Dennis Mallet

Harcourt Dennis Mallet (occasionally misspelled Mallett) was born in 23 May 1909 in Wallington, Surrey, and educated at Parkside Preparatory School, Tonbridge School and Goldsmith's, London. His first cartoon was published in Novel magazine in 1932 while he was still a student. Mallet went on to contribute heavily to Punch (for 30 years), The Tatler (for 35 years) and many other newspapers and magazines. During the war he served with the R.A.F.

Mallet also produced illustrations for postcards and greetings cards in the 1940s and, in the 1950s, was a prolific contributor to the Hulton Press comics. His 'That Chap' appeared in the Eagle Extra supplement in 1953, followed by 'Our Gang' in Swift from 1954 to 1961. He also contributed to Girl Annual and Swift Annual.

Mallet wrote his own scripts for 'Our Gang' and also wrote verse to accompany some of his cartoons such as the long-running 'My Aunt' series in Tatler & Bystander.

Mallet died on 23 November 1988. His son, Lyndon Mallet (1946- ) is also an author (of the Taffin novels, radio plays) and cartoonist.

Some more of Mallet's 'Our Gang' strips can be found on the Look and Learn website by following this link.

Books for Children
The Story of Father Christmas by Ann & Dennis Mallet. London, Sackett Marshall, 1977.

Illustrated Books
Up Fell, Down Dale by L. F. Feaver. London, Duckworth, 1937.
Herbert Farjeon's Cricket Bag, with an introduction by J. Jefferson Farjeon. London, Macdonald & Co., 1946.
Vote for Richard by Leslie Brewer. London & Glasgow, Art & Educational Publishers, 1948.
Spice of Life, compiled by J. Thurston Thrower. London, Burke, 1950.
How to Avoid Matrimony. The layman's guide to the laywoman by Herald Froy. London, Frederick Muller, 1957.
Preparatory Schools Today. Some facts and inferences by Philip L. Masters. London, Black, 1966.
Cruising in Strange Waters by David Hay & Joan Hay. London, Stanford, 1970.
Cartoons for Students of English by L. A. Hill. London, Oxford University Press, 5 vols., 1972.
Between the Muckle Cheviot and the Seas. Echoes of a Northumbrian family by David Hay. Edinburgh, Paul Harris Publishing, 1975.
The Three Little Pigs by Betty Root, Ruth Nichols & Dorothy Oliver. London, Macdonald Educational, 1975.
The Elves and the Shoemaker by Betty Root, Ruth Nichols & Dorothy Oliver. London, Macdonald Educational, 1976.
Advanced Stories for Reproduction by L. A. Hill. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977.
Elementary Stories for Reproduction by L. A. Hill. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977.
Intermediate Stories for Reproduction by L. A. Hill. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1977.

(* Most of the above details come from Dictionary of British Cartoonists and Caricaturists 1730-1980 by Mark Bryant & Simon Heneage. The episode of 'Our Gang' is from Swift Annual 5 (1958) and is © Look and Learn Magazine Ltd.)