George Anthony Armstrong Willis (1897–1976), known as Anthony Armstrong, was an Anglo-Canadian writer, dramatist and essayist. A humorist who contributed to ''

Punch Punch commonly refers to: * Punch (combat), a strike made using the hand closed into a fist * Punch (drink), a wide assortment of drinks, non-alcoholic or alcoholic, generally containing fruit or fruit juice Punch may also refer to: Places * Pun ...

'' and ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...

'' magazines, he wrote well-plotted crime plays including ''Ten Minute Alibi'' (1933).

Biography

Anthony Armstrong was the son of George Hughlings Armstrong Willis and Adela Emma Temple Frere. Although his parents were both English, he was born in

Esquimalt The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, British Columbia, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

as a consequence of his father's career as a Paymaster Captain in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. They returned to England before his brother's birth in 1900 in Dorset. He was educated at

Uppingham School Uppingham School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school for pupils 13-18) in Uppingham, Rutland, England, founded in 1584 by Robert Johnson (rector), Robert Johnson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, who also established Oa ...

. His brother John Christopher Temple Willis (1900–1969) was Director-General of the Ordnance Survey 1953–1957, and a watercolourist. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

Willis was commissioned as a

2nd Lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...

in 1915. He was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

in 1916. He married Frances Monica Sealy, and had three children: John Humfrey Armstrong Willis (1928–2012), Antonia Armstrong Willis (1932-2017), and Felicity Armstrong Willis (1936-2006). Antonia married the art expert and gallery owner Jeremy Maas; one of their sons, Rupert, is also an art expert, notable for his appearances on the ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people (g ...

''. Jonathan, another of their sons, is the current intellectual property rights holder for Anthony Armstrong's works and can be reached via his London agents, Eric Glass Ltd. Armstrong contributed to the screenplay of

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featur ...

's ''

Young and Innocent ''Young and Innocent'', released in the US as ''The Girl Was Young'', is a 1937 British crime thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring Nova Pilbeam and Derrick De Marney. Based on the 1936 novel '' A Shilling for Candles'' by Jos ...

'' (1937). Several of his own works were adapted into films including ''

The Strange Case of Mr Pelham "The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham" is a 1940 short story (later expanded in book form in 1957) by English writer Anthony Armstrong about a man involved in a serious car accident. The man recovers only to find himself being stalked by a seemingly i ...

'', which was made into a first-season episode of ''

Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...

'' (and directed by Hitchcock), and the film ''

The Man Who Haunted Himself ''The Man Who Haunted Himself'' is a 1970 British psychological thriller film written and directed by Basil Dearden (his final film prior to his death by automobile accident in 1971) and starring Roger Moore. It is based on the 1957 novel ''The ...

'' (1970).

Major works

Novels

* ''Lure of the Past'' (1920) * ''The Love of Prince Raameses'' (1921) * ''The Wine of Death: A Tale of the Lost Long-Ago'' (1925) * ''Patrick, Undergraduate'' (1926) * ''The Trail of Fear'' (1927) * ''The Secret Trail'' (1928) * ''The Trail of the Lotto'' (1929) * ''Apple and Percival'' (1931) * ''The Trail of the Black King'' (1931) * ''The Poison Trail'' (1932) * ''Britisher on Broadway'' (1932) * ''Easy Warriors'' (1932) * ''Ten Minute Alibi'' (1934) – novelization of his play, adapted as a 1935 film * '' Without Witness'' (1934) * ''Cottage into House'' (1936) * ''The End of the Road'' (1943) * ''When the Bells Rang: A Tale of What Might Have Been '' (1943) * ''No Higher Mountain'' (1951) * ''He Was Found in the Road'' (1952) – adapted as the 1956 film ''

The Man in the Road ''The Man in the Road'' is a 1956 British thriller film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Derek Farr, Ella Raines, Donald Wolfit and Cyril Cusack. The film was shot at Beaconsfield Studios. It was based on a popular contemporary novel ''H ...

'' * ''Spies in Amber'' (1956) * '' The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham'' (1957) – adapted as the 1970 film ''

'' - this novel (The Strange Case of Mr. Pelham) has been republished in 2021 and is available to pre-order on Amazon and available to buy direct from 6 December 2021. Audio and eBook versions are also in production. * '' One Jump Ahead'' (1973)

Short story collections

* ''The Prince Who Hiccupped and Other Tales: Being Some Fairy Tales for Grownups'' (1932) * ''The Pack of Pieces'' (1942) – more fairy tales for adults

Plays

* ''

In the Dentist's Chair IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Indepen ...

'' (1931) * '' Orders Are Orders'' (1932) * ''The Eleventh Hour'' (1933) * ''

Ten Minute Alibi ''Ten Minute Alibi'' is a 1935 British crime film directed by Bernard Vorhaus and starring Phillips Holmes, Aileen Marson and Theo Shall. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios.Wood p.84 The film's sets were designed by the art director Andre ...

'' (1933) * '' Mile-Away Murder'' (1937)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Armstrong, Anthony 1897 births 1976 deaths Canadian male novelists 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century English novelists English dramatists and playwrights People from Esquimalt, British Columbia People educated at Uppingham School 20th-century Canadian novelists Canadian male dramatists and playwrights English male novelists 20th-century Canadian male writers Recipients of the Military Cross Royal Engineers officers British Army personnel of World War I 20th-century English male writers