Eagle fans will know Peter Hampson was his father Frank Hampson’s model for “Flamer” Spry in the original “Dan Dare” strip. But Peter was also called on to help his father when he illustrated for Ladybird Books… and the family cat, Digby, too!
“A Ladybird Books fan asked Helen Day of the website Ladybird Fly Away Home whether the cat featured in several of my father’s Ladybird Books was actually our cat,” Peter noted recently on the official Frank Hampson web site.
“I confirmed that it was indeed our cat, named Digby after Dan Dare’s batman.
“I also found this photograph of Digby and myself, aged about six, in the garden of Bruce Lodge in Epsom.
“The photo was taken around 1953 and obviously came in handy in 1967 when my father was illustrating this book of nursery rhymes.”
The Ladybird Book of Nursery Rhymes, and a photograph of Digby the Cat courtesy Peter Hampson
Ladybird Books first commissioned Frank Hampson in 1964, to produce illustrations for The Stories of Our Christmas Customs. Over the next six years he worked on a further nine titles, including three books of Nursery Rhymes and two of the Kings and Queens of England, The History of Food, The History of Transport, Christmas Customs, Madame Curie and of course, books in the Peter and Jane series designed to help learner readers, which featured Peter Hampson as Peter.
“Peter and Jane watch the artist” – an illustration by Frank Hampson from the Ladybird Key Words Scheme book 5b, “Out in the Sun”. Courtesy Peter Hampson
“Here, as with all his commissions, he remained a stickler for accuracy,” Peter says of his father’s work. “His historical subjects were always meticulously researched and the love of detail that he brought to ‘Dan Dare’ is very apparent in these Ladybird illustrations.”
• The Official Frank Hampson web site
• The Ladybird Fly Away Home site
• Dan Dare books on Amazon UK (Affiliate Link)
- About the Author
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The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
Categories: Art and Illustration, Books, British Comics, downthetubes Comics News, downthetubes News, Other Worlds
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