My fascination with the BBC annuals has been told in a previous post and here we continue and having dated the books, I want to present the evidence for the dating and also the contents of this particular book.
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Hour Story Book [1948], 1947, artwork by Bruno Kay
This book was published by Sampson Low at 7s 6d as can be seen above in 1947 – thus my labelling of the annual as 1948. The cover shows various tales to entice the reader in. Because of the difficulty in dating these Uncle Mac books I call this one the ‘pirate one’. However, adverts in The Bookseller show a book with the same title was published for the Christmas 1947 market along with Uncle Mac’s Fairy Tale Book. The article also mentions Enid Blyton’s Second Holiday Book which the Enid Blyton Society confirms was published in 1947. The book listing when published states it has 126 pages – which this one does.
Interestingly one dustjacket I’ve seen (see below) shows an Uncle Mac line drawing with space for “This Book Belongs to…” and “A gift from…” and in the corner with the 7s 6d price it says “If this book is intended as a gift, the price can be snipped off by cutting along this line”. So we can see here and in other annuals they were reprinted during their sales period as this text is missing from my copy, which I find interesting – why not just reprint the dustjacket as it was? Or have I got this the wrong way round and the plain dustjacket was first?
The endpapers for this book aren’t worth showing (the left hand page can be seen here), but the title page and Contents are.
Dustjacket with price plus textUncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947– Title page – Art by Helen Jacobs?Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Contents Page – Art by Helen Jacobs?
But who drew the two images above? They certainly look like Helen Jacobs’ work to me but usually she would sign her work as she does for one story in this book..
Compare the two title pages below. The first from a later title in this informal annual series (Uncle Mac’s Children’s Hour Book[1949, 1948] with the ‘balloons’ cover) – and the second from this (Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947) – the ‘pirate’ cover). Look carefully – Bruno Kay drew the left hand page of the latter but both editions have used Emil Weiss’ art on the right hand page – the signature’s there for all to see – as is Kay’s on the left hand page! Strange goings on!
No artists are credited in this particular book but fortunately some have signed their work and others are already known to me. Where I have ANY doubt I have added question marks after their credit but this has been one of the worst for lack of credits both by the publisher and myself!
CONTENTS
THE CREAKY CARAVAN, by KEN FRANCIS; Drawings by Norman Meredith
CHRISTMAS IN OTHER LANDS, by DEREK MCCULLOCH; Drawings by ?
LUCY, by MERYON VANCE; Drawings by ?
SELINA THE SWISS COW, by NORAH LEWIS; Drawings by ?
WATCHING BIRDS FROM A HIDE, by ERIC HOSKING, F.R.P.S., AND CYRIL NEWBERRY; Drawings by J. N. A. Rignall
PUZZLES, by LIEUT.-COMMANDER R. T. GOULD; Drawings by ?
THE CHAMELEON, CAMOUFLAGE AND ALL THAT, by DR. VEVERS; Drawings by ‘Willett’
THE GREEN VEIL, by OLIVE DEHN; Drawings by ?
MISCHIEVOUS MICHAEL, by EDWARD D. DICKINSON; Drawings by ?
THE MOUSE ON THE SCROLL, by DAPHNE LEA; Drawings by ?
NANKI, by MERYON VANCE; Drawings by ?
MORE PUZZLES, by LIEUT.-COMMANDER R. T. GOULD; Drawings by ?
BILL AYLESBURY GOES ON THE STAGE, by GEOFFREY DEARMER; Drawings by ?
A TREAT FOR MRS. TOLLINGTON, by GERALD BULLETT; Drawings by ?
MISS BUSHMAN-CALDICOTT, by ROSEMARY TONKS; Drawings by Helen Jacobs
ANSWERS TO PUZZLES, by LIEUT.-COMMANDER R. T. GOULD; Drawings by ?
ANSWERS TO MORE PUZZLES, by LIEUT.-COMMANDER R. T. GOULD; Drawings by ?
THE CROCODILE WHO HAD TERRIBLE TOOTHACHE, by EILEEN POYNDER; Drawings by Anne Anderson?
ART GALLERY and Norman’s comments!
A drawing by “Astrid” on one of the introductory pages – but who is he or more likely she?
The first story in this book is signed very helpfully by Norman Meredith and is dated 1947 which helps me with dating this book. He is remembered for his cute animal art and the Chris Beetle Art gallery has a short biography plus examples of his artwork
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 10 – Art by Norman Meredith for the “Creaky Caravan”
There aren’t many others who have signed or are credited, so here goes.
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 20 – Art by ? – “Christmas in Other lands”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 24 – Art by ? – for the story of “Lucy”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 32 – Art by ? “Selina the Swiss Cow”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 46 – Art by ? This accompanies the first puzzle pageUncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 56 – Art by ? “The Green Veil”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 64 – Art by ? “Mischievous Michael”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 72 – Art by ? “The Mouse of the Scroll”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 76 – Art by ? for “Nanki”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 88 – Art by ? “Bill Aylesbury goes on the stage”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 96 – Art by ? “A treat for Mrs. Tollington”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 108 – Art by Helen Jacobs for “Miss Bushman-Caldicott”Uncle Mac’s Children’s Story Book [1948], 1947- Page 119 – Art by ?
So as you can see I’ve not had much success with this early “Uncle Mac” book. The single colours overlaying the art doesn’t help clarity but if you can hazard a guess and help me out, I’d be grateful for any identifications. Artists need crediting for their work and not be forgotten! Thanks, Norman
I’ve completely re-written this page [December 2024] as I had some assistance identifying covers and annual dates – see below for further information. In re-writing this page I took the opportunity to list contents pages separately from this page, and in more detail for each annual. It’s ongoing work but keep an eye out for further articles.
Firstly, let’s get out of the way the fact that there was a Children’s Hour in America (“The Children’s Hour With Uncle Arthur” #1-5, published between 1947-1955,) and in Australia – both saw Annuals published; the latter saw four annuals that I can find for the Australian Broadcasting Commission’s programme – 1956-1959 (#1-4).
This article is about the BBC production which started on radio and transitioned to TV. I have trawled the Internet and used details – only after checking and double checking facts about contents and dates – but please forgive me if I have erred and do get in contact so I can make corrections – as I’m sure there will be mistakes! I have included these details because, just like with Blackie and Son story books from this era it can be hard to date them and they have a wealth of lovely illustrations – many of whose artists are not remembered these days so I’m doing my bit to help keep their work and memory alive!
The Children’s Hour Annual 1928/1929, art by Stanislaus Soutten Longley, published by Partridge
The first annual I have found with the name of the BBC radio programme was published in 1928 – The Children’s Hour Annual: A Book of Stories and Poems for Boys and Girls (above) contained work by E. F. Benson, Desmond MacCarthy, C. Fox Smith, L. Du Garde Peach, Madeleine Nightingale J. C. Stobart, Christine Chaundler, Hugh Chesterman, Eric Parker, C. E. Hodges, C. A. Dawson Scott, Ralph De Rohan, Antonia White, Philip Carmichael and others, published by Partridge, London. This earliest Children’s Hour Annual had 127 pages and the artists include C. T. Nightingale, A. H. Watson, Ernest Aris, H. J. Ford, Marian Allen, Hugh Chesterman, Joyce Dennys, John Dixon, Eleanor Lambert, A. E. Horn and simply “Johns”. Glenn Reuben confirms the cover is by Stanislaus Soutten Longley (1894-1966) and the British Library copy has an accession date of “February 1929” so I have gone for 1928/1929 as the date.
Glenn also mentioned to me a reference to a 1933 “The Children’s Story Book (Children’s Hour Series)” on the Enid Blyton website, published by Thomas Nelson and I managed to find the above..
The Children’s Hour (1944) Lilian Rowles’ “The Children’s Hour”, 1944
Then we have the 1944 Lilian Rowles (1893-1953) book (Rowles is famous for her softly lit portraits of sleeping babies) and the book is indeed about the radio programme.
The Children’s Hour Picture and Story Book [1951?] Published by Juvenile Productions Ltd.
“The Children’s Hour; Picture and Story Book” book published in London by Juvenile Productions has 61 pages and significantly its first story is “The little whiner” by Enid Blyton, as later we have evidence that Blyton was not welcome on “Children’s Hour”. The other stories include:
Little Whiner
High House
The farmer’s Little Pigs
The Little Spotty Pup
The Best Easter Egg
Dumpty had a big fall!
The Absent-minded Aunt
There are also verses, Puzzles, “How-to-makes”, Fun and games, and Picture Strips (Peter the Panda, The Bunny and the Bung, Tommy and the Apples, Bertie Bear’s Balloon) – all of which are 4 panels on one page. I can’t find any identifying signatures for any of the art, but the bulk is by one artist.
There are many older books with “Children’s Hour” in the title, (ironic as apparently the programme never reached a full 60 minutes!) after all it comes from Longfellow. Here the poem as published in from The Children’s Golden Treasure Book 1939 by Odhams
I can’t find any evidence of another ‘annual’ before ‘Uncle Mac’s’ time. He joined the BBC in 1926 and Children’s Hour in 1930. So let’s get started, trying to map out when these titles were published and check their titles- and I should say this is not a list of all Uncle Mac’s / Derek McCulloch’s output, only the ones related to the Children’s Hour and BBC Annuals.
The 13 October 1940 broadcast by Derek McCulloch (which is no longer archived) stated “the 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth sends her best wishes to the children who have been evacuated from Britain to America, Canada and elsewhere. Princess Margaret joins her to wish all children goodnight. This is the earliest recording of the future Queen in the BBC archives.” Duration 4 minutes 18 seconds. This was one of ‘Uncle Mac’s’ proudest moments apparently.
“Children’s Hour ran on BBC Radio from 1922 to 1964, […] Derek McCulloch took charge of Children’s Hour in 1933, and as ‘Uncle Mac’ presided over the show on air, giving it its famous sign off ‘Goodnight children, everywhere’ – from a defunct BBC page
Derek McCulloch / “Uncle Mac”
McCulloch’s full name was Derek Ivor Breashur [performing name “Uncle Mac”] (1897–1967). McCulloch lost his left eye at the Battle of the Somme and a leg as the result of an unfortunate coach accident near his home. He joined the BBC in 1926 (and wrote Nonsericks for Methuen, as “Uncle Mac” in 1928) and was second-in-command (1931) and took over Children’s Hour 1933. It was in 1950 that he gave up the Children’s Hour role to dedicate more time to writing and to become Children’s Editor for News Chronicle – a fact widely advertised at the time – and later he broadcast again on Children’sFavourites until 1964. Martin Parsons (on a now defunct website) spoke at the Winchester Archaeological Rescue Group after researching Children’s Hour. His special interest is the way in which war has affected the lives of children, with special reference to the evacuation process in World War II. He found, from his research, that the “curmudgeonly old geezer” was very autocratic in his role, but felt this might be due to the constant pain he was in from his wounds. The significance to children scattered far and wide during the war, of his sign-off (“Goodnight children…everywhere”) with that most important pause cannot be exaggerated. You’ll find a fascinating piece called “A Day in the life of the chief Radio “Uncle”- Radio Pictorial April 26, 1935″ here (Archived page). It would be remiss of me to not mention that ‘Uncle Mac’s’ name has now been besmirched. The least sensationalist article I’ve found on the matter is by Andrew O’Hagan in the London Review of Books and makes very depressing reading. You’ve been warned!
Back to the Annuals.
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Hour Story Book [1948, 1947] with pirate cover, Art by Bruno Kay (1910-?), Published by Samspon Low at 7s 6d
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Hour Book [1950, 1949] with orange cover, Published by Sampson Low [printed by Purnell]
Uncle Mac’s Children’s Hour Book [1950, 1949] with yellow cover, Published by [No publisher within] at 7s 6d [printed by Purnell] – simplified shaded colours from the ‘orange’ cover above
BBC Children’s Hour Annual [1954] Edited by Elizabeth (May E. Jenkin) with 5 character cameos on a red grid background with art by various artists.
BBC Children’s Annual [1955] Edited by Freda Lingstrom, (Head of BBC Children’s Television) with children in the snow running home at 5pm. Art by Joanna Curzon
BBC Children’s Annual [1956] Edited by Freda Lingstrom with children in the snow pushing a log on a sled. Art by Joanna Curzon
BBC Children’s Annual [1957] Edited by Freda Lingstrom with a snow outside broadcast near Nelson’s Column(?)children in the snow playing with a sled. Art by Joanna Curzon
BBC Children’s Annual [1958] Edited by Freda Lingstrom with a circle of characters around a Christmas tree (with black background). Art by Trefor Jones
BBC Children’s Annual [1959] Edited by Ursula Eason (Assistant Head of Children’s Television) with a red background and various characters seating on a Chinese dragon. Art by Dick Hart (1920-1990)
I must say an especial thanks to Glenn Reuben who was also researching “the dust jackets of all the publications that come under the “Children’s Hour” umbrella, either including the BBC or their host “Uncle Mac” (Derek McCulloch) in the title” and he had help from Alison Bailey, Lead Curator, Printed Heritage Collections 1901-2000 at the British Library who made notes about accession date stamps which covers most of the above
Jeff Walden, ‘McCulloch, Derek Ivor Breashur [Uncle Mac] (1897–1967)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/53647, accessed 23 Feb 2014].
Visual Rants 