Last year, RoSPA – the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents – did what most of us probably will only ever dream of, and discovered a whole cache of their old health and safety posters and artwork just sitting in a warehouse. I wrote about it at the time when they first displayed the finds.
Now Janice Cave, who is in charge of their archive, has got in contact and would like you lot to help. Now that they are a bit further down the line with cataloguing their finds, RoSPA would like your help. They now have a huge list of artists who have done work for RoSPA and about whom they know precisely nothing. But I am sure that collectively we will be able to add to the sum total of human knowledge here.
So here’s the list. If anyone can give me any links, I will add these to the list as we go on (I will confess, I haven’t thrown many of these at Google yet). Or if you have any other information, please just pop it in the comments below.
ANGT
Arthur G Mills
Barry Costen
Bradley
Browning
Bryan Moore
C M F Donnelly
C Parkinson
Chris Russell
Desmond Marks
Desmond Moore
DGB
Dick Segal
Digby Mills
Donald Morrison?
F Blake
F M Coventry
F Thornley
F Winterborne
FT
G B Karo
G Parkinson
Geoffrey Hart
Gerry Ball
Glenn Steward
Godfrey Evans
J Cox
J Last
J Ramsey Wherrett
John Brown
Jon Bateman
K Collar
Kupper-Sachs
Leonard Woy
Ludwig
Maurice Read
Moss
Numan
Peaty
Stan Franklin
Urquhart/Codd
Vernon Surridge
Oh, and the two posters above are by Karo and Leonard Cusden respectively. This one, meanwhile, is by Leonard Woy (any excuse).
I am pleased to say that we now own a copy of this poster, something which pleases me greatly. I shall, of course, not be taking any risks.
Hello Crownfolio. My name is Derek (Bertie) Bassett. I was a student at Guildford School of Art 1958-1962. when Alan Coleman was Principal. I was interviewed for admission by Len Stoppani, and still have the letter of acceptance signed by him.
I’m pleased to be able to give some information on two of the names in your list above. I hope it may be of some interest.
G.B.KARO. George Karo (Polish name Jerzy Brezinski, but I’m not sure if the surname is the correct Polish spelling.) As a young man, George fled Poland at the start of WWII, but lost both his parents. He was a brilliant graphic artist, and a tremendous inspiration as a lecturer during my time under his guidance, 1960-1962. He shepherded a small group of students specialising in poster , record sleeve, book jacket, and industrial design, as well as news print advertisements for A-list clients.
For quite some time after leaving Guildford School of Art, I continued to see George and his wife, at their home in Balham. I was working as an advertising studio artist in Carshalton at the time, but after I changed jobs, and moved away from my flat in S.Croydon, and rather sadly I never quite managed the opportunity to meet up with them again.
VERNON SURRIDGE was a graphic and typographic design lecturer, specialising mainly in the many aspects of press advertising. I was a student in his class during 1959/60. He was also well known for his interest in space exploration, at the height of the successful Russian Sputnik experiment. He is also remembered for his tale about applying for a job. A requirement in the advertisement stated that; “only the cream need apply”. V.S. sent off his application in the post, and included a carton of cream. He landed the job!
I have just read about student unrest at Guildford.. At the end of my Prelininary Year in 1959, the Student Union started a petition to have Alan Coleman ‘removed’ as Principal. He had only recently been appointed to replace Dudley Holland, but was not particularly well liked. The endeavour failed to achieve its aim, and the still incumbent Coleman never forgave those who had lent their name to the document requesting his removal.
My memory is beginning to fade, but if there is anything else you think I may be able to help you with, then do by all means kindly email me. Bertie.B.
Thank you so much for these – I will pass them on to RoSPA, who, I am sure, will be very grateful!