It's All a Bit Heath Robinson by Gosling Lucinda

Author:Gosling, Lucinda
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780750985888
Publisher: The History Press

‘Sixth Column Strategy – Stout Patriots Dislodge an Enemy Machine Gun Post from the Dome of St. Paul’s’, The Sketch, 17 July 1940. Probably Heath Robinson’s most famous cartoon from the Second World War; he would die before the war drew to a conclusion.

In the years following the war, comic drawings, the majority of which were published in The Bystander magazine under the editorship of A.S. Alberry, kept Will almost continually occupied. Many other titles also featured his work, among them Nash’s Pall Mall (of which his son Oliver would become art editor), The Humorist and The Strand. He provided decorations to accompany short stories or poems in the Christmas numbers of The Illustrated London News and The Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News (‘Holly Leaves’), allowing him to indulge in the decorative style of illustration with which he had first made his mark. He did return to book illustration, but the style of these drawings was a far cry from those he had done for the luxurious gift-book market of pre-war times. Instead, titles such as ‘Humours of Golf’, ‘How to Live in a Flat’ and ‘How to be a Motorist’, which was written by K.R.G. Browne, utilised carefully drawn pen and ink line drawings to lampoon modern living in the very best spirit of Heath Robinson absurdity. The ‘How To …’ series continued into the Second World War, with Heath Robinson’s friend and neighbour Cecil Hunt as author. Their subjects, ‘How to Build a New World’ and ‘How to Run a Communal Home’, were ripe with comic possibilities for Will to explore.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Will’s unique style, and seemingly endless flow of ideas, led to much advertising work, particularly from industrial firms who were attracted by his machine drawings. He noted that:

Apparently my strange machinery made a strong appeal to manufacturers and engineers. In spite of their absurdity, these inventions of mine were reputed to be mechanically sound. However, I was always invited to study the real machines and processes before my imagination was allowed to play with them. Indeed, this was necessary, as they had to be at least reminiscent of those they burlesqued.

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