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Tom Tully was born in Glasgow and grew up in Reading as a supporter of Newcastle United. After leaving school he did his National Service in the RAF as a telephonist, and then worked as a clerical officer in the civil service and as a tally man, and gained a diploma in writing for children, all the while trying to write freelance. Finally, aged 25, he sold a Buck Rogers story.

He was a prolific writer for Fleetway/IPC, beginning in the early 1960s. His earliest notable work was Roman epic "Heros the Spartan", drawn by Frank Bellamy, in the original Eagle in 1962-1964. The lead writer on Roy of the Rovers from 1974 to 1993, Tully was the go-to guy for sports strips for numerous titles, and also wrote WWII aviation strip "Johnny Red" for Battle Picture Weekly in the 1970s. He was known for his ability to spin out a serial.

Among the strips he wrote were:

After the closure of Roy of the Rovers Tully left the comics industry and ran a pub, the Farrier's Arms, in Pewsey, Wiltshire, and later moved to another pub near Devizes.

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