Anthony Armstrong

Anthony Armstrong was an Anglo-Canadian writer and dramatist. He wrote crime plays, novels, and humorous essays. He is best known for his crime play Ten Minute Alibi (1933). He also contributed regularly to Punch magazine.

Anthony Armstrong was born George Anthony Armstrong Willis in 1897. He was born in Esquimalt, British Columbia. His father served as a Paymaster Captain in the Royal Navy. The family returned to England before his brother's birth in 1900.

Armstrong was educated at Uppingham School in England. During the First World War, he joined the Royal Engineers. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1915. In 1916, he was awarded the Military Cross.

After the war ended, Armstrong began writing fiction. His early novels included Lure of the Past (1920). The Love of Prince Raameses was published in 1921. Several adventure novels followed throughout the late 1920s.

From 1925 to 1933, he wrote a weekly column for Punch. He published his column under the initials 'A. A.' During this period, he also wrote for The New Yorker. His humour writing ran alongside his career as a fiction writer.

Armstrong married Frances Monica Sealy and had three children. Their daughter Antonia later married art expert Jeremy Maas. Their grandson Rupert Maas became known through Antiques Roadshow.

In 1932, Armstrong published In the Dentist's Chair, a stage play. He followed this with Orders Are Orders in the same year. His crime plays gained particular attention throughout the 1930s.

In 1933, Armstrong wrote Ten Minute Alibi, his best-known play. The play was praised for its careful, precise plotting. It was adapted into a film the following year, in 1935. Armstrong also novelised the play under the same title in 1934.

Armstrong continued writing crime fiction throughout his career. He published Without Witness in 1933, both as play and novel. Mile-Away Murder, another crime play, followed in 1937.

In 1937, Armstrong contributed to Alfred Hitchcock's screenplay for Young and Innocent. Later, his novel The Strange Case of Mr Pelham gained similar recognition. Hitchcock directed a television adaptation for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The story later became the film The Man Who Haunted Himself in 1970.

Armstrong also wrote fairy tales intended for adult readers. The Prince Who Hiccupped appeared in 1932. The Pack of Pieces followed with further stories in 1942.

Anthony Armstrong continued publishing novels into his later years. His final novel, One Jump Ahead, appeared in 1973. He died in 1976, at the age of seventy-nine.