"Uncle Squibs and his Naughty Nibs", Jester, 1928-1932
William Francis "Bill" Radford was born in Shoreditch, London, on 30 April 1892, the son of a horse hair dresser. He worked as a freelance artist from his home in South Chingford, mainly for the comics of the Amalgamated Press. Strips he drew include:
- "Little Tommy Treddles" (1914) and "Coppy the Conjurer" (1923) for Chuckles
- "I, Screamo" (1920) for Merry and Bright
- "Dick Whittington" (1923) for Jungle Jinks
- "Lariat Lenny" (1926) for Funny Wonder
- "Uncle Squibs and his Naughty Nibs" (1928-1932) for Jester
- "Lupino Lane (1929), "Sydney Howard" (1934) and "Larry Semon" (1930s) for Film Fun
- "Dusty Dude" (1935) for Illustrated Chips
His older brother Tom was also a comics artist, working for many of the same titles in a similar style - confused AP staff occasionally sent payment to the wrong brother.
Bill died in the first quarter of 1972 in Enfield, Middlesex. In 1975 his son Raymond raised £5,600 at an auction of his father's collection of comics and original artwork.
References[]
- Alan Clark, Dictionary of British Comic Artists, Writers and Editors, The British Library, 1998, p. 140
- Denis Gifford, Encyclopedia of Comic Characters, Longman, 1987, p. 234