Edmund Crispin

Edmund Crispin, whose real name was Robert Bruce Montgomery, was a British composer and crime author, renowned for the Gervase Fen series of novels. Crispin was born in Chesham Bois, Buckinghamshire, and attended Taylors’ School and St John’s College, where he graduated in 1943 with a bachelor’s degree in modern languages. At St Johns College, he served as choirmaster and organ scholar, roles he later reprised while teaching at Shrewsbury School. He first gained recognition as a composer of choral and vocal music, most notably composing the acclaimed “An Oxford Requiem” in 1951. However, he transitioned towards film and composed for several popular comedies aired on British TV during the 1950s. He was the composer of the original Carry On theme and its six scores: Cruising, Regardless, Constable, Teacher, Nurse, and Sergeant. He also composed the scores for the Love, Large, Sea, and House films of the “Doctor” film franchise. Montgomery wrote the scores and screenplays for films like “Raising the Wind”, “The Brides of Fu Manchu”, “Twice Round the Daffodils”, “No Kidding”, and “Watch Your Stern”, among many others from the 1950s.