Frederick Thomas Holmes (1908 - 1994; Lindsdale, UK)
It is extraordinary the way certain artists take to the adventure picture strip as to the manner born. Fred Holmes was one of these. His first strip, Robin Hood of Sherwood was published in Sun in August 1953, (and reprinted in TCL 91) and gives all the appearance of work done by a long-established strip artist. For his very next strip, he was entrusted with creating a brand new character for the comics: Claude Duval. This strip began in September of 1953 for Comet and he made it his own.


Like all Associated Press's new adventure strip artists at this time, Fred was given artwork by Campion and Eyles to study before getting down to work. Both influences can be seen in his work, but Holmes had a style that was all his own, which he was able to adapt to suit not only period costume adventures but, later, football strips, taking over Roy of the Rovers for Tiger and the rather jokey Carson's Cubs for Lion; Western strips such as Billy the Kid for Sun and Buffalo Bill for Comet and several World War II battle stories for the various War Picture Libraries.


Fred has intimated that his initial break into illustrations came about because Drummonds of Stirling, Scotland, who were looking for an artist to illustrate their series of religious annuals for children, confused him with Frederick W. Holmes (no relation), a well-known illustrator of the time. If true, we can be grateful that such a mix-up occurred. We can also be grateful that this work came to an end after the War, prompting Fred to answer an advertisement put out by the Temple Art Agency looking for children's book illustrators. When Holmes realised it would mean working for comics, he was overjoyed. Starting by contributing spot illustrations to stories in Film Fun, Jingles and Tip Top, Holmes worked steadily for A.P. with occasional strip work for D.C. Thompson's Hotspur, Victor and Hornet in the late 60s until, shortly after the demise of Lion, he retired from comic work.


Fred Holmes was born in Lindsdale, Buckinghamshire, and took a postal course in illustration with the British and Dominions School of Drawing. Before the age of twenty, Holmes' drawings were appearing in such publications as the Meccano Magazine and the Co-op Magazine as well as in the pages of the Birmingham Weekly Post.