Robert Bruce Montgomery was born in 1921 and educated at Oxford, where he studied Modern Languages. It was here that for two years he was an organist and choirmaster. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became a full-time writer and composer of film scores. During his career, he produced concert music, edited a number of science-fiction anthologies and wrote for several periodicals and newspapers and for several years was the crime fiction reviewer for the Sunday Times. He was also, under the pseudonym Edmund Crispin, the author of a highly successful series of detective novels featuring Oxford don Gervase Fen.
As a composer, Montgomery supplied the musical scores for the first six Carry On films including the original theme which survived, under various arrangements until well into the series' run. He also wrote the script for the Peter Rogers/Gerald Thomas film "Raising the Wind" which featured a number of Carry On regulars.
Until his death in 1978, Montgomery lived in Devon.
