Richard Henry Sampson (6 September 1896 – 19 April 1973), known by the pseudonym Richard Hull, was a British writer who became successful as a crime novelist with his first book in 1934.

Biography

The son of Nina Hull and Samuel Arthur Sampson, he was born in Kensington London on 6 September 1896, and attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

. He entered the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

at the age of eighteen with the outbreak of 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 fig ...

and served as an officer in an infantry battalion and in the

Machine Gun Corps The Machine Gun Corps (MGC) was a corps of the British Army, formed in October 1915 in response to the need for more effective use of machine guns on the Western Front in the First World War. The Heavy Branch of the MGC was the first to use ...

. At the end of the war after three years in France he worked for a firm of chartered accountants in the early 1920s and then later set up his own practice. He moved into full-time writing in 1934 after the success of ''The Murder of My Aunt''. In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, he was recalled to the army and became an auditor with the

Admiralty Admiralty most often refers to: *Admiralty, Hong Kong *Admiralty (United Kingdom), military department in command of the Royal Navy from 1707 to 1964 *The rank of admiral *Admiralty law Admiralty can also refer to: Buildings * Admiralty, Tra ...

in London, a position he retained until his retirement in the 1950s. While he ceased to write detective fiction after 1953, he did continue to take a close interest in the affairs of the

Detection Club The Detection Club was formed in 1930 by a group of British mystery writers, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, Ronald Knox, Freeman Wills Crofts, Arthur Morrison, Hugh Walpole, John Rhode, Jessie Rickard, Baroness Emma Orczy, R ...

, assisting

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

with her duties as President. He was a Fellow of the

Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) is a professional membership organisation that promotes, develops and supports chartered accountants and students around the world. As of July 2022, it has over 198,000 members ...

(ICAEW). He died at his home 32

Eccleston Square Eccleston Square is a square in Pimlico, London. History The square dates to the 1830s, an integral part of Thomas Cubitt's planned design of "South Belgravia", which is now called Pimlico. Cubitt designed many of the houses on the square and bu ...

in Pimlico, London. His estate was valued at £133 006.

Works

* ''The Murder Of My Aunt'', (1934) * ''Keep It Quiet'', (1935) * ''The Ghost It Was'', (1936) * ''Murder Isn't Easy'', (1936) * ''The Murderers Of Monty'', (1937) * ''One Man's Holiday'', (1937) ritten as: Henry DICKSON * ''Excellent Intentions'', (1938) (title in US: Beyond Reasonable Doubt) * ''And Death Came Too'', (1939) * ''My Own Murderer'', (1940) (also titled: Murder By Invitation) * ''The Unfortunate Murderer'', (1941) * ''Left-Handed Death'', (1946) * ''Last First'', (1947) * ''Until She Was Dead'', (1949) * ''Invitation To An Inquest'', (1950) * ''A Matter Of Nerves'', (1950) * ''The Martineau Murders'', (1953) Source:

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hull, Richard 1896 births 1973 deaths British accountants English crime writers Machine Gun Corps officers British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from London British Army personnel of World War II People educated at Rugby School