Author: Arthur Leonard Bell Thompson
Alternate names: Arthur Leonard Bell. Thompson; Francis Clifford
Born: 1 December 1917
Died: 24 August 1975
Bio: Arthur Leonard Bell Thompson, DSO, born in Bristol, England, was a British writer of crime and thriller novels.

Prior to World War II, he worked as a Commercial Assistant in the rice trade, starting in London in 1935 and later in Burma from 1938–39. During the war he was commissioned into the Burma Rifles and served with the Special Operations Executive, serving first in India and then in London. He received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO), a military decoration of the United Kingdom, awarded for operational gallantry for highly successful command and leadership during active operations, typically in actual combat. 

After returning to civilian life, he worked as a journalist in the steel industry, and took up writing in his spare time. He left his position in 1959 and started writing full-time. From the late 1950's until his death, Thompson wrote 18 novels under the name Francis Clifford. His earlier novels were set in Southeast Asia and drew heavily on his experiences there during World War II.

Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Clifford_(author))