Pseudonym of Eric Elrington Addis. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He served in the Royal Navy, retiring in 1929. In the 1930s he began practising as a barrister but was recalled to the Navy upon the outbreak of the Second World War. He was killed in Alexandria, Egypt. He is the creator of 'Chief Inspector Thompson', a Scotland Yard detective. The last novel, Sing a Song of Murder, was completed by his wife, Hazel Iris Addis.