Sir Joshua Albert Flynn (1863-1933) was a British civil servant who served in South Africa with Lord Kitchener. He was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath in 1910 and knighted in 1919. He was later director of army accounts and subsequently director-general of finance at the Ministry of Pensions. He wrote three novels, one non-fiction work, The Problems of the Civil Service , and over 250 science fiction, romance and adventure stories under the pen name of “Owen Oliver” that were published in the popular magazines of the early 20th century. The Flynn’s thriller story The Cape Conspiracy , set in South Africa, was published on the Red Book Magazine in September 1905.