On the Shelf Collectable Books
Elton John sings about how ‘comic book characters never grow old’ and are, ‘evergreen heroes whose stories are told...’. The ‘infamous’ Two Types are among them
Cartoons are a unique form of journalism that contrasts heavily with other forms of communication. They offer an alternative to formal news reporting by distilling news into humorous and instant commentary on current affairs.
They explain stories in manners that articles cannot, by capturing the human nature of the subjects they depict while satire adds to their appeal. It is therefore no surprise that cartoons found a place in the regulated world of the British Army in World War Two.
The Two Types originally showed their moustachioed faces in Eighth Army News of August 16, 1944, before appearing in The Crusader and then Union Jack in Italy later in the year. All were published by the British Army Newspaper Unit (BANU) of Central Mediterranean Forces (CMF). The Two Types, two army officers shaped by the Western Desert, were the product of the imagination of William John Philpin Jones (1913-1992) – known as Jon - from Llandrindod Wells, Wales.
He enlisted in 1939 and served in the Welsh Regiment, initially in No…
