TITCOMBE, Bill

1938 - 2021

William Thomas Roland Titcombe was born at Romford, Essex in September 1938, son of Stewart Leslie Titcombe (14 April 1899-1952), a commercial artist, and his wife Edith Elizabeth née Littler (10 August 1903-12 November 1968), who married at Romford in 1927 and in 1939 Stewart was living at 11 Eccleston Crescent, Ilford, Essex. Bill was educated at schools in London and in South Africa. Leaving school at the age of 16, he began working at London publisher Amalgamated Press, where his career in British comics began. Bill married at Harrow, London in 1959, Audrey Dorcas Taylor (1 May 1931-4 September 2010), who was an author of children's books and they lived at Stanningfield, before moving to Beccles, both in Suffolk. British comic book artist Bill Titcombe started illustrating children's comics in the late 1950s and created 'Buster', the son of Reg Smythe's 'Andy Capp', and drew the title comic of the character's own comic book before Hugh McNeill took over in the 1960s. He is best known for his versatile contributions to 'TV Comic' throughout the 1960s and 1970s. Titcombe drew not only 'TV Terrors', but also a great many comic strips based on TV shows, including 'Bootsie and Snudge', 'The Dickie Henderson Family', 'The Telegoons', 'World Cup Willie', 'Dad's Army', 'Tom and Jerry', 'Bugs Bunny' and 'Barney Bear'. He was also an artist for the 'Dad's Army' comic book published by Piccolo in 1973 and for 'Tom and Jerry' comic books and lolly wrappers. He had his studio at 1 Northgate, Beccles, Suffolk and he donated a work to the 'Westhall Secret Postcard Auction' in 2012 'Bullfinch' and in 2013 a watercolour 'Redstart'. In 2015, together with David Baxter, Miles Fairhurst and Stephen Govier, they opened the Earsham Hall Art Gallery at the 18th century Earsham Hall, near Bungay. William Thomas Roland Titcombe died on 3 February 2021.

---

Works by This Artist