Arthur Twidle

Arthur Twidle's name is probably best known for his connections with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Sherlock Holmes. On the death of Sidney Paget, Twidle became one of Doyle's regular artists, illustrating many of his later works and providing the illustrations for the Author's Edition of Doyle's work. He also produced cartoons to aid W. T. Stead with his campaign to abolish war. He was a prolific illustrator for Boy's Own Paper, particularly historical subjects. According to a very brief obituary in The Times, "Mr. Twidle did most of his work in black-and-white and water-colour he exhibited paintings in oils at the Royal Academy and was well known for his mural paintings, panels and pastels."

Born in Rotherhithe, Surrey, in 1864, Arthur Twidle was the son of Alfred Twidle (a journeyman cooper) and his wife Rachel (nee Smith), who had married in 1855. The couple had at least five children: Rachel (c.1856- ), Alfred (1859- ), Emily (1862- ), Arthur and Clara (1870- ).

Twidle's mother died in 1879, aged 44, when Arthur was around 14 years of age, and in 1881, Twidle was living with his uncle, Thomas H. Morris, who also worked as a cooper. Aged 16, his occupation was described as draughtsman in wood.

On 11 July 1885, Twidle married Annie Elizabeth Mason at St. Olave, Southwark, and by 1891, the family—now including Annie Elizabeth (1887- ) and Arthur (1888- )—were living in Dulwich.

Ten years later, they were residing in Bromley, Kent, and Twidle was doing well enough to employ a domestic servant.

Over a period of many years, illustrations by Twidle appeared in Annie S. Swan's Magazine, The Strand, The Red Magazine, The Girl's Own Paper, and elsewhere.

In the 1930s, Twidle was living at The Rowans, Godstone Green, Surrey. He died on 26 April 1936 at the age of 71, having been ill since Christmas.

Books
Beautiful Butterflies of the Tropics. How to collect them. London, R.T.S., 1920.

Illustrated Books
Ben Brightboots and other true stories, hymns & music by the late Frances Ridley Havergal, illus. with others. London, James Nisbet & Co., 1883?
Deeds of Gold, illus. with others. London, Edward Arnold, 1892.
The Secret of the Desert; or, How We Crossed Arabia in the 'Antelope' by E. Douglas Fawcett. London, E. Arnold, 1895.
Travel-Pictures from Palestine by James Wells. London, Ibister & Co., 1896.
With the Mission to Menelik, 1897 by Lord Edward Gleichen. London, Edward Arnold, 1898.
The Day of Recompense by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1899.
The Log of a Sea-Waif by Frank T. Bullen. London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1899.
In Moorish Captivity. An account of the 'Tourmaline' expedition to Sus, 1897-98 by Henry M. Grey. London, Edward Arnold, 1899.
Deep-Sea Plunderings. A collection of stories of the sea by Frank T. Bullen. London, Smith, Elder & Co., 1901.
Sea-Wrack by Frank T. Buller, F.R.G.S. London, Macmillan & Co., 1903.
The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. London, Smith, Elder, 1903.
Money and the Man by Harry Marsh Ward. London, Religious Tract Society, 1903?
By Unseen Hands by Rev. Eric Lisle. London, "Sunday Companion" office, 1904.
The Flaming Sword by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1905.
The Squire's Daughter by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1906.
A Modern Pharisee by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1907.
The Silent Man by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1907.
The Quest of Douglas Holms by H. E. Inman. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1908.
The Shadow Between by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1908.
Yours and Mine by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1908.
A Desperate Hope by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1909.
Fags and the King by Charles Mansford. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1909.
For King or Parliament. The story of a Yorkshire roundhead by Samuel Horton. London, Robert Culley, 1909.
Brave Sons of the Empire by Henry Moore. London, Religious Tract Society, 1910.
Prefect and Fag by Charles Mansford. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1910.
The Rebellion of Margaret by Geraldine Mockler. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1910.
Scouting for a King by Ernest Protheroe. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1910.
Uncle Hal by Lady Macalister. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1910.
Hidden in Canadian Wilds by John Mackie. London, James Nisbet & Co., 1911.
The Perils of Peterkin. A story of adventure in North-West Canada by Robert Leighton. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1911.
The Quenchless Fire by Silas K. Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1911.
Jeffrey of the White Wolf Trail by J. Claverdon Wood. London, Religious Tract Society, 1912.
Junk Ahoy! A tale of the China seas by William Charles Metcalfe. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1912.
Three Boys in Antarctica by G. Warren Payne. London, Charles H. Kelly, 1912.
Canadian Jack by John Mackie. London, James Nisbet & Co., 1913.
Schoolboy Grit by Gunby Hadath. London, James Nisbet & Co., 1913.
Through Eastern Windows. Life stories of an Indian city by A. J. Marris. London, Religious Tract Society, 1919.
How the Empire Grew. The story of the British colonisation, with a chapter on the League of Nations by Harry Cooper; illus. with Alfred Pearse. London, R.T.S., 1921.
The Settler of Serpent Creek. A tale of the Canadian prairie by C. F. Argyll Saxby. London, "The Boy's Own Paper" Office, 1921.
The Good Shepherd. London, Religious Tract Society, 1924.
Bible Heroes, illus. with Arthur Dixon. London, Religious Tract Society, 1925.
Golden Tales for All by Marie L. Christlieb, illus. with Harold Copping. London, Religious Tract Society, 1926.
Twenty-six Good Stories for Girls, illus. with others. London, "The Girl's Own Paper" Office, 1926?
Come Unto Me. London, Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, 1934.
Jesus Calls Us. London, Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, 1934.
The Old Old Story, illus. with W. H. Margetson. London, Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, 1934.
Pictures for the Classroom, illus. with others. London, Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, 1934.
The Little Bible (preface signed R.E.M., W.A.B.). London, Humphrey Milford/Oxford University Press, 1935.
A Yorkshire Baking by Florence Bone. London, Religious Tract Society, 1935.

2000AD part 2

Continuing our little bit of 2000AD coverage in celebration of the paper's 30th anniversary, here's what Pat Mills told me back in 1996 when asked "If you had a chance to do it all again..."

Well, I'd have a different cover to Prog 1, that's for sure. Invasion, the artwork was superb, it served its purpose perfectly because it got the front page of the Guardian. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, that I would make Invasion shorter, but don't think I would alter that because it needed that story to lure in readers who didn't even like science fiction. It was a license for poor writing and stupid writing, because instead of solving things through positive action you gave this guy some sort of weapon and he could get out of a situation.

Mach One was a very cold-blooded piece of commercialism that worked and it was the most popular story in the comic for several issues and I think the only reason it didn't maintain that was the poor standard of artwork and progressively the standard of scripts dropped, which is inevitable with a self contained story unless you've got a premiere writer on it. So Mach One I wouldn't change.

Dan Dare - well, Dan Dare went through four or five versions before Belardinelli's aborted version came out, which was then followed by Dave Gibbon's version, which again unfortunately didn't hit the right spot. I've always had a theory that the second version I did, I should have stayed with. It had that kind of Jet-Ace Logan look about it and I still think that would have stood a chance.

Flesh: I'd have liked better artists on it, but that was right for its time, Harlem Heroes - well, we had a great artist on it. I'd have liked that to be uncensored; if it had, I think it would have been very good. Once they censored it, it was dead. You can't have a death game where people don't die horrendous deaths in the cause of sport.

Even Tharg was right for the first year. This may well be me re-writing history, I don't know, one can tend to block things out one doesn't choose to remember but I think it would be fair to say that we didn't see Tharg as having an indefinite existence. I think the thing was to get what one could out of him and move on and in fact he stayed - for me, I will always maintain that he outstayed his welcome and I know so many people, and this goes back years and years who said 'I don't like picking the comic up because I don't like this Tharg stuff.' It may have almost gone through the pain barrier now.

An updated list of article about the anniversary of the paper:

'Judge Dredd: Dishing out rough justice' by Nicholas Lezard (Independent, 25 February)
'30 Years of the Future' by Finlo Rohrer (BBC website, 26 February)
'30 Year Flashback: 2000AD arrives' by Lew Stringer (30 February)

Victor Prout

Another mystery artist from Eric's booklet...

Victor William Prout was born in Marylebone, London, on 25 August 1862, the son of Victor Albert Prout (a photographer) and Amy Sarah Prout (1833-1904), the daughter of William Thomas & Jane Barber, who had married in St. Pancras in 1860. He was Christened on 2 November 1862 at St. Mary, St. Marylebone Road.

I can find no trace of the family in the 1871 census and I believe that the family was then living in Australia as I have found this site about photographer Oliver Godfrey which mentions that Godfrey's father, John Godfrey had engraved a number of plates for a book entitled Australia by Edwin Carton Booth, published in c.1874. "Artist John Skinner Prout's work also appeared in that book ... The Prout family included several highly regarded photographers including Victor Prout who travelled out from England and became a partner of the Freeman Brothers in a studio [in] Sydney in 1866." Victor would appear to have become well known for his photographs of Sydney Harbour and for photographs taken on a soujourn to Tasmania in the late 1860s. It would also seem that Victor Prout was related to J. Skinner Prout (1805-1876, see also Wikipedia) and watercolourist Samuel Prout (1783-1852, Wikipedia).

It is not known when the family returned to the UK, but I have found that Victor Prout senior died in 1877 at Lewes, Sussex, aged only 40.

In 1881, aged 18, his son was living in Westminster with Thomas Bolton, described as his step-father who, at age 57, is an engraver in wood. Victor is also described as an engraver in wood. In 1891, he and his mother are living with 79-year-old Jane Bolton, who is (according to the census), mother of Amy and grand-mother of Victor. This may simply be a convenience as it seems more likely that Amy was married to Thomas and Jane was probably her mother-in-law. (An area that will require some more checking at some point.)

Victor was married to Isabel Knaggs (the daughter of a doctor) at the Register Office, St. Pancras, on 15 October 1896 and, by 1901, they had a daughter, Eleanor.

It would seem that Victor Prout was a very successful engraver and illustrator. Around the turn of the century, he was contributing to The Royal Magazine, Pearson's Magazine and The Strand.

Victor Prout was living at 187 Camden Road, N.W.1 from at least 1936 until 1950, although his death is registered in Canterbury in 1950, where he died aged 87.

Illustrated Books
Two Knapsacks in the channel Islands by Jasper Branthwaite. London, Jarrold & Sons, 1897.
The Making of Teddy by Eva Jameson. London, Religious Tract Society, 1903.
El Dorado by Robert Cromie. London, Ward, Lock & Co., 1904.
The Red Eric or The Whaler's Last Cruise by R. M. Ballantyne. Ward, Lock & Co., 1904.
When Daddie's Ship Comes In by Beatrice M. Purser. London, Religious Tract Society, 1904.
A Houseful of Girls by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey. London, Religioius Tract Society, c.1905.
Kenelm Chillingly by Lord Lytton. London, Collins' Clear-Type Press, c.1905.
The Holy War Made by Shaddai upon Diabolus by John Bunyan. London, Religious Tract Society, 19o7.
The Fighting Line by David Lyall. London, Religious Tract Society, 1908.
Jessica's Mother by Hesba Stretton. London, Religious Tract Society, 1908.
A Girl's Stronghold by Eliza Pollard. London, S. W. Partridge, 1909.
The Fitzgerald Family by M. S. Madden. London, Religious Tract Society, 1910.
Harry Escome by Harry Collingwood. London, Blackie & Son, 1910.
Kiddie; or, The Shining Way by Amy Whipple. London, Religious Tract Society, 1910.
Margaret; or, The Hidden Treasure by N.F.P.K. London, Religious Tract Society, 1910.
Ursula Tempest by Evelyn Everett-Green. London, Religious Tract Society, 1910.
Brave Sidney Somers; or, The Voyage of the "Eastern Adventurer" by Frank Holmes. London, Blackie & Son, 1911.
A Girl from Canada by Edith C. Kenyon. London, Religious Tract Society, 1911.
Aunt Patience. A story for girls by Evelyn Everett-Green. London, Religious Tract Society, 1912.
Barney Boy by Laura Anna Barter. London, S. W. Partridge, 1912.
The Crew of the Rectory by M. B. Manwell. London, S. W. Partridge, 1912.
Night and Morning by Lord Lytton. London & Glasgow, Collins' Clear-Type press, 1913.

2000AD

(* To celebrate the 30th anniversary of 2000AD, I thought I'd dig out a piece that was written ten years ago when the galaxy's favourite comic was about to celebrate its 1000th issue. The following was written for SFX back in June 1996 and published in the August issue (#15). This was the original draft; the submitted version was about 600 words shorter but I thought it might be nice to finally give the full version an airing.

MILLENNIUM FEVER

Cast the spotlight of history on the greatest of Britain's comics and the cold light reveals their humble beginnings. We know, for instance, that the iconic Dan Dare and Eagle began life on Frank Hampson's kitchen table in Southport; that Dan became the hero of the fifties and ushered in the Silver Age of British comics is now a matter of record. With hindsight, we know that Pat Mills and John Wagner were destined for greater things but, 21-years ago, the creators of Judge Dredd, Slaine, the A.B.C. Warriors, Robo-Hunter and countless other top strips, were fresh out of D. C. Thomson's fiction department and beginning their comic careers hacking out 'Tomboy' and 'Jack Pott' humour strips for I.P.C. from a garden shed in Dundee.

In the early 1970s, with the traditional British boys' comics dying on their feet, Mills and Wagner were part of a renaissance that actually began in I.P.C.'s girls' titles Tammy and Sandie. 'Ella on Easy Street' and 'Back Stab Ballerina' ushered in a new realism in comics, the "soap opera element," as Mills calls it. Out of that was to come the new, realistic war comic Battle Picture Weekly, created by Mills and Wagner and launched in 1975.

In 1976 IPC Magazines launched a wild-child on the news-stands called Action. The winning formula was to take themes that were popular in film and television as a meter for kids' tastes and turn them into colourful, kinetic comic strips. Many saw Action as anti-authoritarian, vicious and dangerous, but it was lifeblood to its audience: against all the odds, the circulation began to rise as word spread about the comic with attitude.

Once the shape of Action had been moulded and an editor appointed, Mills was invited to create another new title, and was given unprecedented freedom by I.P.C.'s management. The idea for a science fiction comic came from Kelvin Gosnell, fresh out of the company's Competitions Department but destined to be 2000AD's first editor. Gosnell had read an article about SF movies being made in Hollywood. Films such as Rollerball and Logan's Run mixed futuristic adventure with violence in the style of Mills' new vision for comics, and with Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind on the horizon, a science fiction comic was potentially a winner.

The idea evolved into the seminal 2000AD, a distillation of film and television hits and potential hits, processed by Mills and further distorted with a futuristic twist. If Action was the punk of I.P.C.'s comics, 2000AD was Death Race 2000, filled with gutsy, bloody stories that struck a nerve.

When Programme 1 of 2000AD welcomed us into the future on February 26, 1977, it didn't look much like The Galaxy's Greatest Comic of nowadays. Although Tharg, his Nerve Centre and his Betelgeusian catchphrases were present, Judge Dredd didn't arrive until Programme 2 (the familiar 'Prog' abbreviation didn't occur until May 21, Prog 13). Now, nineteen years on, 2000AD is entering a new millennium, but it still has echoes of those early issues: "If you have something and its foundations are strong and solid, you'll always return to those foundations," says Mills. "You'll go off occasionally on different tangents as you reflect the tastes of the times, but you always come back to the bedrock of the characters, the basic fabric. At times, 2000AD has been more rock orientated, more political, and has gone through phases of being very fan conscious - it was all the taste of the times.

"For example, now you've got 'Vector 13' which clearly reflects interest in The X-Files. We had the equivalent years back: we had 'Harlem Heroes' which reflected the interest at the time in things like Rollerball and Death Race 2000."

"I think of 'Vector 13' as a combination of The X-Files and Rod Serling's Twilight Zone," says group editor Steve MacManus. "The thing about 2000AD was that once it had ridden on the back of Star Wars, we second guessed Hollywood all the way and we had nothing to rip off because we'd got there first. The Japanese have a saying: 'If it's good, how can we make it better?' I'm sure that's the philosophy that Pat applied to, say, The Six Million Dollar Man in M.A.C.H. 1 and he did make it so much better. 'Man Activated by Compu-puncture Hyperpower' - what a great concept! - which, without the Six Million Dollar Man, Pat maybe wouldn't have bothered to look at [the idea of] an indestructible man.

MacManus, a sub-editor on Action, joined 2000AD a year and a half into its existence from Starlord, and still retains every ounce of enthusiasm for his eighteen years on the title. "What was nice was that having joined on Prog 76, there was so much to look forward to: 'Robo-Hunter' appeared and 2000AD was being merged with Starlord. That's why I joined. You merge a comic and one of the two subs has to go."

Things have changed from the distant days when Tharg rocketed his comic out of King's Reach Towers. Or have they? "Next year is twenty years on and it's going to be a year of science fiction; that's a nice echo. On his noticeboard, David [Bishop]'s got a snap of an old Starlord cover of the Washington Monument being snapped in two by a UFO being chased by American pilots. The thing about science fiction is that its cyclical."

Things may be coming back to basics but 2000AD has matured over the years. "From a production point of view, you could say a lot of the things we had hoped to get in the early days, we've finally succeeded in getting," says Pat Mills. "Glossy covers, full colour in a lot of cases and I can tell you, its been a bloody long, hard slog and fight to get that. I think there is better continuity of artwork and arguably some of the stories have become more sophisticated. I think that's the standard answer, but I don't think that's entirely true. I think there are stories going back some years that would compete pretty well with today's stories. Things are a little more sophisticated than they have been, but the basic rules that applied then apply now."

"If you look at the first issues, it's predominantly filled with Spanish artists," says current editor David Bishop. "I don't think any artist got work from us in the first two years without coming through an agency; now, of course, agencies are very much in the minority. Most people come to us through the post or at conventions and that's how people break through these days. In terms of writers, frequently the best of the writers around twenty years ago are the best of the writers today, Wagner and Mills being the obvious ones from the first couple of years and Alan Grant, who came in on stream later. So, to a large extent I think the writing has definitely improved: in the early days, 2000AD was virtually written by committee.

"We do have a situation with 2000AD where we're about to go full circle. If you consider, in 1976 the reason 2000AD was launched, one of the deciding factors, was the Alexander Walker article in the Evening Standard about how all these science fiction movies were going to be the rage in 1977, with Star Wars and even the director of Jaws, Stephen Spielberg was going to do a movie about UFOs - which of course was Close Encounters. Now, twenty years later, you've got Independence Day in summer, Mars Attacks and a very long article in the Sunday Times recently about the wealth of science fiction; it's hip again for TV and film and all we're going to see over the next year is more SF, with millennium fever and all that. It feels like we've turned the clock back to 1976. Star Wars is on the horizon, the Sex Pistols are on tour...

"The only difference maybe is that in the Seventies, 2000AD was the new kid on the block," says Macmanus. "Twenty years on we're the old man on the block, but pumped full of rejuve drugs."

David Bishop neatly summarises 2000AD's place in the scheme of things when he casually remarks "Imagine if 2000AD never existed. I think you would struggle to name any British writer or artist over the past twenty years who didn't get their showcase on 2000AD. The exception would be Neil Gaiman, I think he wrote one and a half 'Future Shocks' for us and then cut straight to the chase, because he went into almost self publishing when he did Violent Cases, and Jamie Hewlett with Deadline... Not all these creators needed 2000AD because talent will out, but for the past twenty years, almost all the best writers and artists have sprung from the pages of 2000AD. So finding that talent, nurturing that talent and tearfully waving it goodbye as it crosses the pond has been 2000's role, to create the people who now sit around the bar at UKCAC. Without 2000AD, you could probably argue the case that there'd be no Vertigo. Without Vertigo, you wouldn't have Paradox and so many other things."

So what's coming up in Prog 1000?

"On the cover there will be Slaine painted by Jason Brashill," reveals Bishop. "Inside, we have a Slaine one-off story called 'The Bowels of Hell', by Pat Mills and Jim Murray. In the next issue that's succeeded by another multi-book Slaine epic called 'Treasures of Britain' which is by Pat Mills and Dermot Power, which I suspect will easily challenge 'The Horned God' for popularity. Also in Prog 1000 is 'Durham Red: Night of the Hunters', written by Alan Smithee and painted by Mark Harrison, and very saucy stuff it is too. Then we have a brand new character called 'Outlaw' written by Paul Neal, who cut his teeth in the Megazine and has moved over to 2000; the first episode is painted by Jason Brashill. It's a sci-fi, revenge western, blood-soaked saga. It's Commando, with more guns. But better. And of course, Judge Dredd. That's part 1 of a story featuring five Dark Judges, well there's five Dark Judges as the story progresses: who is the mystery fifth Dark Judge? That's by John Wagner and Greg Staples. Bagged with it is a free 60 page supplement, which will tell you all about 2000AD past, present and future.

"In the future, we're doing tie-ins with ID4 and The X-Files later on in the year, but our big event post 1000 is the 20th birthday in February next year and I think there's two fundamental issues which we have to resolve. One: Tharg. In Prog 1000, we'll put a ratings card in and we'll ask people, should Tharg die, leave, stay or live forever? I'd like to see the back of the green sucker myself but that's just my opinion. But we're giving readers the chance to save Tharg, while you still can. Either everyone will say 'Yes, get rid of him once and for all, we hate him!' or they'll say 'How dare you! He is the icon! Without him, 2000AD is just Bishop trying to seize control!'

"The other question we have to address is, What will 2000AD be called in the year 2000? Millennium Fever just keeps getting bigger but I wouldn't like in ten years time to be, in 2006, publishing something called 2000AD, because I don't think it's going to look very relevant any more. It would be a bit like publishing the Radio Times and calling it the Cave Drawing Times or The Mosaic Times. There are two ways of looking at it: either we advance the title by one year once a year, which gives us a copyright problem, or we cast it so far into the future that I don't think it will be my problem i.e. 3000AD, or 2500 or 2020, whatever, or we say no fuck it, 2000AD is worth too much good publicity to us. And if we change it, when do we change it? Do we change it sooner rather than later? Do we change it on 31st December 1999?"

"The future looks bright," insists Steve Macmanus. "What can I say? Comics as an artform may die but these characters will live on. Time was when we appeared on paper. Today it's the day of 'CD-Rom Dog: The half-hour TV show'.

"One way to mark a thousand issues is to count how many characters were created: in 2000AD's case it's over 180, and even if only 20% of those are decent that's still three dozen ready-made characters for a world screaming out for stuff to fill all their digital channels - and they've already been tested in front of hundreds of thousands of readers."

END

(* 2000AD is, of course, still going strong. A bumper 48-page Prog 1526 goes on sale on 28 February and marks the return of a couple of old favourites, including 'Flesh' (by Pat Mills & Ramon Sola) and 'Savage' (by Pat Mills & Charlie Adlard), plus Tharg will be retelling the history of the Galaxy's Greatest in 5 pages (drawn by former Nerve Centre droid Robin Smith).

Incidentally, a little bit of 2000AD will be passing into history soon when IPC move out of King's Reach Tower, better know to 2K fans as Tharg's spaceship! The end of an era...

2000AD and the image above are © Rebellion A/S.)

P. B. Hickling

A little while back, Kentuckian book collector Eric Schonblom compiled a small booklet of information from his collection of The Girl's Realm Annual in which he identified a number of contributing artists. The annuals dated from 1912 to 1914 and, I don't suppose it will be any surprise, a number of the artists proved to be quite obscure.

I was looking through this little booklet this evening, it having been buried for some time under a pile of other books and magazines which I've been trying to tidy up. The pages fell open at one P. B. Hickling and I spied the words "he/she left no biographical trail." Think "red rag" and "bull".

Hickling proved to be quite an interesting study. The name was always given in initials bar one early storybook published in the early 1890s which gave the artist's name as Percy B. Hickling.

Percy Bell Hickling was born in Nottingham, in 1876. His father, William Edwin Hickling, was an accountant born in Leicester who had married Mary Bell in 1865. Percy had at least two elder brothers (Herbert William, born 1867, and Henry Bailey, born 1869) and sister (Mabel Mary, born 1875) and a younger sister (Eveline Annie, born 1878). Percy grew up in Leicester, the family living in Knighton in 1891 where he was educated.

In 1901 he was living at 4 Museum Street in South Bloomsbury, registered in the census as an artist in black & white. He was still single at 24 and was sharing the address with one Joseph W. Carlton, a 25-year-old art student. He was married in 1904 in Westminster.

He illustrated for many of the leading magazines of the time, including Royal Magazine, Cassell's Magazine and The Strand. He also illustrated many books for girls published by Cassell and various other publishers as well as producing illustrations for numerous annuals.

Amongst the last of his known illustrations was the 497 series from Ladybird Books of animal stories, all written by Noel Barr. These proved very popular, particularly the Christmas story The Wise Robin, and remained in print for many years. A nicely illustrated article on the series can be found here.

The books must have been prepared some time in advance because Percy Hickling died in Lewes in 1951, aged 74.

Illustrated Books
The Fox and the Grapes and other fables. London, Dean & Son (Dean's Artistic ser. 6), c.1892.
The Three Clerks by Anthony Trollope. London, John Long, 1903.
The History of Henry Esmond by William Makepeace Thackeray. London, 1904.
True to His Nickname by Harold Avery. London, T. Nelson & Sons, 1907.
Veiled Hearts. A romance of modern Egypt by Rachel Willard. London, Religious Tract Society, 1908.
The Probationer by Amy Irving. London, S. W. Partridge, 1910.
The Strange Little Girl by Bella Sidney Woolf. London, Duckworth & Co., 1910.
Hope Glynne's Awakening by Jessie Goldsmith Cooper. London, S. W. Partridge, 1911.
The Wrath of Man by Silas Hocking. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1912.
Hepsy Gipsy by L. T. Meade. London, Everett, 1912?
Meddlesome Mattie by Agnes M. Miall. London, S. W. Partridge & Co., 1913.
Molly Angel's Adventures by Bessie Marchant. London, Blackie & Son, 1915.
The Testing of the Torment by Elsie J. Oxenham. London, Cassell, 1925.
The Guides at Calamity Hill by Nancy M. Hayes. London, Cassell, 1927.
Schoolgirl Rivals by Brenda Page. London, Cassell, 1927.
The Girl Who Wouldn't Make Friends by Elsie J. Oxenham. London, Thomas Nelson & Sons, c.1927.
Tiger's First Term by Mary Gervaise. London, Cassell, 1928.
The Fifth Form Adventures by E. E. Cowper. London, Cassell & Co., 1929.
The Invincible Fifth by E. E. Cowper. London & Glasgow, Cassell & Co., 1930.
Dartmoor Legends by Eva C. Rogers. London, Pilgrim Press, c.1930.
Joan and the Scholarship Girl by Brenda Page. London, Cassell, 1931.
The Joker of Dormitory D by T. H. Scott. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1932.
As a Man Loves by Effie Adelaide Rowlands. London, Ward, Lock & Co., 1936 [dust jacket].
Masked Danger by Ben Bolt. London, Ward, Lock & Co., 1937.
The One Who Counted by Effie Adelaide Rowlands. London, Ward, Lock & Co., 1937 [dust jacket].
"This Time Next Term" by Nancy Breary. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1945.
Sea Rangers at Sloo by Geoffrey Prout. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1949.
Ladybird Book, series 497:
__The Inquisitive Harvest Mouse by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1949.
__Tiptoes the Mischievous Kitten by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1949.
__The Wise Robin by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1950.
__The Discontented Pony by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1951.
__The Conceited Lamb by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1951.
__Beaky the Greedy Duck by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1951
__Ned the Lonely Donkey by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1952.
__Mick the Disobedient Puppy by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1952.
__Cocky the Lazy Rooster by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1952.
__The Sleepy Water Vole by Noel Barr. Loughborough, Wills & Hepworth, 1953.
From a Surgeon's Diary by Clifford Ashdown. London, Ferret Fantasy, 1975.

Comic Clippings - 25 February

Martin 'Biff' Averre of Ace Comics in Colchester is one of the new owners of Comics International. If you've visited the old CI website you'll have seen a press release from Dez Skinn which mentions that Mike Conroy will be taking over as editor, fronting "a film, TV and comics consortium" who bought the title. Well, Biff has revealed a little more about the new owners:

The reason for the erratic publication and no issue for 2 months is that negotiations were going on for the sale of the magazine.

Dez Skinn has new projects he wanted to pursue and which needed all of his attention so he was looking for a suitable new owner. That new owner/owners can now be revealed.

They are Peter Boyce, who runs a media business for the film industry and who will soon be launching an internet channel, is heading up a triumvirate which includes Mike Conroy, who moves up from his 'Frame to Frame' column to be Editor in Chief, and Martin Biff Averre whom you all know.

The first new issue under the skilful hands of Mike Conroy will be much the same as before with a planned relaunch of style and content with #207. Issue 201 will continue with the format of #200, 100 pages and a price of £2.99.

Dez continues to head Quality Communications (website here) but will not be putting on a Comic Expo event this year. According to Rich Johnson's Lying in the Gutters (#92, 20 February):

Dez Skinn has abandoned plans to run another Brighton convention, after the Birmingham show moved dates on the 13th-14th October forward, two weeks before his own planned event.

What's next for Dez? Someone who has spent 35 years in the comics industry isn't likely to disappear entirely and he's likely to stick with a field he knows. Experiments outside haven't been too successfull -- the four issues of Toy Max published in 2003 lost around £25,000 -- and the last few years have seen him mired in various controversies (even his Wikipedia entry has been semi-protected to prevent unregistered users from editing it); my guess is that he'll be happy to take a break, look outside the comics field... but he'll be back.

Next month is the 25th anniverary of the launch of Warrior (which got me back into reading comics after a couple of years off) so don't expect Dez's name will be out of the news any time soon.

Update: The Forbidden Planet blog has an interview with Mike talking about the takeover: 'Under New Management' (27 February).

• John Freeman's Down the Tubes has its third Albion-related interview up, this time with artist Shane Oakley.

• Alex Fitch's I'm Ready for my Podcast site has the latest show available to download featuring the first part of a 2-part broadcast celebrating the 30th anniversary of 2000AD. Part 1 (broadcast 22 February) features an interview with Pat Mills. Part 2 will feature an interview with current editor Matt Smith.

• Something I've missed until this evening: the old Marvel UK Transformers strips are being reprinted by IDW. Transformers: Target: 2006 #1 is due to hit the shelves in April.

• Best-selling children's author Jacqueline Wilson has an autobiography out, Jacky Daydream, on 5 March. At 17, Wilson joined D. C. Thomson after spotting an advert in the Evening Standard -- "Wanted! Teenage Writers!" -- seeking romantic stories for a new teenage magazine. Shortly after, she joined the staff of a soon-to-be-launched new title... and, as she was the youngest member of staff, they named the new magazine after her: Jackie. An interview with Wilson appeared in last week's Sunday Times ('A Girl's Own Story', 18 February).
  

(* Not much news around today which is handy because I'm slightly hungover. Here's the happy couple, Erin and Pete:

... and here's where I spent most of the evening. Free bar! What more do I need to say. "Tired and emotional" is probably the best description.

I love that bar. That bar's my best mate. Hic!)

Swift Annual Artists & Authors

The following is a list of all the artists and authors known to have contributed to Swift Annual; the names were mostly derived from credits in the annuals themselves with one or two uncredited artists also named, a total of 156 artists and 134 authors.

You will note that not all the artists/authors have been covered. The reasons for this are (a) some names are already well known and information can easily be found elsewhere; (b) some are so obscure that I've not been able to find anything at all; (c) I'm still researching; or (d) have plans to put something up at a later date here or elsewhere.

ARTISTS

Tom Adams
Martin Aitchison
G. William Backhouse
Laurence Bagley
Kay Baker
Barcilon
Carol Barker
George Bass
Younge Bateman [see John Yunge-Bateman]
Isobel Beard
Harold Beards
Frank Bellamy
Giorgio Bellavitis
Douglas Berry
Victor Bertoglio
Harry Bishop
Ursula Blau
Hilda Boswell
George Bowe
Eileen Bradpiece
Monica Brailey
Ronald Brett
John Brinkley
John Canning
John Chamberlain
Mike Charlton
Neville Colvin
Harold Connolly
John Cooper
Evelyn Cuthbertson
Eric Dadswell
Gordon Davies
Roland Davies
Pamela Degil
Ian Dickson
C. L. Doughty
Serge Drigin
K. A. Evans
Kay Ewen
Audrey Fawkes (see note under Audrey Fawley)
Audrey Fawley
Finlayson
Walkden Fisher
Jill Francksen
Terry Freeman
Roland Fiddy
George Fry
Len Fullerton
W. J. Gale
Michael Gibson
Grace Golden
Lesley Gordon
Bernard Greenbaum
Raymond Groves
John Harris
Frank Haseler
Racey Helps
Elizabeth Hobson
James Holdaway
Joyce Horn
Laurence Houghton
Gerald Haylock
Robert Hodgson
Beryl Irving
Peter Jackson
Jenkinson
Richard Jennings
Alan Jessett
R. W. Jobson
Eric Kincaid
Mary Kirkham
T. S. La Fontaine
George Lane
Derek Latymer-Sayer [see Derrick Latimer Sayer]
Don Lawrence
Harry Lindfield
Barry R. Linklater
Gerald Lipman
Robert McGillivray
Dennis Mallet
Roy McAdorey
Mary McGowan
Phil Meigh
W. H. (Bill) Mevin
Joan Milroy
Pamela Neads
Pat Nevin
Frank Newnham
Will Nickless
John Nunney (short note here)
R. E. Oakshott
Cecil Orr
Leslie Otway
Arthur Oxenham
Walter Pannett
Ann (or Anne) Parker
R. E. Parlett
Jon Peaty
Harry Pettit
Michael Peyton
W. F. Phillipps
Dudley Pout
David Pratt
F. Purcell
Daphne H. Ralphs
J. G. Raw
Vic Reed
Renault
Basil Reynolds
Arthur Roberts
Joan Roberts
Lunt Roberts
Edward Robertson
Daphne Rowles
John Ryan
Norman Satchel
W. Savage
Derek Latimer Sayer
Prudence Seward
Brenda Meredith Seymour
A. Burgess Sharrocks
Raymond Sheppard
Rupert Smith
Glenn Steward
H. Tamblyn-Watts
Eric Tansley
Bernard Taylor
J. W. Taylor
Valerie Taylor
Norman Thelwell
Joan Thompson
I. Timyn
Stuart Tresilian
Patricia Turner
Van
Jenetta Vise
Eric Wade
Desmond Walduck
David Walsh
John Millar Watt
C. K. Webb
Bill White
Brian White
A. R. Whitear
Geoffrey Whittam
Norman Williams
Roy Williams
Andrew J. Wilson
Maurice Wilson
Wimsey
Bruce C. Windo
H. R. A. Winslade
Eric Winter
William Wood
John Woods
John Yunge-Bateman

AUTHORS

Garath Adamson
Sylvia Allen
Evan Atkinson
Rowan Ayers
G. William Backhouse
Laurence Bagley
Frank Baker
Kay Baker
John Baldwinson
George Beardmore
Lilian Bedwell
Dilys Beeston
Christine Bernard
Sheila Berry
Kathleen Binns
Geoffrey Bond
Agnes Booth
Jack Borg (Philip Antony Borg)
K. V. R. Bowerman
Richard Bowood (Albert Scott Daniell)
Brian Brason
Rosemary Bromley
Roy F. Brown
Graham L. Bryer
Gerald Bullett
Sybil Burr
Charles Chilton
B. Christie-Murray
Jonathan Clarke
Jasmine Cleaver
J. Clifford
E. Coltman
Peter Cooper
Shirley Curtis
Anthony Davis
Anita Dent
Harry Deverson
Ann / Anne Deveson
C. D. Dimsdale (Rodolphe Louis Megroz)
Rex Dixon (Reginald Alec Martin)
H. Douglas
Denis Duckworth
(Edward) J. Dutton
Rex Edwards
Janet Erskine
K. Evans
Kay Ewen
H. Fisher
Kelman Frost
Rosemary Garland
Michael Gibson
Tony Gibson
Daphne Going
H. Goldman
Lesley Gordon
Pamela Green
Anthony Greenbank
Peter Grey
E. M. (Mick) Hall
R. Harcourt
Betty Harris
James Hemming
Mileson Horton
B. M. Hughes
John Hynam
E. M. Johnson
Margaret Kent
A. J. King
Kenneth King
Penelope Knox
Joanna Latimer
Derek Latymer-Sayer (Derrick Latimer Sayer)
Jocelyn Laurie
Dinah Lawrence
Eric Leyland
Peter Ling
Barbara Livingstone
George Lock
Clifford Makins
Robert Martin
J. B. Mayall
Maud Miller
Hazel Mills
Patricia Mills
Pamela Moore
Sydney Moorhouse
W. H. Morris
John Myers
Muriel G. Nix
R. Ewart Oakeshott
Peter O'Donnell [Wikipedia]
Cecil Orr
E. W. Pasold
Ann Pearce
K. H. Pearce
Sylvia Pike
Noel B. Ranns
Stella Ranns
Moore Raymond
Audrey Ripley-Marshall
Arthur Roberts
Betty Roland
O. M. Rookwood
Carl Routledge
Kay Routledge
Frank Russell
Ivy Russell
Jacqueline Russell
Winifred Scott
Brenda Meredith Seymour
Doreen M. Sharp
Peggy Stack
James Stagg
Herbert Starke
Ben Starr
J. A. Storrie
Malcolm Stuart-Fellows
Alwyn Swift
John W. R. Taylor
R. H. Taylor
Adrian Thomas
Margaret Thomas
Martin Thornhill
Ellen Vincent
Barbara Wace
Desmond Walduck
Phyllis Wasey
Vernon Watkins
Rosemary Weir
Ronald Welch (Ronald Oliver Felton)
F. L. Wellings
Bill Wellings
Peter West
Roger Wilkinson

In the Post

The latest issue of Redeye is out. Issue 6 (simply dated 2007) contains news, comment, interviews and reviews in a bumper 106-page, square bound package. The content is fairly biased towards 2000AD but that's not surprising as it's one of the few surviving British comics aimed at boys (the others are 2000AD companion mag the Megazine and Thomson's Commando). Amazing to think that 2000AD has a history: a feature on the early work of Mike McMahon, for instance, is now a study of McMahon's work from 30 years ago (I was pleased to see that he was a fan of Look and Learn, incidentally). Things that, to me, feel like yesterday are receding into the distant past: Pat Mills talks about creating Battle Picture Weekly, Action and 2000AD and I was buying them when they first came out. The memories are still fresh -- especially the fuss made over Action.

I've not had much of a chance to dip into the content yet but certainly Pat's piece on fans made some interesting points about how professionals can be treated quite discourteously by some fan(atic)s and professionals alike which can be both hurtful and, in some cases, professionally damaging. Interviews in this issue include Guardian cartoonist Tom Gauld, small press artist Lee Kennedy, bigger press artist Steve Yeowell, horror comic artist Alex C.F. and a series of talks with John Wagner, Kev Walker, W. R. Logan and Matt Smith about the Judge Dredd 'Origins' storyline. Add to that retrospectives on V For Vendetta and Mike McMahon, a solid letters column and previews of lots of small press goodies and it all makes for a bumper issue.

I can't find a subscription rate for the magazine... it could be that editor has suffered from issues coming out late too often. But you can order the next issue and back issues via the Engine Comics web site.

Geoffrey Whittam

Geoffrey William Whittam was born in Woolston, near Southampton, on 16 December 1916, and educated at Taunton School, Southampton, Whittam studied art at Southampton School of Art. Before the war he worked for the Post Office (1935-39), and served in the Royal Navy for six years during WW2. On his release, he worked in advertising in London whilst studying at the Central School of Arts and Crafts (1946-49). His first commissions were illustrations for the Radio Times, which led him to freelance work. He has worked mainly as a children’s book illustrator in pen, but has also produced dust jackets and colour illustrations to magazines, visualised buildings from plans and designed posters. He has also written a number of educational books, including The Whale Hunters (1954), Fur Hunting and Fur Farming (1957), Lumbering in Canada (1957), Farming on the Canadian Prairies (1959), The Zambezi (1961), The Rhine (1962), Canals and Waterways (1968).

Whittam also drew for comics in the 1960s and 1970s, including strips for Hurricane, Mandy and Victor (including at least one series starring Matt Braddock) as well as illustrations for annuals.

Whittam lived in Surrey and died in 1983.

Books
The Whale Hunters. London, G. Bell & Sons, 1954.
Fur Hunting and Fur Farming. London, Oxford University Press, 1957.
Lumbering in Canada. London, Oxford University Press, 1957.
Farming on the Canadian Prairies. London, Oxford University Press, 1959.
Exploring Canals and Waterways. Feltham, Odhams, 1968.
People of the World (Series 1), with others (contains Fur Hunting and Fur Farming, Lumbering in Canada and other titles). Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1958.
People of the World (Series 3), with others (contains Farming on the Canadian Prairies and other titles). Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1960.
The Zambezi. London, Oxford University Press, 1961.
The Rhine. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1962.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. London, Blackie, n.d.

Illustrated Books
Trouble at Trimbles by Primrose Cumming. London, Country Life, 1949.
Black Hunting Whip by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1950.
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Tain. London, Heirloom Library, 1951.
Hidden in a Dream by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1952.
The Cave by Richard Church. London, J. M. Dent, 1950.
Sealskins for Silk. Captain Fanning's voyage round the world in a brig in 1797-99 by Lucy Cheesman. London, Methuen & Co., 1952.
Charles Darwin and His Problems by Lucy Cheesman. London, G. Bell & Sons, 1953.
Muskoka Holiday by Joyce Boyle. London, Macmillan & Co., 1953.
Queen Sheba's Ring by H. Rider Haggard. London, Macdonald, 1953.
Storm Ahead by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1953.
The World's Desire by H. Rider Haggard. London, Macdonald, 1953.
Hornblower Goes to Sea (selections from Mr Midshipman Hornblower and Lieutenant Hornblower) by C. S. Forester; selected by G. P. Griggs. London, Joseph, 1954.
John Halifax, Gentleman by Dinah Mulock. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1954.
No Entry by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1954.
The Ponies Next Door by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1954.
Ten Fathoms Deep by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1954.
All Because of Dawks by Meta Mayne Reid. London, Macmillan & Co., 1955.
The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1955.
The Cruise of the Nifty Duck by Ray Harris. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1955.
The Droving Lad by Kathleen Fidler. London, Lutterworth Press, 1955.
The Golden Monkey by Frank Knight. London, Macmillan & Co., 1955.
How Much for a Pony? by Margaret Stanley Wrench. London, Lutterworth Press, 1955.
Jackals of the Sea by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1955.
The Lazy Salmon Mystery by Sutherland Ross. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1955.
The Nightbird by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1955.
Robin Hood by Antonia Pakenham. London, Heirloom Library, 1955.
Trot Home, Sally by Judith M. Berrisford. London, University of London Press, 1955.
Word to Caesar by Geoffrey Trease. London, Macmillan & Co., 1955 [1956].
Dawks Does It Again by Meta Mayne Reid. London, Macmillan & Co., 1956.
Family on the Tide by Frank Knight. London, Macmillan & Co., 1956.
Forgotten Submarine by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1956.
Foundations of English for Foreign Students by David Hicks. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1956.
Frenchman's Secret by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1956.
Land Under the White Robe by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1956.
Moppy's Great Adventure by Jack Plant. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1956.
More Tales from Shakespeare by Charles & Mary Ann Lamb; simplified by George Horsley. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1956.
Ponies All Summer by Judith M. Berrisford. London, University of London Press, 1956.
They Rescued a Pony by Catherine Harris. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1956.
Triple Bar by Peggie Cannam. London, Lutterworth Press, 1956.
The Twopenny Diamond Mystery by Sutherland Ross. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1956.
The White Riders by Monica Edwards. Harmondsworth, Penguin Books (Puffin Story Books 95), 1956.
The Card by Arnold Bennett; abridged & simplified by R. H. Durham. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1956 [1957].
Patrick's Pony by Josephine Pullein Thompson. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1956 [1957].
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; abridged & simplified by R. H. Durham. London, Longmans, Green & Co., 1956 [1957].
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. London, Heirloom Library, 1957.
Dawks on Robbers' Mountain by Meta Mayne Reid. London, Macmillan & Co., 1957.
Java Sea Duel by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1957.
Operation Seabird by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1957.
Pony Forest Adventure by Judith M. Berrisford. London, University of London Press, 1957.
Skipper and the Headland Four by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1957.
Strangers to the Marsh by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1957.
The Baffling Blue Jays by Bertha Anderson. London & New York, Abelard-Schuman, 1958.
The Cherry Cobbler by Agnes Herbertson. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1958.
Cormorant on Patrol by George Haley. London & Glasgow, Blackie & Son, 1958.
The Cownappers by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1958.
A Dog Called Scamp by Judith M. Berrisford. London, University of London Press, 1958.
Great Cowboy Adventurers, ed. Peter Baring. London, Weidenfeld & Nicholson, 1958.
Jackie Won a Pony by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1958.
Mystery at Mardale by Eric Leyland. London, Thomas Nelson & Sons, 1958.
The Ponies of Cuckoo Mill Farm by Catherine Harris. London & Glasgow, Blackie, 1958.
The Sailor's Knot by Sutherland Ross. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1958.
Under the Red Robe by Stanley J. Weyman. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1958.
The Adventures of Turkey, Boy of the Australian Plains by Ray Harris. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1959.
The Cave of Cornelius by Paul Capon. London, Heinemann, 1959.
Lucky Lure at Arrow Point by Mary Daem. London & New York, Albelard-Schuman, 1959.
The Monkey on the Red Rose by Heather Prime. London & Glasgow, Blackie, 1959.
A Pony and His Partner by Sheila Chapman. London, Burke, 1959.
The Queer Fish by Sutherland Ross. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
Sea Wolves by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1959.
Skipper's Exciting Summer by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
Son of Taff by Judith M. Berrisford. London, University of London Press, 1959.
Ten Ponies and Jackie by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1959.
The Tunnel by Eric Williams. London, Collins, 1959.
Dangerous Cargo by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Son, 1960.
The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter. London, Venture Library, 1960.
No Going Back by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1960.
Pony From Fire by Sheila Chapman. London, Burke, 1960.
Skipper and the Runaway Boy by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1960.
The Whistling Mountain by Mary Daem. London, Abelard-Schuman, 1960.
China Sea Jigsaw by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1961; New York, Roy Publishers, 1961.
Cross-Channel Mystery by Sutherland Ross. London, Brockhampton Press, 1961.
Escape in Darkness by Kathleen Fidler. London, Lutterworth Press, 1961.
Jackie's Pony Patrol by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1961.
Martin Rattler by R. M. Ballantyne; introduction by J. B. Foreman. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1961.
The Outsider by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1961.
Skipper and Son by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1961.
Storm on Kildoney by Mayne Reid. London, Macmillan & Co., 1961.
Discovering Money by David Malbert, illus. with Willaim McLaren & others. London, University of London Press, 1962.
Home to the Island by Mabel Esther Allan. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1962.
The Hoodwinkers by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1962.
The House on the Headland by Wilfrid Robertson. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1962.
The Mystery of the Dolls' House by Kathleen Moir. London & New York, Frederick Warne & Co., 1962.
A Summer at Sea by Mabel Esther Allan. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1962.
Dolphin Summer by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1963.
Jackie and the Pony Trekkers by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1963.
Prisoners Under the Sea by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1963.
Race Against the U-Boats by Robert Bateman. London, Jonathan Cape, 1963.
Strangers at Warrender's Halt by Ivy Wallace. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1963.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe. London & Glasgow, Blackie, 1964.
Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain; retold by George Wain. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1964.
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1964.
Fire in the Punchbowl by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1965.
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain; retold by George Wain. London & Glasgow, Collins, 1965.
Tanker Trap by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1965.
The Snake Ring Mystery by Ivy Wallace. London, Collins, 1966.
Stoker, Royal Navy by Frederick Wigby. Edinburgh & London, William Blackwood & Son, 1967.
Island of Forgotten Men by Arthur Catherall. London, J. M. Dent & Sons, 1968.
A Stranger in the Village by Philip Jannetta; edited by John & Alison Tedman. London, Oxford University Press, 1968.
Jackie and the Pony-Boys by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1970.
Treasure in the Hills by John & Alison Tedman. London, Oxford Unversity Press, 1970.
The F.A. Cup Comes West by Alec Adrian. Ilfracombe, Stockwell, 1971.
The Unwilling Smuggler by Arthur Catherall. London, Dent, 1971.
The Ganja Gang by T. E. Parris; edited by John & Alison Tedman. London, Oxford University Press, 1973.
Jackie and the Pony Trekkers by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1973.
Jackie's Show-Jumping Surprise by Judith M. Berrisford. Leicester, Brockhampton Press, 1973.
The Adventures of Gulliver (based on Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift). Glasgow, Blackie, 1974.
Black Hunting Whip by Monica Edwards. London, Collins, 1974.
He Wore a Red Jersey by Alec Adrian. Ilfracombe, Stockwell, 1975.
Jackie and the Misfit Pony by Judith M. Berrisford. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1975.
Death of an Oil Rig by Arthur Catherall. London, Dent, 1976.
Tortoise the Trickster, and other folktales from Cameroon by Loreto Todd. London, Routledge & Kegan Paul, 1978.
Jackie and the Moonlight Pony by Judith M. Berrisford. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1980.
Jackie and the Pony Rivals by Judith M. Berrisford. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1981.
Jackie and the Missing Showjumper by Judith M. Berrisford. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1982.
Change Ponies, Jackie! by Judith M. Berrisford. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1983.

(* Illustration from Swift Annual 3 (1956) © Look and Learn Magazine Ltd.)

Comic Clippings - 21 February

The schedule for the release of the next few books from Don Lawrence Collection has now been firmed up. March will see the release of Trigan Empire: Revolution in Zabriz, the eighth release but volume 2 chronologically. I think I've explained this before but it's worth repeating: the weird scheduling of the Trigan volumes was due to publisher Rob van Bavel's attempts to use as many original art boards as possible when putting the books together. Thus we started with what was chronologically volume 8, jumped to volume 11 and so on. It makes writing the introductory material, er... interesting! But it has worked: as the early volumes appeared, people stepped forward to say that they had pages that Rob could scan. So the later volumes will benefit from having around 50 more pages scanned from original artwork than they would have had the series appeared in strict chronological order. I'm pleased to say that Look and Learn have been among the contributors who have been able to add some original pages to the project.

Storm--The Collection volumes 6 and 7 will be released simultaneously in April 2007, followed by the four-book box-set of Karl the Viking in June.

• David Bishop reports on his Thrill-Power Overload blog that his history of 2000AD, also entitled Thrill-Power Overload is delayed from February due to the time it has taken to design the tomb. The release date is Spring 2007, most likely in April. You can pre-order the book from Amazon.co.uk.

• Joel Meadows' Tripwire returns as an annual; a press-release can be found at The Beat.

• More on Leo Baxendale's 'Stroppy Women' exhibition can be found on the Forbidden Planet blog (19 February).

Andrew Wilson

Back to the Swift Annual...

Andrew J. Wilson contributed to Swift Annuals 1, 4 and 5. He was a regular artist at Fleetway in the 1960s and 1970s, notably drawing the long-running strip 'The Happy Days' in Princess (1960-67) and Princess Tina (1967-73). The exploits of the Day family ran for over 600 episodes and were reprinted in Girl (1964) and Pixie (1973) and also inspired a Sue Day Annual. Other Wilson strips include 'Lassie Come Home' (Princess Tina, 1968-69).

Following the demise of 'The Happy Days', Wilson worked on a number of strips in Buster, taking over 'The Runaways' from Joe Colquhoun and drawing 'The Byrds of Paradise Isle' (1978-80) and 'Johnny's Journey' (1980).

What happened to him after that I don't know.

William Hornigold

(* Let's see... finish the translation of The Hounds of Marduk for the seventh Storm collection: check. Finish the introduction for same: check. Any photos you want to upload? No! Check John's blog to see if you can add anything...? Not yet...)

A couple of recent posts on John's Oliver Oyl blog about a penny blood illustrator variously called W. Hornegold, W. Hornigold and possibly also George Honygold sent me digging around various genealogical records and I seem to have struck gold first time out. John quotes an account by John Diprose from Some Account of the Parish of St. Clement Danes (1868) where he discusses an artist named George Honygold, an artist of inconsiderable talent, and illustrator of pasteboard theatre sheets. John quotes Diprose as saying 'Honygold', "was a very agreeable companion, having collected a rare and racy fund of anecdotes; this led him much into company, and caused him to indulge too much in intemperate habits, which ended, we regret to say, in an untimely death. He constantly used the noted "No. 9", a gin-palace in Clare Market. He afterwards frequented the "Fountain", No. 4, Clare Street. In this house he imbibed his last drop; he had been indulging freely, and when the house was cleared, being deeply intoxicated, he fell down. He was taken to the Charing Cross Hospital, where he expired, at the age of Sixty-nine, in the year 1866."

A search of birth, death and marriage records shows that the death (at the age of 69) of one William Hornigold was recorded in Pancras in the March 1867 quarter. As registration could take up to six weeks it is possible that the death occurred in late 1866.

He is registered in the 1851 census under the name William Horngold, artist, aged 52, born in Norfolk. At that time he was living in Charles Street in the Parish of St. Giles in the Fields, Finsbury, with his wife Jane (41), daughters Eliza (19) and Harriett (7) and son William (17). Both Eliza and William were born in Lambeth, Surrey whilst Harriett was born in St. Giles, which means they presumably moved into the area some time between c.1834 and c.1844.

In 1861 (now erroneously listed as Homegold) William is a 63-year-old theatrical artist, his birth place now listed as Borough, Surrey. He is still married to Jane Elizabeth (50) and living with daughter Harriet (17) at 4 Nags Head Court, St. Clement Dane, Westminster.

Unfortunately, Hornigold and his family remain stubbornly elusive in the 1841 census records, and official birth, marriage and death records only started in 1837, after they were married. I did, however, manage to find a Christening record for Eliza (surname given as Hornegold) which confirms her mother's name as Jane Elizabeth. Eliza was Christened at St Martin in the Fields, Westminster, on 2 November 1831.

From various other records, I believe Jane Hornigold's death was registered in Pancras in 1870 and that her daughters Harriet and Eliza married in 1871 and 1875 respectively, although all these dates need to be treated with caution.

Not a great deal added, I'm afraid, although the records seem to confirm that William Hornigold was born c.1797 and was an artist for some years whilst living in London.

Update -- 19 February

John has located a biographical sketch for Hornigold which confirms that he was born in 1797 and died at the Strand Union Workhouse on 12 February 1867 after falling down intoxicated outside the 'Fountain' pub in Clare Market and being carried to the workhouse.