Richard Armstrong (author) facts for kids

Richard Armstrong (born June 18, 1903, died May 30, 1986) was an English writer. He wrote exciting stories for both kids and adults. Many of his books were sea stories, meaning they were set on ships or near the ocean.

One of his most famous books for young readers is Sea Change. This book won the Carnegie Medal in 1948. This award is given to the best children's book by a British author each year. Richard Armstrong was often called an "author and mariner" on his book covers. This means he was both a writer and someone who worked at sea.

About Richard Armstrong

Early Life and Work

Ralph Richard Armstrong was born in Walbottle, a place near Newcastle upon Tyne in Northumberland, England. This happened on June 18, 1903. His father was a blacksmith. When Richard was only thirteen years old, he left school. He started working in a steelworks in Tyneside.

He spent three years working there. He began as an errand boy, delivering messages. Then he moved on to jobs like greaser, labourer, and even crane driver. His book Sabotage at the Forge (1946) is set in a steelworks. People think this book gives a very real picture of what it was like for a boy to work in such a place. Another book, The Whinstone Drift (1951), also feels very real. It is set against the background of coal-mining in Northumberland.

Life at Sea

After the First World War, Richard Armstrong joined the Merchant Service. This is a group of ships that carry goods and people around the world. For seventeen years, he sailed on many different kinds of ships. This gave him a lot of experience. He later used all these adventures and experiences in his books about seafaring.

In 1937, he stopped working in the Merchant Service. He tried different jobs before he decided to focus on writing full-time.

Becoming a Writer

Richard Armstrong's first book was The Mystery of Obadiah (1943). It was an adventure story set in Tynedale. The main character was a 13-year-old boy named Thias Stringer. Sabotage at the Forge was the next book in the series. It followed Thias Stringer's adventures at the steelworks.

Later, Armstrong used his many experiences at sea to write more books. He wrote about different types of ships. For example, Passage Home is about cargo steamers. No Time for Tankers is about oil tankers. And The Secret Sea tells a story about whalers, which are ships that hunt whales.

Richard Armstrong had a son named John. He dedicated his book Sailor's Luck to him. Richard Armstrong passed away in 1986.

Richard Armstrong's Books