Eric Halsall was an English

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 countryman

Countryman

- Personnel :*Craig Allen – Art Direction, Design*Sweet Pea Atkinson – Vocals*Dan Bosworth – Guitar*Sir Harry Bowens – Vocals*Kim Buie – Executive Producer*Santa Davis – Drums*Richard Feldman – Guitar, Producer, Engineer, Mixing*Pam Hall – Vocals...

, author

Author

An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

 and television presenter. Best known for his fourteen year run as a commentator on BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 TV series One Man and His Dog

One Man and His Dog

One Man and His Dog is a television series in the United Kingdom featuring sheepdog trials, presented by Phil Drabble with commentary by Eric Halsall, and later by Ray Ollerenshaw, Robin Page, and Gus Dermody. At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million...

.

Early life

Halsall was born and raised in Burnley

Burnley

Burnley is a market town in the Burnley borough of Lancashire, England, with a population of around 73,500. It lies north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Brun....

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, attending Burnley Grammar School

Burnley Grammar School

Burnley Grammar School was latterly, a state-funded selective boys grammar School, situated in Byron Street in Burnley, England. However during its long history, it moved between a number of sites in the town.-History:...

. He was a keen footballer and had a trial at Burnley FC. Turned down by the RAF, he joined the Burnley Express

Burnley Express

For the cricketer with the same nickname, see James Anderson .The Burnley Express is a newspaper for Burnley and Padiham, England and surrounding area. It is printed twice weekly on Tuesday and Friday - which is the larger edition. It has been in print since 1877 and is now part of the Johnston...

, initially in advertising and then as a writer. He married Rita Greenwood in 1942.

Career

Halsall worked from the 1950s until 1985 as a farms manager for the National Coal Board

National Coal Board

The National Coal Board was the statutory corporation created to run the nationalised coal mining industry in the United Kingdom. Set up under the Coal Industry Nationalisation Act 1946, it took over the mines on "vesting day", 1 January 1947...

. However he was best known as presenter of the long-running TV series One Man and His Dog

One Man and His Dog

One Man and His Dog is a television series in the United Kingdom featuring sheepdog trials, presented by Phil Drabble with commentary by Eric Halsall, and later by Ray Ollerenshaw, Robin Page, and Gus Dermody. At its peak, in the early 1980s, it attracted audiences in excess of eight million...

, in which he commentated on sheepdog trial

Sheepdog trial

A Sheepdog trial is a competitive dog sport in which herding dog breeds move sheep around a field, fences, gates, or enclosures as directed by their handlers. Such events are particularly associated with hill farming areas, where sheep range widely on largely unfenced land...

s for 14 years from 1975 to 1989. He was also the course director for the series, in charge of laying out the trial fields.

Halsall also served for 21 years as a director of the International Sheep Dog Society

International Sheep Dog Society

International Sheep Dog Society was formed with the intention of increasing interest in securing the better management of livestock by improving the shepherd's dog. This remains the intention today. Without a good working dog, the shepherd's work on both the hills and the lowlands would be...

, and was a winner of its Wilkinson Sword Trophy Award.

Later life

Halsall lived in the Cliviger

Cliviger

Cliviger is a civil parish within the Borough of Burnley, in Lancashire, England. It is situated to the southeast of Burnley, and northwest of Todmorden and has a population of 2,350...

 area, close to Burnley. He was president of the Burnley branch of The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association

The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is a British charitable organisation founded in 1934.Guide Dogs provides independence and freedom to thousands of blind and partially-sighted people across the UK through the provision of guide dogs, mobility and other rehabilitation services...

.

External links