other by recurring characters, in particular the sardonic and resourceful British agent Idwal Rees, who appears in The Pass Beyond Kashmir, The Terminators and Snowline. The author's military experience and years spent abroad give his work richness and depth.^[4] His last three novels were an ambitious trilogy that followed the fortunes of the Stafford family in the Near and Far East from the middle of the nineteenth century to the middle of the twentieth.

Two of Mather's early books stand somewhat apart from the rest in that they are spin-offs from his work in other media. Geth Straker (1962) started out as a radio serial, hence the tag on the front cover: "Further daring exploits from the log of radio's trouble hunting mariner". The book contains four stories. Genghis Khan (1965) is a novelisation of the 1965 film of the same name, for which he had written the original story. Mather's other motion picture credits include The Long Ships^[5] and Dr. No with Mather borrowing a copy of Fleming's original novel from his son. Mather also provided uncredited rewrites of the screenplays for From Russia with Love^[6] and Goldfinger.^[7]

James Bond film producers Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman purchased the film rights to The Pass Beyond Kashmir for Columbia Pictures in 1963.^[8] Sean Connery and Honor Blackman were to star.^[8] Production was to have begun in late 1964 in Britain and on location in the Far East.^[9]

• The Achilles Affair (1959)
• The Pass Beyond Kashmir (1960)
• The Heavy Steal. Serialised in TV Times, October 1963. Not yet published in book form
• Genghis Khan (1965) (novelisation of the screenplay of the 1965 film Genghis Khan)
• The Road and the Star (1965)
• The Gold of Malabar (1967)
• The Springers (US title: A Spy for a Spy) (1968)
• The Break in the Line (US title: The Break) (1971)
• The Terminators (1971)
• Snowline (1973)
• The White Dacoit (1974)
• With Extreme Prejudice (1975)
• The Memsahib (1977)
• The Pagoda Tree (1979) (Far Eastern Trilogy, Book 1)
• The Midnight Gun (1981) (Far Eastern Trilogy, Book 2)
• The Hour of the Dog (1982) (Far Eastern Trilogy, Book 3)

• Geth Straker (1962) (contains "Rim of the Wheel", "Alpecchi Reach", "Weed" and "Special Currency")

• "Dual Control". Argosy (UK), March 1957
• "Nylon Mask". Argosy (UK), May 1957
• [Titles unknown]. Series of stories sset in Cyprus. Daily Mail, Beginning 30 September 1957
• "Pagoda Well". Argosy (UK), September 1958
• "Laumoto Incident". Argosy (UK), June 1959
• "Tales from Hong Kong". Series of linked stories. Daily Mail, beginning 18 May 1959
• "Ski Test". Argosy (UK), January 1960
• "Returned without Thanks". Argosy (UK), October 1960; republished as "Cri de Coeur" in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, August 1961
• "The Fish of My Uncle's Cat". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, November 1961
• "Blood Feud". The Saturday Evening Post, 25 August 1962
• "Necklace for a Warrior". Argosy (UK), December 1962
• "When a Duke Falls among Thieves". Bristol Evening Post, 13 August 1965
• "The Diamond Watch". The Saturday Evening Post, 8 April 1967
• "Ma Tante Always Done Her Best". The Saturday Evening Post, December 1968
• "For the Want of a Nail". Argosy (UK), February 1968; republished as "For Want of a Nail" in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1968
• "Terror Ride". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1970
• "There's a Moral in it Somewhere". Argosy (UK), May 1970
• "The Big Bite". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, December 1970
• "The Rajah's Emeralds". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1971
• "Treasure Trove". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, July 1971
• "No Questions Asked". Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, April 1972

• "The Fast Buck". BBC Television, 16 November 1954
• "Change of Air". BBC Television, 10 June 1957
• "Needle Point". BBC Television, ("Suspense"), 18 June 1962
• "To Bury Caesar". ITV ("Television Playhouse"), 12 September 1963

• "As I Was Saying...". BBC Television
  • "No. 1: An Eye for Detail", 10 September 1955
  • "No. 2: The Day Off", 17 September 1955
  • "No. 3: For Art's Sake", 24 September 1955
  • "No. 4: A Deal in Diving", 1 October 1955
  • "No. 5: The Nayalpore Emeralds", 8 October 1955
  • "No. 6: Diamond Cut Diamond", 15 October 1955
• "Tales from Soho". BBC Television (Featuring Detective Chief Inspector Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: The Fiddle", 21 January 1956
  • "No. 2: The Message", 28 January 1956
  • "No. 3: Slippy Fives", 4 February 1956
  • "No. 4: The Protectors", 11 February 1956
  • "No. 5: The Ladder", 18 February 1956
  • "No. 6: Set a Thief", 25 January 1956
• "New Ramps for Old". BBC Television (Featuring Detective Chief Inspector Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: Hitched to a Star", 8 September 1956
  • "No. 2: On Hot Ice", 15 September 1956
  • "No. 3: Strictly Legal", 22 September 1956
  • "No. 4: All Mod Cons", 29 September 1956
  • "No. 5: Shop, Double Shop", 6 October 1956
  • "No. 6: No Percentage", 13 October 1956
• "Mr Charlesworth". BBC Television (Featuring Detective Chief Inspector Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: Once a Copper", 4 September 1957
  • "No. 2: In Lieu of a Fine", 11 September 1957
  • "No. 3: The Compensators", 18 September 1957
  • "No. 4: A Ring of Noses", 25 September 1957
  • "No. 5: The Live Wire", 2 October 1957
  • "No. 6: Mink Is Where You Find It", 9 October 1957
• "Big Guns". BBC Television (Featuring Detective Superintendent Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: Go West, Young Man", 1 January 1958
  • "No. 2: Gaol Delivery", 8 January 1958
  • "No. 3: How Green Is the Grass", 15 January 1958
  • "No. 4: Something Old - Something New", 22 January 1958
  • "No. 5: Villainy to Boot", 29 January 1958
  • "No. 6: A Family Matter", 5 February 1958
• "Charlesworth at Large". BBC Television (Featuring Detective Superintendent Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: Up the Garden Path", 16 August 1958
  • "No. 2: The Onkus Pronorus", 23 August 1958
  • "No. 3: All Night Service", 30 August 1958
  • "No. 4: Where Angels Fear to Tread", 6 September 1958
  • "No. 5: A View from the Island", 13 September 1958
  • "No. 6: Loads Sometimes Shift", 20 September 1958
• "Charlesworth". BBC Television (Featuring Detetctive Superintendent Charlesworth)
  • "No. 1: Undertone in Grey", 4 April 1959
  • "No. 2: And the Pigeon Flew Home", 11 April 1959
  • "No. 3: Pearls before ...", 18 April 1959
  • "No. 4: All That Glitters", 25 April 1959
  • "No. 5: Applied Psychology", 2 May 1959
  • "No. 6: In the Black", 9 May 1959
  • "No. 7: The Drainpipe", 16 May 1959
  • "No. 8: Spoiling the Broth", 23 May 1959
  • "No. 9: Money to Burn", 30 May 1959
  • "No. 10: And Violence towards None", 6 June 1959
  • "No. 11: The Petrovich Medallion", 13 June 1959
  • "No. 12: The Key", 20 June 1959
  • "No. 13: [Title Unknown]", 27 June 1959
  • "No. 14: A Matter of Muscle", 4 July 1959
  • "No. 15: Open and Shut", 11 July 1959
  • "No. 16: Further Developments", 18 July 1959
  • "No. 17: From the Boys", 25 July 1959
  • "No. 18: Offshore Incident", 1 August 1959
  • "No. 19: A Matter of Timing", 8 August 1959
  • "No. 20: Jobs for the Boys", 15 August 1959
  • "No. 21: The Prodigal Daughter", 22 August 1959
  • "No. 22: Double String", 29 August 1959
  • "No. 23: Long Hot Spell", 5 September 1959
• "You Can't Win". BBC Television
  • "No. 1: Greater Than Fear", 5 October 1961
  • "No. 2: The One That Got Away", 12 October 1961
  • "No. 3: Professional Status", 19 October 1961
  • "No. 4: A Matter of Habit", 26 October 1961
  • "No. 5: To Await Collection", 2 November 1961
  • "No. 6: Epitaph on a Tin", 9 November 1961

• "Southern Channel". BBC Home Service ("Saturday Matinee"), 19 February 1955
• "The Consolation Prize". BBC Light Programme ("Mid-Week Theatre"), 25 October 1961
• "Apprentice to Danger". BBC Light Programme ("Mid-Week Theatre"), 29 August 1962
• "Bird's Eye View". BBC Light Programme, 12 October 1962
• "A Necklace for the Warriors". BBC Light Programme ("Thirty Minute Theatre"), 12 February 1963
• "Touch of an Angel". BBC Light Programme ("Thirty Minute Theatre"), 12 March 1963
• "Letter from a Lady". BBC Light Programme ("Afternoon Theatre"), 15 June 1963
• "The Blue Ox". BBC Light Programme ("Saturday Night Theatre"), 1 May 1965
• "Meritorious Service". BBC Radio 4 ("Thirty Minute Theatre"), 25 September 1984

• "The Pagoda Well". BBC Light Programme
  • "No. 1: [Title Unknown]", 10 August 1959
  • "No. 2: Who Will Mourn a Goannese?", 17 August 1959
  • "No. 3: Hark Back", 24 August 1959
  • "No. 4: Where Delhi Writs Don't Run", 31 August 1959
  • "No. 5: The Mission", 7 September 1959
  • "No. 6: The Well", 16 September 1959
• "The Sand Leopard". BBC Light Programme (Featuring Geth Straker)
  • "No. 1: The Charter", 31 July 1961
  • "No. 2: Through the Ditch", 7 August 1961
  • "No. 3: The Hi-Jackers", 14 August 1961
  • "No. 4: The Rendezvous", 21 August 1961
  • "No. 5: I'll Settle for Leopards", 28 August 1961
  • "No. 6: The Leopard Crouches", 4 September 1961
  • "No. 7: The Long Dive", 11 September 1961
  • "No. 8: Surface Break", 18 September 1961
• "The Maresciallo". Written with Victor Francis. BBC Light Programme
  • "No. 1: The Leopard's Spots", 2 November 1964
  • "No. 2: Napoli", 9 November 1964
  • "No. 3: Miss Tibbs", 16 November 1964
  • "No. 4: Mamma Mia", 23 November 1964
  • "No. 5: Got It Taped", 30 November 1964
  • "No. 6: The Brothers", 7 December 1964
• "The Bounce Back". BBC Light Programme
  • "No. 1: Returned Without Thanks", 23 January 1967
  • "No. 2: Honesty's the Best Fiddle", 30 January 1967
  • "No. 3: The Stakeout", 6 February 1967
  • "No. 4: Just a Detail", 13 February 1967
  • "No. 5: The Paragon", 20 February 1967
  • "No. 6: Never Let Your Left Hand Know...", 27 February 1967
  • "No. 7: All That Glitters Isn't Brass", 6 March 1967
  • "No. 8: Quick Returns", 13 March 1967
• "The Hard Buy". BBC Radio 2
  • "No. 1: Difficult for Ricardo", 27 June 1968
  • "No. 2: And Not So Easy for Brett", 1 July 1968
  • "No. 3: When the Greeks Bear Gifts", 4 July 1968
  • "No. 4: In the Dark All Cats Are Grey", 8 July 1968
  • "No. 5: Though Some May Be Black", 11 July 1968
  • "No. 6: And Some May Be Hard To Shake", 15 July 1968
  • "No. 6: No Refund If Not Satisfied", 18 July 1968
  • "No. 6: Returned to Vendor", 22 July 1968
• "Tales from the Poona Club". BBC Radio 4
  • "No. 1: Magic Carpet George", 7 April 1970
  • "No. 2: The White Dacoit", 13 April 1970
  • "No. 3: A Duck in Bombay", 20 April 1970
  • "No. 4: The Faqir's Tree", 27 April 1970
  • "No. 5: The Wrong Conclusion", 4 May 1970
  • "No. 6: Wullie the Clock", 11 May 1970
  • "No. 7: The Second Chance", 19 May 1970
  • "No. 8: Drummer Brady", 25 May 1970
• "The Meisterspringer". BBC Radio 4
  • "No. 1: Spring in the Air", 21 April 1985
  • "No. 2: Spring in the Dark", 28 April 1985
  • "No. 3: Can Spring Be Far Behind?", 5 May 1985
  • "No. 4: To Spring Or Not To Spring", 12 May 1985
  • "No. 5: Promise of Spring", 19 May 1985
  • "No. 6: He Who Springs Last", 26 May 1985

• Berkely Mather at IMDb
• Berkely Mather at AllMovie