Richard Armstrong (writer)
Ralph Richard Armstrong | |
|---|---|
| Born | 18 June 1903 Walbottle, Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland |
| Died | 30 May 1986 |
| Occupation | author |
| Language | English |
| Nationality | British |
| Subject | sea stories |
| Notable works |
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| Children | John (deceased) |
Richard Armstrong (18 June 1903 – 30 May 1986)Library Association, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject.[2] He is also known for a biography of Grace Darling in which he challenges the conventional story: Grace Darling: Maid and Myth (1965). He is often described on the cover of his books as "author and mariner".
Biography
Ralph Richard Armstrong was born in
coal-mining background.[3]
After the
Merchant Service and for seventeen years sailed in many types of vessel, gaining the experience which he later put to use in his books about seafaring.[2] In 1937 he left the Merchant Service and pursued various occupations before concentrating on writing. His first published book was The Mystery of Obadiah (1943), an adventure novel set in Tynedale and featuring Thias Stringer, a 13-year-old boy. Sabotage at the Forge was its sequel, featuring Stringer at the steelworks.[3]
Later he drew on his wide-ranging experiences at sea, writing about, for example, cargo steamers (Passage Home), oil tankers (No Time for Tankers), and whalers (The Secret Sea).
Armstrong had a son, John, to whom he dedicated his book Sailor's Luck.[4] He died in 1986.
Selected works
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See also
References
- ^ "Births, Deaths and In Memoriam". The Times. London. 4 June 1986. p. 18 – via The Times Digital Archive 1785–2008.
ARMSTRONG Richard, author, 30th May 1986, aged 82 yrs, 11 months, in good care at the Williton Hospital, Somerset. Private cremation. No flowers.
- ^ a b
(Carnegie Winner 1948) Archived 31 October 2007 at the CILIP. Retrieved 2012-08-16.
- ^ a b c "Ralph Richard Armstrong". The Wee Web: authors & illustrators archive.
- ^ Dedication of Sailor's Luck, 1959.
- ^ Armstrong, Richard (1965). "Grace Darling, Maid and Myth".
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