Frank Bellamy and Kettering Leader and Guardian (PART TWO)

I've previously written about the Kettering Leader and Guardian and thought I'd show you all the images I've collected from it...so far! Lockdown means no British Library visits unfortunately but it does mean more time in your garden! Me? In MY garden? They call me 'Black-finger Boyd'!

All these images are from the Kettering Leader and Guardian 1947 and some of the gags work still in the 21st century; some don't. And do not sue me if these tips don't work for you!

 14 March 1947 p8   

21 March 1947 p.12

28 March 1947 p.14

4 April 1947 p.5

18 April 1947 p.12

25 April 1947 p.5

2 May 1947 p.15

9 May 1947 p.5

16 May 1947 p.5

23 May 1947 p.5

30 May 1947 p.15

6 June 1947 p12

13 June 1947 p.12

20 June 1947 p.12

27 June 1947 p.12

4 July 1947 p.12

11 July 1947 p.12

18 July 1947 p.12

25 July 1947 p.5   

1 August 1947 p.5

8 August 1947 p.5

15 August 1947 p.5

22 August 1947 p.2

29 August 1947 p.5

5 September 1947 p.5

12 September 1947 p.2   

19 September 1947 p.11

26 September 1947 p.2

3 October 1947 p.7

10 October 1947 p.5

24 October 1947 p.12

31 October 1947 p.5

 7 November 1947 p.12   

14 November 1947 p.5

21 November 1947 p.2

28 November 1947 p.2

5 December 1947 p.2

12 December 1947 p.2

26 December 1947 p.9

Lastly here's one of the gardening columns not drawn by Bellamy and published immediately before him coming on board

11 April 1947

Happy Birthday EAGLE!

On this day (before I was born) the comic called Eagle (not 'the Eagle'!) was born from the visionary zeal of Marcus Morris and Frank Hampson - yes! the 'other' Frank!  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY EAGLE

My birthday present to all the world is some of Frank Bellamy's artwork which appeared in this superlative comic. Rather like that meme/chain letter on Facebook. 'No comment just pictures' ... and don't look for too many patterns in what I've chosen!

 

 

 

And lastly, thanks to the past, present and future members of the Eagle Society for keeping Eagle's memory alive via their magazine Eagle Times

Frank Bellamy and ... a rhino!

I'm tidying up in anticipation for a completely different way of working - let's hope I can pull it off - so I need you to see an article from Eagle which was published in Vol. 12:34 (26 August 1961). It's a real hotch-potch of an article. Derek Lord, Assistant Editor of Eagle at the time describes his journey to Zululand (now South Africa). Hluhluwe is still a game reserve and covers 96,00 hectares in the KwaZulu Natal Regine Of South Africa. 

Eagle Vol. 12:34 (26 August 1961)

Take a look at this double page and you'll see what I mean. We have a cartoon, of Mr. Lord and a talking gorilla (by 'Blake')! A photo of a white rhino (but unfortunately in black and white so ironically not very effective), photos of Cape Buffalo and impala and then a shot of cars arriving on safari in a village. On the next page we see a Zulu wedding and lastly a bull buffalo

The Bellamy drawing is captioned "Rhino crushing his way through the undergrowth and Wellington creating blue murder behind him" - a B&W illustration showing a rhinoceros. What was interesting to me was that Bellamy had just finished "Fraser of Africa" (12 August 1961) and it wasn't until 18 November 1961 that we see his work again in Eagle with  a third of the front cover - "Men of Action No.5: Sir Edmund Hillary".

Then after that we get - one of my favourites - "Montgomery of Alamein" by Clifford Makins, Bellamy's first double-page spread in the middle of the comic, running from 10 March 1962 - 7 July 1962.

But what was Bellamy doing  during the summer/autumn of 1961? There are two things I can think of.

Firstly, creating the new "King Solomon's Mine" spreads (all unpublished). Secondly I can tell you that the 1961 catalogue of the Society of Graphic Artists shows that the 34th exhibition of the S.G.A took place at the Royal Institute Galleries, Piccadilly from the 10th to 29th of July at which Bellamy showed four pieces:

• Tiger (Carbon pencil & wash)
• Studies for life (Crayon)
• Ngoma (Pastel)
• Masai (Pen & ink)

Dame Laura Knight and (Cecil) Stuart Tresilian exhibited various pieces. Then the “Summer Salon” 18th Annual Exhibition at the Royal Institute Galleries ran a month from 12th to the 30th August and Bellamy showed the same pieces (without the Masai piece).

But other than the above I have no clue what work he did between the bulk of August 1961 through to March 1962 - except for Wide World just once and that Swift cover. That doesn't prove he didn't have work but if he did, it's not yet been clearly identified.