Sleigh « Visual Rants

Here’s another BBC Children’s Annual investigated and it’s a long one! Fortunately for me, when the first three (1935-1937) annuals were published, their dates are published within – thus saving any confusion (beyond the usual dating/naming of UK annuals). So normally the one dated 1936 might be labelled ‘1937’ so let’s call this The Children’s Hour Annual [1937, © 1936]

The Children's Annual 1936 — *The Children’s Hour Annual* 1937 – cover by Keith McKay Edmunds, or Kay Edmunds(?)

This annual was advertised in The Bookseller on 2 September 1936 at 3/6d for its 168 pages. The Blackie’s Boys’ Annual of the same year was 228 pages and sold for 5/- and D.C. Thomson’s Wizard Book for Boys was 2/6d, so as a friend said to me “you pays your money; you takes your choice”!

CONTENTS with artists added by me!

Hullo Children ! – Derek McCulloch
Foreword – A. J. Alan
The Secret Of Longwater -Franklyn Kelsey; Drawings by Norman Hepple (?)
Red Knight – Olive Dehn; Drawing by ‘PBL’
The Twisted Tale Of Mop And Mow – Hugh E. Wright; Drawings by ‘Sleigh’ and a colour illo by Jacynth Parsons
Steve Talks! – Commander Stephen King-Hall; Drawing by ‘Unknown’
Kimpie Plays For Tillingfold – Hugh De Sélincourt; Drawings by Raymond Sheppard
The Breaking In of Herr Rittmeister Bams – Olive Dehn; Drawing by Douglas Lionel Mays
Memories Of Mooween – H. Mortimer Batten; Drawings by Raymond Sheppard
The Common Tern – Olive Dehn; Drawing by ‘PBL’
At 5-15 – Derek McCulloch; Drawings by ‘Unknown / “The Stippling artist”
“Hey, Dittle Dittle” – Carey Grey; Draings by Jacynth Parsons
A Farewell To Flowering – Olive Dehn; Drawing by ‘PBL’
Joe Rabbit’s Party – George C. Nash; Drawings by Ernest Aris
Some Of My Hobbies – Lieutenant-Commander R. T. Gould; Drawings by author?
Queen Brigid’s Choice – Norah Holloway; Drawings by Gladys Peto
Bird-Watching In Australia – David Seth-Smith; Drawings by Harry Rountree
The Pirate Who Wept – L. Du Garde Peach; Drawings by René Bull
“The School Technician” – J. D. Strange; Drawings by ‘Unknown’
How To Practice Catching, Bowling And Fielding – P. G. H. Fender; Drawings by Thomas Heath Robinson
All Round The Bay – Barbara Euphan Todd And “Klaxon”; Drawings by H. M. Brock
The Duke’s Button – Peter Roberts; Drawings by L. Sterne Stevens

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS – i.e photographs and drawings

Derek McCulloch—Uncle Mac of the B.B.C. . . . Frontispiece (Photograph by courtesy of the B.B.C.)
“We tied them both up and sent for the local police” [COLOUR ILLO by Norman Hepple]
“Mop stopped opposite Jim, and Mow stopped opposite Jane” [COLOUR ILLO by Jacynth Parsons]
B.B. Studio (Dance Band), general view. (Photograph by courtesy of the B.B.C.)
Broadcasting House Dramatic Control Room No. 3, December 1934. The D.C. Panel showing Talk-Back Microphone (Photograph by courtesy of the B.B.C.)
P. G. H. Fender punishes a loose ball in the game, Middlesex versus Surrey, at Lord’s Ground, London (photo)
Zoo Broadcast—The Cockatoo (Photograph by courtesy of the B.B.C.)

“Uncle Mac” tells us on the flyleaf as well in his introduction that “In presenting the second Children’s Hour Annual, I find it difficult to realize that twelve months have gone by since “No. 1″ appeared.” thus confirming this is the second under his reign. Each story or article has an introduction – which I have scanned for you below as researchers might find this to be the only information on some authors etc. If only artists had had the same treatment, I’d be happier, but nevertheless as usual I’ll have a go at filling out as many details as I can in the hope search engines guide researchers here.

Let’s start with what the lovely drawings for the title, contents and illustrations pages. They are signed “Fitz” but I have no clues to follow who this is. Any ideas anyone?

*The Children’s Hour Annual* 1937 – art by Fitz

I think the next artist is Norman Hepple – and surely this must be Robert Norman Hepple (1908-1994). Take a look at the signature =- clearest in the first image from page 15

*The Children’s Hour Annual* 1937 Pages 15, 17 and 22 showing a signature “Norman “Hepple”?

Alan Horne (p.244) in his excellent The Dictionary of 20th Century Book Illustrators shows an illustration from “Gone to Earth” which has a very similar signature, so I think that corroborates my thinking!

Olive Dehn wrote a few verses in this book – illustrated by ‘PBL’ but who that is, I don’t know. The problem is I need somewhere to start. I like his/her illustrations and their initials are clearly present here. Anyone?

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937, pages 23, 68 and 84 – all drawn by ‘PBL’

The next artist is “Sleigh” which I guessed might be S. Leigh, but I can’t imagine it’s Stanley Howard Leigh of Biggles fame as he signed his name Howard Leigh, but stranger things have been known. The artwork has a woodblock look to it, in my opinion, and accompanies “The Twisted Tale Of Mop And Mow” by Hugh E. Wright, where ‘Sleigh’ does three illustrations. The earlier Children’s Hour Annual (more in a future article on this blog) has a story by Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh (1906–1982), the author of the Carbonel series about a king of cats but she didn’t illustrate any of her own stories to my knowledge. However there is an illo in the previous annual where she signs her work “B de R. S”, so ‘Sleigh’ remains a mystery. Coincidentally (or not?) her attached surname comes from her being the daughter of Bernarad Sleigh (the artist famed for “An Ancient Mappe of Fairyland, Newly Discovered and Set Forth”). I can’t see this work being his, but again, I’m putting this here in case others can solve the mystery.

*The Children’s Hour Annual* 1937 Page 26 by ‘Sleigh’, could this be Barbara Grace de Riemer Sleigh?

The next, by Jacynth Parson (1911-1992) is a lovely colour illustration to accompany the same story – which I found strange. Parsons was a renowned illustrator in her time and drew for various books – her father was an expert in stained-glass. Her art is easy to find on the Internet. and I’ve scanned two other illustrations below from the story “Hey Dittle Dittle!” It’s an interesting style which I like.

*The Children’s Hour Annual* 1937 Page 32 by Jacynth Parsons

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937 Pages 79 and 82 by Jacynth Parsons

The next artist I’d like to highlight is an old favourite – or at least I hope I’ve got this right. “The Breaking in of Herr Rittmeister Bams” by Olive Dehn, looks to be drawn by Douglas Lionel Mays. Look at the signature – his familiar spread lettering.

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937 Pages 52 and 55 by Douglas Lionel Mays

And then we come to another mystery artist. I love the excessive stippling in these illustrations which appear on pages 70, 72 and 75. The style is so familiar and distinctive but I can’t place the artist who I shall call “The Stippling Artist” until I find a name.

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937 Pages 70, 72 and 77 by “The Stippling Artist”!

The next artist conveniently signed their art: G. E. Peto (which rather looks like C. E. Peto to me!) Gladys Emma Peto was born in 1890 in Maidenhead and died at 86 in 1977 – an obituary appearing in the Times newspaper. Her first illustrations appeared in the works of Louisa M. Allcot in 1914 and her name became a brand in the 20s and 30s – with books like Gladys Peto’s Storyland, Gladys Peto’s Holiday Stories, Gladys Peto’s Girl’s Own Stories etc. She produced illustrations for The Sketch, many books on travel and posters etc. She moved to Northern Ireland in 1939 and had several successful exhibitions and as her obituary writer states: “in the twenties and early thirties it was the ” in” thing to wear a Gladys Peto dress.”

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937 Pages 105, 108 and 111 by Gladys Peto

The very well known Harry Rountree illustrates some animal pictures and I suspect Ernest Aris may also appear here illustrating “Joe Rabbit’s Party” but the next two I want to show are the very popular René Bull (1869 – 1942), who was born in Dublin on 11 December 1869 and died 14 March 1942 in Hampshire. He was known as a founder member of the London Sketch Club, and my interest was his wonderful children’s illustrations. The two here show his talent for pen and ink.

The Children’s Hour Annual 1937 Pages 124 and 127 by René Bull

Lastly I loved these three images by L. Sterne Stevens – surely not the same artist as the American who drew many artworks for science-fiction and adventure pulps in America? They both do lovely linework but I can’t see the similarity and my artists dictionaries have no clues. However the American pulp artist did live in Belgium in 1910 – is it too far-fetched to think he might have drawn for the BBC publication?