| Frank
Hampson was born on the 21st December 1918 at 488 Audenshaw Road,
Audenshaw to Robert and Elsie and was the middle child born to the
Hampson's. His father was an engineer's clerk with the Railway and ex
Second Lieutenant in the 8th Manchester Regiment. The family later moved
to Southport and Frank received his education from the age of eleven at
the town's King George V Grammar School. Frank had limited formal art
training but enjoyed drawing and learnt how to tell a story in pictures,
using few words. He was fascinated by the American newspaper supplements
sent by relatives from Canada and inspired particularly by their use of
the strip cartoon format. Frank's career as an artist began when a local
parson, Marcus Morris, the vicar at St James, Birkdale wanted a
professional edge to some of the illustrations in the parish magazine
'Anvil' of which he was editor. Early in 1948 he turned to the business
run by the two art school students. Morris felt that the Church of
England was not publicising its message effectively enough and already
had ambitions involving 'Anvil' as a monthly national Christian
magazine. |
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