David Mason was born in 1969. After graduating, he studied at the University of London, receiving an MA in Imperial and Commonwealth Studies.

Since 1996 he has taught at both graduate and undergraduate level on a wide variety of subjects including the history of southern Africa from 1500 until the present day.

As part of on-going research he intends to visit South Africa in the winter of 2001-02. His first book, Verdun, was published by the Windrush Press in 2000.