Richard Hannay Richard Hannay Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, Legion of Honour, is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist John Buchan and further made popular by the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film "The 39 Steps" (and other later film adaptations), very loosely based on Buchan's 1915 novel of the same name. In his autobiography, "Memory Hold-the-Door", Buchan suggests that the character is based, in part, on Edmund Ironside, from Edinburgh, a spy during the Second Boer War. Hannay appears in several novels as a major character, including: He also appears as a minor character in: "The Thirty-One Kings" (2017), by
Hannay baronets as a drug merchant. His brother Alexander was a lieutenant-colonel in the Indian army; another brother, Ramsay, was in trade from India to China. Samuel Hannay himself had important Indian (City and shipping) interests; he was one of the creditors of the Nawab of Arcot. In 1784, Hannay was on the list of Government candidates recommended by Richard Atkinson, and was one of those willing to pay £2,000 or £2,500 or perhaps £3,000. He stood at Ilchester but was defeated; next, Jonathan Phillips vacated for him the seat at Camelford. He voted with Pitt over Richmond’s fortifications plan, 27 Feb.