Norman Herod

While trying to find some information on an artist named Kenton, I stumbled across another name that I didn't recognise, but who has a number of comic connections. This was cartoonist Norman Herod, pictured above in early 1945 with Joan Baker at Moor Hall, home of David Hand's GB Animation studio where hundreds of creative talents animated the adventures of Ginger Nutt and his Animaland chums.

Richard Norman Herod was born in Derby on 4 November 1907, the son of Edward James Herod (1873-1925), a railway clerk, and his wife Annie (nee Crowder, 1874-1967). He was the last of five children, raised in Derby and remained in that area until his twenties. Although I know nothing about his training, he was clearly a caricaturist of some talent as in 1931 he was given permission to exhibit a number of caricatures of local persons at the Central Art Gallery, Willington, by the Free Library and Art Gallery Committee. (Willington is a village some six miles southwest of Derby.)

By the end of the 1930s, Herod was earning a living as a commercial artist and cartoons, and was living at Bushey, Hertfordshire. I know nothing about his war service (he would have been in his early thirties when war was declared) but we know he was an early member of staff at GB Animation, working alongside Reg Parlett, Mike Western, Eric Bradbury, and countless other artists who would later turn to comics.

In the late 1940s, Herod was living in the Uxbridge area, where he married Lena Hannah Moore in 3Q 1949. Born 13 February 1919, Lena, a shorthand typist, had previously been married in 1939 to Sydney Hope Pellatt (1916-1988), a commercial traveller. They subsequently divorced and both remarried.

Herod was a member of the Colne Group of Artists and exhibited alongside other members, which included Gerald Palmer and his son, James, John Thirtle, Ruth Sudbury-Palmer, Cyril Randell, Joan Scott, Kathleen Richardson and John Topham. The Group was formed in early 1948 and staged a travelling exhibition in time for the Festival of Britain (June/August 1951), showing original art at Unxbridge, Cowley and Harefield. Herod exhibited paintings and cartoons at the Group’s various shows held at Uxbridge Library and the King’s Arms Hotel, Uxbridge.

In 1953, Herod teamed up with Douglas Kenton to produce a puppet show for children's television. "Professor Doodle and Lefty look like spaniels; but the professor behaves like an absent-minded teacher, and Lefty like any schoolboy trying to take a rise out of him," reported one newspaper. One unique talent that both puppets had was an ability to draw and they were to make funny drawings as they talked.

The glove puppets "would be lost without Norman Herod and Douglas Kenton, who not only have a good deal to do with the drawings which appear, but who also made and manipulate the puppets and write the script."

I have only discovered a single appearance of the two puppets on the BBC's Children's Television on 16 April 1953 where they appeared alongside a report by Duncan Carse on a expedition to the Antarctic island of South Georgia.

Herod and Kenton were also behind what was billed as "The First 3-D Art Exhibition in the World", held at Artists House, Manette Street, Soho, in October 1953. The exhibition was of a dozen watercolour pictures which "come gently or fiercely from their frames as you look through special glasses. Charles Laughton's nose, chin and lips emerge formidably from this treatment."

The syndicated "London Diary" column noted: "The two young artists have spent twelve months on their 3-D experiment and are proud to have found colours that come remarkably accurately through the red and green lenses. Which pictures are whose they cannot say. They have worked together as closely on each one as Disney's team of animators on a cartoon film."

Herod died in 3Q 1966, aged 58, his death registered in Hillingdon, Middlesex. He was survived by Lena, who died over 35 years later in 2002.

Frederick Harnack

Reviewing Colin Larkin's Cover Me (scroll down if you've not seen it), I came across a couple of names that were new to me. One was as unknown to Colin, who mentions the rather bland cover for The Voyage of the Cap Pilar by Adrian Seligman, describing it as badly composed and poorly executed. He also mentions the unsigned board has a name on the back. F. Harnack.

This would be Frederick Bertrand Harnack, born in Manor Park, Essex, on 22 July 1897, the son of Ernest Henry Harnack (1868-1942), a doctor and pioneer of X-ray radiology, who later became incapacitated, and his wife Frances Elizabeth (Fanny) Harnack (1867-1936). Raised in the East End of London, the family (which included older siblings Edwin Percy [1893-1976] and Nellie Maud Mary [later Lussignea, 1894-1978]) lived in East Ham and Forest Gate before moving to West Mersea in 1922, where Frederick would live for the rest of his life.

He served with the London Rifle Brigade from June 1915 and subsequently transferred to the 5th Battalion City of London Regiment in August 1916. He was hospitalised in 1916 (with impetigo) and 1917 and was later wounded in action at Passchendale, although it was described as superficial. He returned to France in 1918 as a clerk with the Army Service Corps.

Harnack was fond of drawing and painting from an early age but received no formal training. In the early 1920s, he studied art and began providing black & white illustrations to several magazines and newspapers. Living at Mersea, he and his brother often hired boats to go sailing and he also sailed with Arthur Briscoe, a well-known marine artist and illustrator who became an influence on Harnack and his work. When his brother obtained a boat of his own, the Ben Gunn, the Harnacks became a familiar sight in Essex and Suffolk waters.

Harnack was a regular illustrator for Yachting Monthly in the late 1920s and in 1930 he sailed in the Finnish barque Alastor from the East India Dock to the Gulf of Bothaia, which provided more inspiration for his brush. With the outbreak of the Second World War, Harnack joined the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve and was made a gunnery officer—ironic, given his revulsion towards guns since his service in the previous war—and served in the West of Scotland, where he was able to find time to paint in his spare time.

In 1942, in Colchester, he married Edna May Ewbank (1902-1993), who had been married to Frank D. Smith in 1926, but was living with the Harnack family as an unpaid domestic by 1939.

Lieutenant Harnack returned to Mersea in 1946 and exhibited at the Society of Marine Artists of which he became a member in 1950. Known locally as 'Fid', he lived at Greenwood, 84 High Street North, and continued to paint mostly marine subjects for over thirty years.

He died on 24 March 1983, at the age of 85, survived by his wife and a stepdaughter. His funeral took place at West Mersea Church on 5 April 1983.

Writing for a local paper, Hervey Benham wrote:

Fid ... spent a lifetime sailing around the creeks in his little yacht Ben Gunn, absorbing every nuance of the saltings and marshlands and interpeting them with rare skill and sensitivity in his water colours.
    He was a modest man, concerned more with creating works of art than with publicising them. Certainly he never received the popular acclaim or the financial rewards which he deserved and which he would probably have enjoyed had he been working today. Nevertheless his paintings are greatly loved and highly valued by many islanders and by still more visiting yachtsmen from all over the country and Harnack is treasured as a precious memento of Mersea. In particular that dazzling glare of sunshine on salt water which is so characteristic of the Blackwater and which appears so often in his pictures.

The Art of Reginald Heade Volume Two

This second volume collecting the works of Reginald Heade offers a far greater insight into the breadth of his career than the first volume, which concentrated primarily on Heade's cover artwork during the dozen years after the Second World War. Little was known about his work prior to this, a situation now amply resolved thanks to the ongoing research of Steve Walker and Steve Chibnall, who also provide a detailed biography of Heade's life.

And a tough life it was, too. The illegitimate child of a barmaid, he was born Reginald Cyril Webb, his birth certificate blank where his father's name should be—although known to be a gypsy traveller named Joseph Heade. To confuse matters further, Webb used the name 'Heade' to sign his work and adopted the name from an early age. He eventually changed his name officially to Reginald Cyril Heade in 1945, but following the prosecution of Hank Janson in 1954, signed his later work 'Cy Webb'.

A talented artist from childhood, his earliest commercial work dates from 1931, his talents used by Faber & Faber, Hutchinson, Foulsham, Hodder & Stoughton and Collins. With the outbreak of war, and the swift collapse of publishing schedules, Heade found work where he could. Still contributing to major publishers—including Mills & Boon where he worked extensively—but also painting children's booklets, jigsaw puzzles and other commercial work.

In 1947, Heade was offered work painting covers by the burgeoning original paperback market. At the time he was struggling financially, raising a young daughter, Sally, with his partner, model Lily (Paddy) Walker. Heade was not a well man, suffering from a heart condition, a breathing condition made worse by his chain-smoking habit, and poor eyesight. He worked constantly, his studio shielded from the rest of the family home by a curtain, tubes of paint and reference volumes scattered around the room.

Then Paddy died and Heade found himself unable to raise Sally himself. Foster parents were found, but Heade would visit her on the south coast and she would spend school holidays with him. This unhappy situation left its mark. Heade was described as troubled and unhappy, his eyesight failing, his artwork attracting complaints for being salacious and the books they covered accused of being obscene. With the boom in paperback originals crushed in 1954 and his chief outlets shut down, Heade reinvented himself to produce increasingly detailed covers for Pan and Panther Books.

Sadly, Heade's career was cut short by a heart attack when he was only 56. Now, over sixty years later, his admirers are still trying to piece together a complete index of his work. The two volumes compiled by Stephen James Walker gather up a huge amount of work, including preparatory pencil sketches and colour roughs of book covers, illustrations and adverts, gold dust to any fan. Reproductions from original artwork mean that these pages contain the best reproductions many will have seen, far better than the often battered copies of books that most of us own.

One aspect of the book that we should all appreciate is that the authors are aware that more work remains to be discovered. Colour roughs exist with no accompanying dust jacket, and some publishers are still severely under-researched, thanks in part to copyright libraries removing dust jackets when the books were submitted. The hunt for Heade continues and, with luck, there will one day be enough material to warrant a third volume.

The Art of Reginald Heade Volume Two. Telos Publishing ISBN 978-1845-83155-4, November 2020, 383pp, £50.00. Available from the publisher and via Amazon.

A. E. Callam

Albert Edward Callam was born in Great Kimble, Buckinghamshire, on 11 August 1904, the son of Arthur William Callam, a straw hat stiffener (1870-1947) and Kate Callam, a straw hat machinist (née Parsons, 1874?-1955), married in 1892 at Christ Church, Luton. Albert had two older siblings, Bernard Arthur (1893-1960) and Lilian May (later Parsons, 1895-1975), who also worked in the straw hat factory, as clerk and machinist respectively.

The family lived in Luton (during the 1911 census, their address was 11 Newcombe Road), which was the centre for the manufacture of straw hats, said to have been introduced from France by Mary I of Scotland, whose craftsmen were brought south when her son, James 6 of Scotland, ascended to the throne of England (as James I) in 1603. The craftsmen were left in the care of Napier family, who owned the grand estate of Luton Hoo. (If you want to explore this further, English Heritage have published The Hat Industry of Luton and its Buildings (2013), which explains the clever art of straw plaiting amongst many other things.)

Albert was educated at Luton Grammar School  and first studied drawing under his old schoolmaster, Frederick F(enton) May (1876-1952).

He was only 14 when the Great War ended, so did not serve, and the next sign of him is in 1930, when he married Gertrude Marion Norwood. The couple lived at "Dingley Dell," Argyll Avenue, Luton.

In 1933, Callam, already a member of the Society of Industrial Artists, successfully passed the British Typographers’ Guild test in layout draughtsmanship. According to a report in a local newspaper, “It is a rule of the Guild that only those who can produce an attractive and technically correct layout from copy supplied to them can be admitted to membership. Mr. Callam’s layout was of exceptional merit. A certificate of proficiency is awarded to successful applicants.” (Beds & Herts Pictorial, 26 September 1933) Callam was one of the first members of the Guild, who counted Eric Gill, the sculptor, and Sir Francis Maynell, Master of the Faculty of Royal Designers in Industry, amongst its early members.

In the 1930s, Callam was employed as the studio director of Askew Younge, a creative advertising company owned by Victor Antony Askew and his wife Margaret Mitchell Askew. A deed of assignment was issued for the benefit of creditors against the Askews and James Philip Edgar in November 1934, although the company continued to trade, and Callam is still listed as a director in the Advertising Art Annual for 1939. (Askew Younge was eventually struck off the register of companies in September 1968, but had probably ceased trading years, if not decades, earlier.)

In 1938, Callam teamed up with Ronald Brett, who was in charge of the studio at lithographic print company Baynard Press, to form Brett Callam Designers, taking over the studio of Baynard Press as their nucleus and still working with and for the printing company. Unfortunately, the war devastated the printing industry, and Brett left to join Service Advertising in 1940. Callam and his wife continued to trade under the name of Brett Callam Designers from its office in Blackwell Street, London S.W.9. and was still active until at least 1942.

At this time [fl. 1939], the Callams were living at 94 Station Road, Harpenden, Hertfordshire, but later moved to 66 Apsley House, St. John's Wood, London N.W.8. [fl. 1952].

Callam continued to work as a designer and painter, one of his designs – for a  perfume casket – being chosen for exhibition at the Festival of Britain on the South Bank. Six of his paintings were exhibited at the Imperial Institute in South Kensington in 1954. One, entitled "Buildings in Washington, D.C.," was almost certainly inspired by a trip to America, as Albert and Gertrude had set sail for New York in March 1952. The painting was hung in the 1954 Paris Salon.

Callam, who had been awarded a Fellowship of the Royal Society of Arts, was also a member of the Council of The Army Art Society at that time [fl.1954]. Founded as the Army Officers' Art Society in 1925, the Society was only opened up to all ranks in 1946. They held an annual exhibition at the Imperial Institute in October.

At the same time, Callam became the publisher of various books, beginning with Letters to Lisette by Rosemary Cobham in 1950. A steady stream of new titles appeared throughout the 1950s, including poems by Elizabeth Stanton Lay, K. M. Westaway, Marion Alice Bowers, J. A. R. Stevenson, Florence Gubbins, Alexander Simpson and Kathleen Periton. His publications included the first short (75-page) novel, Peace in Rapallo, by Alexander Reissner.

He published the Collected Poems of Robert E. Kay and Edgar Newgass in 1961. Newgass was also the author of two books on biblical subjects published in 1964.

Two books published in the early 1960s charted the history and genealogy of the Norwood family back as far as the 13th century. The Norwoods: An Introduction to Their History and The Norwoods: Heraldry and Brasses, were written by Gertrude Callam (formerly Norwood), and a third volume, A Chronological History, was self-published  by Mrs. Callam in a limited edition of 400 copies in 1997.

By then, her husband Albert was long gone. The couple lived at The Studio, Collington La West, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sussex, where Albert Callam died on 9 September 1980. His birth was erroneously given on death records as 11 August 1906. He was survived by his wife, Gertrude, who continued  to live in Bexhill-on-Sea, until her death on 13 October 2003. They had no children.

Nigel Dobbyn (1963-2019)

News has circulated in the last few hours of the death of Nigel Dobbyn, best known for his work on 2000AD, Sonic the Comic and The Beano, at the age of 56. He had posted on Facebook as recently as 15 August and was apparently feeling happy and well, only to suffer a sudden heart attack on Saturday, 24 August.

Dobbyn was a regular at 2000AD for eight years, contributing to 'Tharg's Future Shocks' (1988) before embarking on his first serial, 'Medivac 318' by Hilary Robinson (1989-90). Carrying the news of his death, the 2000AD website noted:

The series ... showcased Dobbyn’s unmistakeable style, his strong storytelling and clear lines giving all of his work a solidity and openness that was often at odds with the prevailing fashions in comic art at the time.
    His colour work was bold and striking but also grounded and earthy – his work on future eco-cop series Trash (Progs 760 to 770), written by Paul Kupperberg, contrasted the greys of urban decay with lush greens and bright flower colours. He also had a skill for action and his work on Red Razors with Mark Millar and Garth Ennis’ Strontium Dogs stories featuring Johnny Alpha and Wulf Sternhammer’s furry sidekick Gronk, as well as Peter Hogan’s spell on the strip, demonstrated his ability to draw convincing, involved and energetic action scenes.

Born in Oxford on 9 March 1963, Dobbyn grew up reading the comics of his elder brother, Jeremy, before he and his friend Aidan Potts, also now an author and illustrator, discovered Marvel comics while at primary school.

Dobbyn was educated at Magdelen College School, Oxford, before earning an engineering degree at Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry (1981-84). After contributing to Killing Stroke and 'Three Way Split' to Harrier's Avalon in 1987, he began freelancing in 1988, contributing his first Future Shock to 2000AD Prog 588 (20 August 1988), written by Steve Dillon.

After 'Medivac 318' concluded, Dobbyn joined Paul Kupperberg on the story of eco-policeman, Trashman Trask, Trash (1991-92), and first worked with Paul Hogan on a short 'Tharg's Dragon Tales' serial, in 1992. He took over the artistic chores for Strontium Dog (1993-95), written by Garth Ennis and, later, Peter Hogan. Ennis' run included such fan favourites as 'Return of the Gronk' and 'The Darkest Star'. Dobbyn also took on Mark Millar's 'Red Razors' (1994-95), but a change in editorship brought his run on the title to an end.

Dobbyn also contributed to Deadline and Mindbenders, and his work on 2000AD led to some work for DC Comics, including three issues of Judge Dredd: Legends of the Law and an issue of The Demon.

After a brief period of commercial work for Eagle Star and Polydor Records (comic strips for boy band Ultimate Kaos), Dobbyn found work on Sonic the Comic, edited by former Tharg Richard Burton, making his debut in October 1995 and supplying a regular stream of stories about the super-speedy hedgehog until 1999, often working from scripts by Nigel Kitching and Lew Stringer. He was one of the most popular artists in the comic, contributing heavily to the stories of Knuckles, the red-furred Echidna, and, later, Tails and Amy Rose.

Dobbyn was a notable colourist for artists Roberto Corona, Richard Elson and Carl Flint, and later said, in a 2010 interview, "My favourite work of all was colouring the linework of Roberto Corona, which was more of a pleasure than I could reasonably expect from a paying job. I’m still very proud of the work we produced together and it was a privilege to work with him."

After Sonic, Dobbyn struggled for some while, working briefly on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for the BBC's FBX magazine (1999), and in a food factory for several months before being offered work on Dark Horse's Digimon (2000). Although it proved short-lived, it led to work on Panini's UK Digimon comic and a great many other licensed characters, including Panini's Spiderman & Friends, Eaglemoss' Gogos Crazy Bones, Power Rangers for Panini's Fox Kids Wickid, and illustrations for various DeAgostini titles, including Mr. Bean's Amazing A-Z, My Little Pony and Angelina's Fairy Tales and Scooby Doo.

He has also worked on various educational books, illustrations for councils and wildlife trusts, the fanzines Dogbreath and Zarjaz, a strip for Games Workshop's Inferno, and colouring The Chili for Markosia.

Dobbyn also found work drawing (and sometimes writing) 'Billy the Cat' in The Beano (2005) and various Beano Annual, adapting Shakespeare's Macbeth (2008) and The Tempest (2009) for Classical Comics, and adapting Anthony Horowitz's Nightrise (2014). He also drew 'The Adventures of Naut' for Cybernaut Records of Perth, three titles inspired by H.P. Lovecraft for Arcturus, and 'Goblin Princess' for Redan's Sparkle World.

In 2016 he returned to 2000AD to draw 'Ace Trucking Co.' and had most recently been working on the multimedia project Death Ingloria by Galina Rin and Hilary Robinson (2017), lettering for the digital comic Aces Weekly, and contributing '28AR' by Richmond Clements to Brawler, a kickstarter project from Time Bomb Comics.

Dobbyn lived in Guisborough, Yorkshire, and is survived by his wife, Susan, and daughter, Megan.

Tributes to Nigel can be found at Lew Stringer's blog and John Freeman's Down the Tubes.

The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls)

Regular readers at Bear Alley will have no need of introductions when it comes to Robert J. Kirkpatrick's astonishingly detailed essays about long-forgotten artists. As the host of many of them, I'm unashamedly biased when it comes to his latest book, which has the kind of title that tries to explain the raison d'etre behind the contents, but which you might not be able to take in in a single glance.

The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books 1844-1970 (phew!) runs to 544 pages, the B5 format (176 x 250 mm) larger than the more common trade paperback size by about an inch in both width and height. I wouldn't want to guess at the total wordage, as each essay is accompanied by an extensive bibliography of books illustrated, but there are plenty of pictures to break up the text and the breadth of the page allows for a nice font size, making reading easier on the eye.

With 101 artists biographies contained in its pages, I'm not about to list them all. In this instance I'm fortunate enough to be able to say, that a scroll down the pages of Bear Alley will turn up plenty of examples. However, it is important to note that many of the essays have been tweaked since their original appearance, with additional information and lengthier bibliographies. Some appeared elsewhere (e.g. Archibald Webb, the two John Campbells), and will be new to readers here.

The subtitle implies that these are forgotten artists, although that is not true of all 101 – C.E. and H.M. Brock, William illustrator Thomas Henry and war and western artist Stanley L. Wood, to take just a few examples. In some instances, you may not recognise the name, but you will know some of their work, e.g. Savile Lumley, the artist of the famous 'Daddy, what did YOU do in the Great War?' poster. The bulk, however, will only be recognised by ardent collectors of old boys' and girls' books.

The artists are listed in alphabetical order, but range in era from John Absolon, whose career began in the 1840s, to Jennings illustrator D. L. Mays, whose last appearance was in 1970. During the intervening 130 years, there are a wealth of stories, some of artists who worked steadily and successfully for decades before retiring (Paul Hardy even received a civil pension), others featuring artists who struggled with poverty or serious injury (Harold J. Earnshaw, for instance, who had his arm blown off by a shell during the Great War).

Each essay explores the work of the artist with a wealth of background information, most of it revealed for the first time, and I can recommend the book to anyone with an interest in collectable old boys' (and girls') books and wants to know more about the artists who illustrated them.

The Men Who Drew For Boys (And Girls): 101 Forgotten Illustrators of Children's Books 1844-1970 by Robert J. Kirkpatrick.
Robert J. Kirkpatrick ISBN 978-1796-82098-0, June 2019, 544pp, £25.00. Available via Amazon.

Leslie Cresswell

Leslie Cresswell was known as one of the leading technical illustrators working on The Motor between the 1930s and the 1950s, most notably for his cutaway drawings. Beyond this, little seems to be known about him. It was something of a surprise to discover that he was local to Colchester (indeed, his funeral service took place at Colchester Crematorium on Wednesday, 16 May 1979).

He was born Leslie Harold Cresswell Cresswell in Holborn, London, on 5 May 1896, the son of Harold Cresswell and Eliza Ballinger Cresswell. Harold, born in Louth, Lincolnshire, was an engineer, working as a draughtsman for the Metropolitan Water Board. He Eliza Ballinger Hayward at St James Church, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, on 4 June 1892.

The family lived in Highgate, north London, where Leslie and his younger sister, Catherine Margaret Cresswell Cresswell (born Hornsey, London, on 4 April 1899), went to school.

At the age of 19, Cresswell was attested for service in the Territorial Force on 12 November 1914, in the 9th London Regiment (Queen Victoria's Rifles). He served with the BEF in France between 29 June 1915 and 3 January 1916, before returning to England, suffering from shell shock.

 He was attached to the Command Depot in June 1916 and then to the Record Office in November 1916, at the same time being promoted to Acting Corporal. He was discharged from the army on medical grounds on 26 September 1917, suffering from neurasthenia (described as a weakness of the nerves, and characterised by physical and mental exhaustion). He was permanently excluded from liability to reexamination under Military (Review of Exceptions) ACT 1917.

After the war, Cresswell trained as an artist at Regent Street Polytechnic and subsequently joined Temple Press as a technical artist with The Motor and The Aeroplane magazines. There, his drawings of Grand Prix classics of the 1930s and of Britain's "post-war hope", the BRM V16, earned him a reputation as one of the finest artists working in that field. He exhibited as a Temple Press artist in the wartime exhibition of motoring art at the Rembrandt Rooms, London, on 5 October 1941.

One of his best known images is a cutaway drawing of the Bluebird CN7. Writing in Bluebird CN7: The Inside Story of Donald Campbell's Last Land Speed Record Car (Dorchester, Veloce Publishing, 2010), Donald Stevens relates how Cresswell's drawing came about:

There was obviously a great deal of press interest in the project, but it was agreed that no press should be allowed any information until the official release. However, I decided that, for the sake of accuracy, it would be safe to allow Leslie Cresswell, the cutaway drawing artist for The Motor magazine, to visit Motor Panels to draw the insides of the car before it was skinned. He agreed in writing to keep his drawings and knowledge to himself until the agreed date, and spent three days tucked into a corner of the Motor Panels' workshop before deciding he had sufficient data to finish the task at home. Two days after he left, I was called into Jim Phillip's (Motor Panels' managing director) office, and received a massive blasting because I had allowed 'the press' in. The fact that it enabled an accurate drawing of the car to be done did not occur, or matter, to him. Leslie later sent me the accompanying 'pull' of his drawing, autographed by him and with the words: "It could not have been done without your help."

Assignments for The Motor took him all over Europe and Cresswellwas a familiar figure at the racing circuits.

After retiring from Temple Press, Cresswell continued to work as a freelance, notably for BLMC, until failing eyesight forced him to give up drawing in around 1970.

Cresswell first visited the village of Tolleghunt D'Arcy,  Maldon, in Essex in 1937 and settled there in 1966. He was living at 3 Wheatsheaf Cottage, Kelvedon Road, when he died, at St Mary's Hospital, Colchester, on Saturday, 5 May 1979, on his 83rd birthday. He was survived by his sister, Margaret, who died at Allandale Nursing Home, Burnham on Sea, Somerset, on 10 April 1981.

PUBLICATIONS

Books illustrated by Leslie Cresswell
Aeroplanes and aero-engines in Detail, illus. with others. London, Temple Press, c.1945.
The Grand Prix Car, 1906-1939 by Laurence Pomeroy. Radley, Berks, Motor Racing Publications, 1949; revised, two vols., London, Temple Press, 1954.
Look at Fire Brigades by Kem Bennett. London, Hamish Hamilton, 1963.

Jordi Longaron (1933-2019)

(c) Norma Editorial

Jordi Longaron, best known for his work on the American daily strip 'Friday Foster', died in Barcelona, Spain, on Friday, 10 May 2019, at the age of 85. He was commonly known by fans as Jorge Longaron.

Jordi Longarón i Llopart was born in Barcelona on 29 November 1933. He rose to fame in the 1950s working for Hazañas Bélicas, a war comic for which he created the iconic war hero used as a logo for the covers in the late 1950s. By then, he had already been working professionally for years, publishing his earliest strips in El Globito in 1948 while still in his early teens. Early work included fairy tales for Cuento de Hadas (1948), 'Arsénico Lupin' in Chispa (1948-49) and 'Chan-Chu-Llo' in Garabatos (1950) and, for Editorial Toray, he contributed to Hazañas del Oeste, El Pequeño Mosquetero, Sioux, Narraciones y aventuras de Davy Crockett and Serenata Extra in the early 1950s before first contributing to Hazañas Belicas in 1956.

Longaron found work in the UK via Selecciones Illustrades, contributing a string of strip stories and illustrations for Valentine (1957-67), Roxy (1961-62), Marilyn (1961-64) and Serenade (1962-63). His work included many strips based on popular songs of the era by Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Tommy Steele, The Searchers, The Beach Boys, etc., along with a number of serials, amongst them 'That'll Be The Day' (Valentine, 1960), 'Loving You' (Valentine, 1960), 'Where the Boys Are' (Valentine, 1961), 'Follow That Dream' (Valentine, 1962), 'Bon Voyage' (Marilyn, 1962; Serenade & Marilyn, 1962), 'Once in a Lifetime' (Valentine, 1963), 'You Were Made For Me' (Valentine, 1964), 'Sweets For My Sweet' (Valentine, 1964), 'Money' (Valentine, 1964), 'Away With Love!' (Marilyn, 1964) and 'Wedding of the Year' (Marilyn, 1964).

David Roach has called him "absolutely the top romance artist in Britain. In fact, he so dominated the genre that his sleek, pared down style and knack of drawing pretty girls set the style of the genre for over two decades." Having also found work in France, Longaron was almost unknown in his native Catalonia during this period, but his influence on other artists also contributing to British romance titles was immense.

Longaron adopted a grittier style for two dozen covers drawn for Battle and War Picture Library in the UK in 1966-68, and covers for a series of spy novels in France (1967-69). He also contributed to Commando (1968-71), but his contributions to British comics disappeared when he became the artist of 'Friday Foster' for the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate.

The strip was developed in 1968-69 by writer Jim Lawrence who, inspired by model Donyale Luna, wanted to create a sophisticated Afro-American leading lady for his next syndicated strip. Friday Foster was a fashion photographer, which allowed her to get into plenty of situations, both adventurous and romantic, in glamorous locations around the globe. Longaron used the opportunity of a trip to the USA to take reference photos of Harlem (Foster's home in early strips), and even though the strip dealt only lightly with racial politics, it was an issue when it came to syndication.

Longaron had to produce three months' worth of panels in advance of the strip appearing, and delays in the postal delivery of scripts meant that the artist sometimes worked with the assistance of Alfonso Font. Eventually he tired of the strip and left in early 1974, the strip continuing with Gray Morrow until it expired some months later. Longaron's appreciation for, and collaboration with, Jim Lawrence continued when the artist produced covers for the author's Dark Angel novels. A film version of 'Friday Foster' starring Pam Grier appeared in 1975, but had little connection with the comic strip.

Longaron had continued his association with French publishers during  the early 1970s, producing half a dozen book covers a month. He expanded his cover output post-'Friday Foster', his later output including further 41 covers for Commando (1976-88), dwarfed by the more than 200 fantasy and historical covers painted for Mondadori (Italy). Longaron returned to comics only occasionally, drawing the thriller 'Rond de nuit' (1974) by François Truchaud for Pilote and 'Fourre-Tout & Cie', 1978) by Victor Mora, as well as illustrating 'La historia del Oeste' for the magazine Hunter.

He also drew covers for Editorial Genil's Historia del Oeste and for Tormenta sobre España, a series on the Spanish Civil War written by Victor Mora and drawn by various artists. He also drew an adaptation (by Sylvain Ricard) of the Sherlock Holmes novel A Study in Scarlet as Une etude en rouge (1995).

For the past two decades, Longaron had devoted himself to painting, specialising in Catalan landscapes and studies of the American west. His first exhibition was in Madrid in 1975 and his work has been exhibited in the USA since 1995. In 2010 he received the XXXIV Premio de la Historieta Diario de Avisos, and in 2011 he was awarded the Gran Premi del Saló Internacional del Còmic de Barcelona in recognition of his long professional career.

He is survived by two sons, Roger and Marc.

G W Goss

G. W. GOSS

by

Robert J. Kirkpatrick

G.W. Goss had two careers  –  firstly, as an illustrator, mainly of children’s books, in the UK between 1921 and 1946, and secondly as a commercial artist and portrait painter in Canada in the 1950s and '60s. He was also known for his work providing covers for a number of Tarzan books.

He was born on 10 January 1901 and baptized, as Geoffrey Walter Goss, at the church of St. Mary le Park, Battersea, on 17 March 1901, His father, Walter Goss (born in Chelsea in 1832, the son of Sir John Goss, – the organist of St. Paul’s Cathedral and the composer of several well-known hymns – died in Wandsworth in 1926) was a former music and singing teacher who had become a pianist – he taught the piano as well as tuning and repairing them. In 1860 he had married Arabella Parkin, with whom he had had four children between 1861 and 1873. Arabella died in 1895, and three years later Walter married Christine Elizabeth Mary Saunders (born in Stepney in 1871, the daughter of Daniel Saunders, a civil servant, died in Southall, Middlesex in 1956), with whom he had a further four children: Juliet Christine (born in Marylebone, London, in 1899), Geoffrey Walter, Barbara Miriam (born in Wandsworth in 1904) and another daughter Cecilia (born in Wandsworth in 1911).

Walter had a rather peripatetic lifestyle, travelling away from London at regular intervals. In 1885 and 1886, whilst living at 91 Islip Street, Kentish Town, he was advertising his visits to St. Albans for the purpose of tuning pianos; in 1890, he was advertising visits to the south coast to tune and repair pianos, and in the 1891 census he was recorded living at Beaconsfield Villas, Steyning, Sussex. (His daughter from his first marriage, Mina, was working as an artist, but nothing is known about her.) By the time of Geoffrey Walter’s birth, Walter had moved back to London, living at 26 Albert Mansions, Albert Bridge Road, Battersea. Ten years later, he had retired, and was living at 58A Dornton Road, Balham. His elder daughter Juliet was a pupil at the Royal Masonic School for Girls in Wandsworth, although Geoffrey Walter appears not have been recorded in that year’s census. However, it is known that at some point he was a pupil at the City of London Freemen’s School in Ferndale Road, Lambeth, where he won several prizes for art.

He left at the age of 16, and began working in the art department of a local factory, while at the same time undertaking evening classes at several London art colleges. In an unpublished autobiography he wrote that he became a full-time freelance artist after answering an advertisement in a local newspaper (probably from James Nisbet & Co.) and was commissioned to produce “six halftone illustrations and one full-colour book jacket.” This would appear to have been for one of two books published by Nisbet in 1921, both girls’ school stories by Dorothea Moore and Christine Chaundler, and he continued to work with Nisbet for the following six years.

He then went on to illustrate children’s books for a variety of other publishers, in particular the Sheldon Press in the early 1930s, when he was working out of a studio at 117 Charlotte Street, Camden. He also contributed to a variety of children’s annuals, including Blackie’s Children’s Annual, Blackie’s Little Ones’ Annual, Nelson’s Jolly Book for Boys, Every Girl’s Story Book (Dean & Sons), Best Book for Girls (Dean & Sons) and The Bairn’s Budget (Blackie & Son).

He also sporadically contributed to a small number of periodicals, including The Captain, Little Folks, Cassell’s Magazine, The Strand Magazine, and, most notably, The Wide World Magazine between 1927 and 1942).

He produced his first Tarzan dustwrapper in 1928 (for the UK edition of The Return of Tarzan, published by Methuen & Co.), and he produced others for Methuen’s reissues, along with a non-Tarzan story by Edgar Rice Burroughs, The Girl from Hollywood. He also produced dustwrappers for publishers such as Hutchinson & Co. and Grayson & Grayson n the early 1930s.

He seems to have spent his 20s and 30s living with his parents and, after his father’s death, with his mother. His addresses included 54A Dornton Road, Wandsworth (1923), 2 Veronica Road, Balham (1928), 7 Holders Hill Drive, Barnet (1934). In 1936, he was recorded as having a studio at 11 Great Turnstile, Holborn. In 1938 he married the 18 year-old Patricia Tyson (who had trained as a watercolourist and fashion illustrator) in Hampstead – they moved to 5 Holland Park Mews, Kensington. They went on to have three children: Anna (born in Finsbury, north London, in 1939, died 1942), John Nicholas (born in St. Albans in 1942) and Andrew Charles (born in Hammersmith in 1944). At the time of the 1939 Register, they were living at Cherry Tree Cottage, Lee Common, Amersham, Buckinghamshire.

During the War the family lived in Harpenden, with Geoffrey working at the Vauxhall factory in Luton on designs for the Churchill tanks that were manufactured there. In 1946 they moved to 14 Copthall Gardens, Barnet. It was around this time that he wrote, and illustrated with cartoons, No Kidding, a humorous look at family life sub-titled "Being a Solemn Warning to all Potential Parents, with a short Appendix containing suggestions on how to make the Best of it if the Worst happens", which was published by Hammond, Hammond & Co. in 1947.

In 1944, Goss painted a portrait of Victor Roy Smith, a prominent Canadian actuary and President of the Canadian Art Club, whilst he was on a trip to England. (Unfortunately, Smith died in England shortly after the painting was finished.) This may have prompted Goss to visit Canada – in August 1947 he and his family left for New York en route to Canada, where they settled on Centre Island, a small island off Toronto. In 1951, they moved to 206 Dundas Street, Oakville, Ontario (55 km south-west of Toronto), and subsequently to 328 Trafalgar Road, Oakville. Goss and his wife had one more child, Rosalind Elizabeth, in 1953.

For many years Goss worked as a commercial artist at Brigden’s Ltd., a graphic arts company in Toronto, before setting up his own studio in the late 1950s, and establishing a reputation as a portrait painter. He subsequently moved to Toronto, to 95 Maitland Street, although he remained a member of the Oakville Art Society.

As a commercial artist, Goss (who usually used the name Geoffrey Goss) produced a series of posters for the Canadian Government Travel Bureau, advertising Canada as a holiday destination. He also illustrated a variety of books, including several religious works, novels, and reading books for young children. Some of his books were illustrated using the technique of scratchboard (or scraperboard). He was also a regular contributor to The War Cry, the Canadian Salvation Army magazine, in the early-mid 1960s. All this work emphasized Goss’s versatility as an artist – he was equally at home illustrating school and adventure stories, picture books for young children, comic postcards, and dustwrappers for adult novels.

Goss died in Toronto in 1985. As for his wife, she worked as an art teacher at the National Ballet School in Toronto between 1965 and 1990, after which she trained as a sculptor in Italy. She was still working and exhibiting in Toronto at the age of 98. Two of the family’s children became artists: Rosalind is a painter, who also taught at the National Ballet School; and Andrew is a jewellery designer. John, who died in 1986, was an associate conductor of the National Ballet Orchestra in Toronto.

(With thanks to Andrew Goss)

PUBLICATIONS

Books
No Kidding, Hammond, Hammond & Co., 1947

Books illustrated by G.W. Goss
The New Prefect by Dorothea Moore, James Nisbet & Co., 1921
The Fourth Form Detectives by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co., 1921
A Fourth Form Rebel by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co., 1922
Guide Gilly, Adventurer by Dorothea Moore, James Nisbet & Co., 1922
Jan of the Fourth by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co., 1923
The Last Lap: A School Story by Walter Rhoades, Oxford University Press, 1923
The Only Day Girl by Dorothea Moore, James Nisbet & Co., 1923
Judy the Tramp by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co., 1924
Winning Her Colours by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co, 1924
A Young Pretender by Dorothea Moore, Nisbet & Co., 1924
The Girl who Played the Game by May Wynne, Ward, Lock & Co., 1924
The Girl from Hollywood by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Metheun & Co., 1924 (re-issue) (dustwrapper)
Winnie O'Wynn and the Dark Horses by Bertram Atkey, Hutchinson & Co., 1925
The Whip Hand: A School Story by Walter Rhoades, Blackie & Son, 1925
‘Z’ House by Dorothea Moore, James Nisbet & Co., 1925
Bunty of the Blackbirds by Christine Chaundler, James Nisbet & Co., 1925
Dr. Jolliffe's Boys: A Tale of Weston School by Lewis Hough, Blackie & Son, 1925 (re-issue)
The Girl Over the Wall by May Wynne, Religious Tract Society, 1926
Count Blitski’s Daughter by Leland Buxton, Christophers, 1926 (dustwrapper)
The Honour of A Guide by E.M. Channon, James Nisbet & Co., 1926
Brenda of Beech House by Dorthea Moore, James Nisbet & Co., 1927
Avril’s Ambition by Kathleen M. Willcox, James Nisbet & Co., 1927
Jackson’s Ju-Ju by Arthe E. Southon, Sheldon Press, 1927 (dustwrapper)
The Orator by Edgar Wallace, Hutchinson & Co., 1927 (dustwrapper)
Mystery Island by Charles Gilson, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1928
The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Methuen & Co., 1928 (dustwrapper)
The Queen of the Extinct Volcano by Charles Dudley Lampen, Sheldon Press, 1929 (re-issue)
The Boys of the "Puffin": A Sea Scout Yarn by Percy F. Westerman, S.W. Partridge & Co., 1935
Over the Hills and Far Away by May Wynne. Children's Companion Office, 1925
Dare-All Jack and the Cousins by May Wynne. Religious Tract Society, 1925
The Liberators by K. MacLure, S.P.C.K., 1930
With Mahdi and Khalifa by Alice F. Jackson, Sheldon Press, 1930
The Jing-a-Ring Story Book, Blackie & Son, 1930 (with other artists)
My Book of Plays by various authors, Blackie & Son, 1931 (with Caroline Hall)
Just What I Like! A Book of Sories, Pictures and Poems, Blackie & Son, 1951 (with other artists)
The Enemy in the Midst by K. Maclure, Sheldon Press, 1932
Una Wins Through by Irene Mossop, Frederick Warne & Co., 1932
The Return of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Methuen & Co., 1932 (dustwrapper) (re-issue)
Tarzan the Terrible by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Methuen & Co., 1921 (dustwrapper) (re-issue, 3rd ed.)
The Sun Will Shine by May Edginton, Odhams Press, 1933 (dustwrapper)
Midbourne School by Edith Miles, Sheldon Press, 1933
Hilary Leads the Way by Irene Mossop, Frederick Warne & Co., 1933
The Full-of-Fun Picture Book, Ward, Lock & Co., 1933 (with other artists)
Tales of a Cub Pack by Margaret Rhodes, Sheldon Press, 1934
At the Window by Stanley Lloyd, Blackie & Son, 1934 (with other artists)
The Boys’ and Girls’ Wonder Book edited by Harry Golding, Ward, Lock & Co., 1934 (with other artists)
Up in the Air. Blackie & Son, 1935
Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Methuen & Co., 1935 (dustwrapper) (re-issue)
The Devil of Saxon Wall by Gladys Mitchell, Grayson, 1935 (dustwrapper)
What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge, W. Foulsham & Co., 1935 (dustwrapper)
Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes,. W.Foulsham & Co., 1935 (re-issue)
All My Own, Blackie & Son, 1936 (with other artists)
The Son of Tarzan by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Methuen & Co., 1936 (dustwrapper) (re-issue)
Peter Simple retold and edited by Constance M. Martin, Philip & Tacey Ltd., 1940
The Adventures of Peter and Tim by T. Barton Brown, Hammond, Hammond & Co., 1943
Peter and Tim on the Trail by T. Barton Brown, Hammond, Hammond & Co., 1945
Murder in Havana by George Harmon Coxe, Hammond & Co., 1945 (dustwrapper)
The Magic Bicycle by F. R. Evison, Hammond, Hammond & Co., 1946
The Far and Near Story Book, Juvenile Productions, (1940s)
Cats and Kittens, Blackie Son, (1940s)
Tom Brown’s Schooldays by Thomas Hughes, W. Foulsham & Co., 1948 (dustwrapper)
Fishing in a Cinch: With the Inquiring Angler in Ontario and Quebec by David Reddick, McClelland & Stewart, 1950
The Circus Book, Juvenile Productions, 1951(?) (with other artists)
Farmyard Friends: Magic Hidden Colour Painting Book, Juvenile Productions, 1951(?)
Why Am I Here? The Anglican Church of Canada, Totonto, 1951(?)
Sir Christopher Cat by Thomas Payten Gunton, Grant Educational Co., 1952
Lexy O'Connor by Audrey McKim, McClelland & Stewart, 1953
The Barley and the Stream: The Molson Story by Merrill Denison, McClelland & Stewart, 1955
Outdoor Rambles by Stuart L. Thompson, Longmans, Green & Co., 1956
A Carp Water (Wood Pool) and How to Fish It by "B.B.", Putnam, 1958 (re-issue)
Anything Could Happen by Phyllis Brett Young, Longmans, Green & Co., 1961
In the Light of the Cross by Bishop R.S. Dean, The Anglican Church of Canada, 1961
Ma-Kee. The Life and Death of a Muskellunge by David Reddick, McClelland & Stewart, 1962
God is Always With Us by Audrey McKim, United Church Publishing House, Totonto, 1964
On My Way by Harold M. Covell, Ryerson Press, 1966 (with other artists)
See Me Go by Harold M. Covell, Ryerson Press, 1966 (with other artists)
Adventure in Antigua by Ross Darling, The Anglican Church of Canada, Toronto, 1967
The Architecture of Rural Society by Samuel Henry Prince, The Anglican Church of Canada, 1960s

Dates not known:
For Little Folk: Pictures and Verse, Blackie & Son, (?) (with other artists)
Cats and Dogs for Little Folks, Blackie & Son (?) (with other artists)

Thomas Henry

THOMAS HENRY

by

Robert J. Kirkpatrick

Thomas Henry was, of course, best-known for his illustrations for Richmal Crompton’s “William” stories, in a collaboration that lasted from 1919 until his death 43 years later. But he was also noted for his work in other fields, with much of his output being humorous in nature, and his style being one of the most recognizable of all illustrators.

He was born on 30 June 1879 in Eastwood, Nottingham, with his full name being Thomas Henry Fisher. His father. Frederick, was an engineer’s fitter, born in Eastwood in 1858 (he died in 1927), who married Emma Roper (born in Norfolk in 1852) in Eastwood in early 1879. Thomas was the first of their six children, the others being Gertrude (born in 1884), Herbert (1887), John (1890), Nellie (1894) and Elsie (1898).

At the time of the 1881 census, the family was living at 19 Lytton Street, Nottingham. Ten years later, Emma and her first four children were living at 11 Bell Street, Nottingham (Frederick’s whereabouts are not known). In 1893 Thomas became an apprentice lithographer at Thomas Forman & Sons, a firm of newspaper proprietors and printers in Nottingham, while at the same time attending the Nottingham School of Art. Most sources claim that one of his first jobs at Forman & Sons was working on the sailor’s head design for Player’s Navy Cut cigarettes – however, the head was registered in 1883, and the final design, with the sailor’s head inside a lifebuoy, was registered in 1891, when Thomas was only 12. He may, however, have been involved in subsequent alterations or enhancements.

By the time of the 1901 census, when he was living at 71 Lees Hill Street, Nottingham with his parents, he was describing himself as a Lithographic Artist. It is thought that his earliest known works were cartoons for Ally Sloper’s Half Holiday in February 1904 and The Nottingham Football Post in September 1904. He signed his early works “T.F.”, and “Thomas Henry”, and he signed his paintings “T.H. Fisher” – this was to avoid any conflict with his employer, who may have objected to him freelancing.

On 1 December 1906, at All Saints Church, Cotgrave, Nottinghamshire, he married Gertrude Ellen Mensing, a local schoolmistress. Born in 1878 in the School House, Tollerton Lane, Cotgrave, she was the daughter of Thomas Wood Mensing and Ellen, née Browne, the village schoolmaster and schoolmistress respectively. They moved to 21 Ilkeston Road, Nottingham, and then, in 1910, to Keywood, Normanton-on-the- Wolds, Nottinghamshire, where they had their only child, Marjorie, born on 7 July 1910. (This address is sometimes recorded as being in Plumtree.) He later joined the Nottingham Society of Artists.

Thomas Henry’s career as an illustrator took off shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, when he began contributing to cartoons to Punch. He subsequently contributed to several other periodicals, including Printers’ Pie, The Strand Magazine, The Boy’s Own Paper, The Red Magazine, Cassell’s Magazine of Fiction, The New Magazine, Tatler, London Opinion, Pearson’s Magazine, The London Mail, The Humorist, The Passing Show, The Novel Magazine and The Royal Magazine. In 1916 he began a long association with the boys’ story paper Chums, published by Cassell & Co. (and for which he illustrated nine school story serials), and in 1919 he began contributing to one of its rivals, George Newnes’s The Captain.

In the same year he also began illustrating Richmal Crompton’s “William” stories in The Home Magazine, published by George Newnes (who had taken it over from Hodder & Stoughton in 1909). He was not, however, the first artist to illustrate a William story – Crompton’s first William story for the magazine was “Ricemould”, published in February 1919, was illustrated by Louise Hocknell, but neither Crompton or the editor felt that she had done the character of William justice, and after inviting other illustrators to submit drawings they chose Henry. He therefore illustrated the second William story, “The Outlaws”, in the March 1919 issue.

The Home Magazine continued to publish Crompton’s William stories and Henry’s illustrations until October 1922. In the meantime, George Newnes began to publish the William stories in hardback, complete with Henry’s original black and white illustrations and with full-colour dustwrappers designed by Henry, beginning with Just William and More William in 1923. These were not, however, Henry’s first book illustrations  –  these had appeared in Gullible’s Travels in Little-Brit, a political satire written by William Hodgson Burnet and published by W. Westall in 1920, and in Thereby Hangs a Tale, a collection of comic stories and sketches written by George Robey and published by Grant Richards in 1921. (This latter title also contained illustrations by H.M. Bateman.)

The William stories moved over to The Happy Mag, published by George Newnes, in December 1922, and Thomas Henry continued to illustrate them, with his illustrations also appearing in the subsequent collections of stories published in hardback by Newnes. In total, his illustrations appeared in 34 William books, ending with William and the Witch in 1964, which appeared after he had died and was partly illustrated by Henry Ford. Possibly uniquely, Thomas Henry was asked by Newnes to re-draw the illustrations later re-issues of the William books, bringing them up-to-date – he re-drew three illustrations for the 1946 re-issue of More William, and in 1950 he re-drew all the illustrations for the first three William books.

In addition to the William stories, Henry also painted covers for The Happy Mag, and usually illustrated at least one other story in each monthly number.

In the meantime, in 1924 Henry began contributing to The Crusoe Mag., launched by George Newnes in June of that year. In particular he illustrated A.M. Burrage’s serial “Poor Dear Esme,” a comedy about a boy who has to enter a girls’ boarding school disguised as a girl. This was subsequently issued in hardback by Newnes, with a Thomas Henry dustwrapper but lacking the original black and white illustrations. A subsequent Esme serial was also illustrated by Henry but not issued in hardback.

The Crusoe Mag. was re-launched as The Golden Mag. in June 1926, with Henry providing illustrations and covers. In 1925 Newnes had launched The Sunny Mag., a companion to The Happy Mag., and Henry again became a regular contributor, responsible for several colour covers featuring William, although the magazine never featured a William story. In 1927 Henry began contributing to The New Magazine, again including covers, which had been taken over from Cassell & Co. by the Amalgamated Press. He was also contributing to the humour magazine Gaiety.

In November 1927 he illustrated the first of a series of “Jane” stories, written by Evadne Price and published in The Novel Magazine. He went on to illustrate fifty or so further stories, although his illustrations were signed “Marriott,” as Evadne Price did not want her stories associated with the William stories. Henry’s illustrations also appeared in the first three hardback collections of Jane stories, published by John Hamilton, Albert E. Marriott and George Newnes respectively in 1928, 1930 and 1932 (with the Newnes title, Enter– Jane) having a Thomas Henry dustwarpper).

As well as the William books, Thomas Henry illustrated several other children’s books. These included five boys’ school stories (by R.A.H. Goodyear, Alfred Judd, Richard Bird, W.R. Henderson and Gilbert Jessop, published by Thomas Nelson & Sons and Blackie & Son), and six “Monty Trio” books, about a group of boy detectives, by Andrew Mackinnon, published by the Victory Press between 1945 and 1949.

In addition to individual children’s novels Henry also contributed to several children’s annuals and story collections, issued by publishers such as Blackie & Son, Thomas Nelson & Sons and Collins – these included The Boys’ Budget, The Big Budget for Boys, The Lucky Boys’ Budget, Blackie’s Children’s Annual, The Girls’ Budget, The Jolly Book, The Boys’ Book of School Stories, School Stories for Boys, Schoolboy Tales, The Schoolboy’s Annual, Schoolboy Stories, Nelson’s Jolly Book for Boys, Collins Boys’ Annual and The British Girls Annual.

He was also responsible for numerous postcards, painted in a variety of styles, both comic and serious, for printers such as Valentine & Sons. He also designed several items of William merchandise, including jigsaw puzzles, a card game, two magic painting books

Henry’s wife Gertrude died of cancer on 30 June 1932. A year later he married Anne Bailey, born in Newstead, Nottinghamshire, on 6 December 1901. She was an amateur operatic and musical comedy singer, who he met on holiday in Newquay. They moved to The Green, Old Dalby, Leicestershire, where Henry spent the rest of his life.

Henry’s workload dipped dramatically during the Second World War, with most of the magazines to which he was contributing ceasing publication. However, he was able to illustrate William stories which appeared in Modern Woman between 1940 and 1946, Homes and Gardens between 1943 and 1945, and in Home Notes between 1947 and 1954. In 1947 he began a series of William strip cartoons in Woman’s Own – these were originally written by Richmal Crompton, but after a while she left it to Henry to not only draw the strip but also to come up with ideas for it.

Also in 1947 he agreed to illustrate a series of new stories by Richmal Crompton about Jimmy, a younger version of William, which appeared in The Star, a newspaper published in London. All together, there were 87 Jimmy stories, with 62 of them being issued in hardback by George Newnes, Jimmy (1949) and Jimmy Again (1951). For some reason, these carried new black and white illustrations by Lunt Roberts. The original Thomas Henry illustrations, however, were restored when Macmillan & Co. re-issued the books in 1998 and 1999. (The “missing” 25 Jimmy stories have since been published by the Just William Society, in five slim volumes, complete with Henry’s original illustrations.)

It is also worth noting here that David Schutte published the 55 William radio plays written by Richmal Crompton and broadcast between 1945 and 1952, in six volumes, all of which had full colour Thomas Henry dustwrappers and black and white illustrations that originally appeared in The Happy Mag and Home Notes.

Thomas Henry died of a heart attack at his home in Old Dalby on 5 October 1962, when he was part-way through illustrating William and the Witch. He left an estate valued at £5,494 (around £104,000 in today’s terms).

(* With thanks to David Schutte.)

PUBLICATIONS

Books Illustrated by Thomas Henry
Gullible’s Travels in Little-Brit by William Hodgson Burnet, William Westall, 1920
Thereby Hangs a Tale by George Robey, Grant Richards, 1921 (with H.M. Bateman)
Jack O’Langsett: A Public School Story by R.A.H. Goodyear, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1923
The Luck of the Lennites by Alfred Judd, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1924
An Honest Living by George Robey, Cassell & Co., 1924
Our Elizabeth: A Humour Novel by Florence A. Kilpatrick, George Newnes Ltd, 1924 (re-issue)
Touch and Go and Other School Stories by Richard Bird, Blackie & Son, 1925
Poor Dear Esme by A.M. Burrage, George Newnes Ltd, 1925 (dustwrapper)
The Secret of the Marshes by Jessie Leckie Herbertson, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1928 (re-issue) (dustwrapper)
Tindertoken School by W.R. Henderson, Blackie & Son, 1934 (with Fred Bennett)
Old Amos by Arnold Edmondson, A. Barker, 1937
Adventure for Boys by various authors, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1940(?)
The Monty Trio’s Adventure by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1945
Further Adventures of the Monty Trio by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1946
The Monty Trio Investigate by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1947
The Monty Trio’s Fourth Adventure by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1948
Blue Fields by Constance Savery, Victory Press, 1947
Up a Winding Stair by Constance Savery, Victory Press, 1949
The Monty Trio Explore by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1949
The Monty Trio’s Great Adventure by Andrew Mackinnon, Victory Press, 1949
Just Jimmy by Richmal Crompton, Macmillan, 1998
Just Jimmy – Again by Richmal Crompton, Macmillan, 1999
Arthur Peck’s Sacrifice by Gilbert Jessop, Thomas Nelson & Sons, (?) (re-issue) (dustwrapper)

“William” books by Richmal Crompton, published by George Newnes Ltd.:
Just William, 1922
More William, 1922
William Again, 1923
William the Fourth, 1924
Still – William, 1925
William – The Conqueror, 1926
William – The Outlaw, 1927
William – In Trouble, 1927
William – The Good, 1928
William, 1929
William – The Bad, 1930
William’s Happy Days, 1931
William’s Crowded Hours, 1932
William – The Pirate, 1932
William – The Rebel, 1933
William – The Gangster, 1934
William – The Detective, 1935
Sweet William, 1936
William – The Showman, 1937
William – The Dictator, 1938
William and A.R.P., 1939
William and the Evacuees, 1940
William Does His Bit, 1941
William Carries On, 1942
William and the Brains Trust, 1945
Just William’s Luck, 1948
William – The Bold, 1950
William and the Tramp, 1952
William and the Moon Rocket, 1954
William and the Space Animal, 1956
William’s Television Show, 1958
William the Explorer, 1960
William’s Treasure Trove, 1962
William and the Witch, 1964 (with Henry Ford)

William “Plays for Radio” published by David Schutte:
William – The Terrible, 2008
William – The Lionheart, 2008
William – The Peacemaker, 2009
William – The Avenger, 2009
William – The Smuggler, 2010
William’s Secret Society, 2019

Further reading 
The William Companion by Mary Cadogan, with David Schutte, Macmillan, 1990
William the Immortal: An Illustrated Bibliography by David Schutte, privately published, 1993

Frank Wright

FRANK WRIGHT

by

Robert J. Kirkpatrick

Frank Wright was a minor illustrator whose career spanned 30 years, although he cannot be described as prolific.

(He should not be confused with other Frank Wrights who were artists, including the Frank Wright who was born in 1860 and who had a successful career as a painter and art teacher in New Zealand after emigrating in 1877.)

He was born in 1870 in Wolverhampton and christened Frank Tomlinson Wright, the seventh of eight children born to George Wright (born in 1832) and Caroline, née Partridge (born in 1829). At the time of the 1871 census, the family was living at Oak Road, Wolverhampton, with George described as a “Designer for Japan Work.” The family subsequently moved to London, where, in 1881, they were living at 33 Norfolk Road, Islington, with George described as a “Cabinet Artist.”

It is not known Frank Wright received his artistic training (unless it was at the Islington School of Art), but by 1891 he was working as an artist, living with his father and some of his siblings at 33 Norfolk Street – in fact, his father, brother Frederick and sister Clara were also working as artists. (His mother had died, and George had married Eliza Howes in 1890.)

Whilst he was working as an artist in the early 1890s, it is not known what he painted or illustrated until 1899, when he contributed to The Ludgate Monthly. Six years later, he began contributing to Punch, and he went on to sporadically contribute to a number of other periodicals up until 1929 – these included Cassell’s Magazine, The Red Magazine, The New Magazine, Cassell’s Magazine of Fiction, The Captain, The Strand Magazine, The Wide World Magazine and Chatterbox.

At the time of the 1901 census Wright was recorded as a visitor at the home of Mary Pailthorpe, at 6 Blythwood Road, Islington. In 1904, he was recorded as having a studio at 3 Terets Place, Islington, and between 1910 and 1915 he was recorded at 11 Grove Park Terrace, Chiswick, living as a boarder in the home of Henry Coldwell, a pianoforte maker, and his family.

He exhibited three times at the Royal Academy of Arts, in 1904, 1905 and 1911.

Wright’s career as a book illustrator appears to have begun in 1910, although again he only seems to have worked as such sporadically until the end of the First World War. In 1919, he began painting dustwrappers for Hodder & Stoughton and Methuen & Co., and paperback covers for George Newnes (including for an edition of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Valley of Fear in 1924). Between 1923 and 1928 he illustrated six boys’ school stories by Gunby Hadath, Richard Bird and Walter Rhoades.

Frank Wright died in Westminster Hospital on 16 December 1927, with his home address given as 93 Sarsfield Road, Balham, Surrey. Probate of his estate, a paltry £206, was granted to Ethel Coldwell, the wife of Henry Coldwell.

A handful of illustrations under his name appeared in subsequent years, in the children’s periodical Chatterbox (in 1929) and in the children’s annuals and story books The All-Story Wonder Book (Ward, Lock & Co., 1929) and The Blue Book of Stories for Girls and Enthralling Stories for Girls (Thomas Nelson, 1930). Rather mysteriously, he also supplied the frontispiece to The River School by A.W. Seymour, published by Blackie & Son in 1935, eight years after his death. (This may have appeared somewhere as a serial while he was still alive.)

PUBLICATIONS

Books Illustrated by Frank Wright
Three Xmas Gifts and Other Tales by A.D. Bright, Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton & Co., 1901
Twenty-five Years in Seventeen Prisons: The Life Story of an Ex-Convict etc. by “No. 7”, F.E. Robinson & Co., 1903
A Perfect Pickle by various authors, John F. Shaw, 1909(?) (with other artists)
The Red Eric, or The Whaler’s Last Cruise by R.M. Ballantyne, George Newnes Ltd., 1910 (re-issue)
My Lord Duke by E.W. Hornung, Cassell & Co., 1910 (re-issue)
The Man with the Red Beard: A Story of Moscow and London by David Whitelaw, Greening & Co., 1911
The Secret of Chauville by David Whtelaw, Greening & Co., 1911
The Green Graves of Balgowrie by Jane Helen Findlater, Methuen & Co., 1914 (dustwrapper)
The Blinded Soldiers and Sailors Gift Book ed. by George Goodchild, Jarrolds, 1915 (with other artists)
Woolly of the Wilds: A Story of Pluck and Adventure in North-West Canada by Robert Leighton, Ward, Lock & Co., 1917
The Pillar of Fire by H.C. Bailey, Methuen & Co., 1918
Little Frida: A Tale of the Black Forest by anon, Thomas Nelsopn & Sons, 1918
The Golden Scorpion by Sax Rohmer, Methuen & Co., 1919 (dustwrapper)
Rainbow Nights and Other Stories by Andrew Soutar, Hodder & Stoughton, 1919 (dustwrapper)
Equality Night by Andrew Soutar, Hodder & Stoughton, 1919 (dustwrapper)
The Man on the Dover Road by David Whitelaw, Hodder & Stoughton, 1919 (dustwrapper)
Call Mr Fortune by H.C. Bailey, Methuen & Co., 1920 (dustwrapper)
The Coming of Cassidy by Clarence E. Mulford, Hodder & Stoughton, 1921 (dustwrapper)
The Red House Mystery by A.A. Milne, Methuen & Co., 1922 (dustwrapper)
Rovering to Success by Lord Baden Powell, Herbert Jenkins, 1922 (dustwrapper)
The Jolly Party Book, Blackie & Son, 1922 (with other artists)
The New House at Oldborough: A Public School Story by Gunby Hadath, Hodder & Stoughton, 1923
Mr Fortune’s Practice by H.C. Bailey, Methuen & Co., 1923 (dustwrapper)
The Case of Miss Dunstable by Joseph Hocking, Hodder & Stoughton, 1923 (dustwrapper)
Sparrow in Search of Expulsion by Gunby Hadath, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924
Miriam in the Moorland by Frank King, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Lifeline by Effie Adelaide Rowlands, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Art of Michael Haslett by Florence Ethel Mills Young, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Passionate Quest by E. Phillips Oppenheim, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Annam Jewel by Patricia Wentworth, Andrew Melrose, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Red Lacquer Case by Patricia Wentworth, Andrew Melrose, 1924 (dustwrapper)
As I Hear Tell by Grace I. Whitham, Hodder & Stoughton, 1924 (dustwrapper)
The Golden Centipede: A Weird and Thrilling Romance of West Africa by Louise Gerard, Methuen & Co., 1924 (re-issue) (dustwrapper)
Quinneys by H.A. Vachell, George Newnes Ltd., 1924 (paperback cover)
The Valley of Fear by Arthur Conan Doyle, George Newnes Ltd, 1924 (paperback cover)
The Fattest Head in the Fifth by Gunby Hadath, Hodder & Stoughton, 1925
Living Dangerously by F.E. Penny, Hodder & Stoughton, 1925 (dustwrapper)
By Order of the Five by Herbert Adams, Methuen & Co., 1925 (dustwrapper)
Mr Fortune’s Trials by H.C. Bailey, Methuen & Co., 1925 (dustwrapper)
The Big Five at Ellerby and Other School Stories by Richard Bird, Blackie & Son, 1926
Jimmy Cranston’s Crony by Walter Rhoades, Blackie & Son, 1927
Thanks to Rugger and Other School Stories by Richard Bird, Blackie & Son, 1928
Louisa by Mrs Hobart-Hamden, Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., 1928
The River School by A.W. Seymour, Blackie & Son, 1935 (with other artists)