Bruce Bairnsfather 1887 - 1959

Came to England in 1895; joined the army whilst taking art classes in the evening; left the army in 1907 to become an artist; began working as an electrical engineer and aquired work drawing advertisements for Liptons, Player's cigarettes, Keene's mustard and Beechams; fought in the first world war and began drawing pictures influenced by his experiences which were to be published in the 'Bystander'; created his famous character 'Old Bill' during this period who was characterized by his pipe-smoking and walrus-moustache ('Old Bill' was not used in government posters until WW2); given the role of officer-cartoonist and transferred to the War Office to draw morale boosting cartoons; became the subject of one of the first talking motion pictures in 1927; took part in the first experimental television transmissions from Alexandra Palace in 1936; wrote, directed and produced 'Carry on, Sergeant!' 1928; also gave lecture tours in Great Britain, the US and Canada, wrote scripts, performed music-hall variety acts; illustrated journalism and wrote books of memoirs; he edited his own weekly magazine 'Fragments' 1919-1920; during the second world war he was the official cartoonist to the American forces in Europe.