Alfred Edmeades "Fred" Bestall, MBE (Mandalay, Burma, 14 December 1892 – 15 January 1986 in Penlan, Wales), was the author and illustrator of Rupert Bear for the London Daily Express from 1935 to 1965. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... This article is about the city in Myanmar. ... is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... is the 15th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... The electoral ward of Penderry, City and County of Swansea, South Wales, consists of some or all of the following areas, Cadle, Cockett, Felindre, Fforest-fach, Llangyfelach, Tirdeunaw, Waunarlwydd. ... This article is about the country. ... Rupert Bear Mary Tourtel, the author, lived in Ivy Lane, Canterbury towards the end of her life Rupert Bear is a cartoon character created by the English artist Mary Tourtel and who first appeared in the Daily Express on November 8, 1920. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see Daily Express (disambiguation). ...

Early life

As a schoolboy, Bestall attended Rydal Mount in Colwyn Bay from 1904 to 1911. He won a scholarship to the Birmingham Central School (later College) of Art and later attended the LCC Central School of Arts and Crafts in Camden. He served in World War I in the British Army in 1915 in Flanders, where he transported troops in red, double-deck London buses. Colwyn Bay at sunset Colwyn Bay (Welsh: Bae Colwyn) is a town and seaside resort on the coast of the Irish Sea in North Wales. ... The Birmingham School of Art was a municipal art school based in Birmingham, England. ... The London Borough of Camden is a borough of London, England, which forms part of Inner London. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... For other uses, see Flanders (disambiguation). ... Categories: Road stubs | United Kingdom-related stubs | Bus transport in the United Kingdom | London buses | Vehicles ...

Professional career

Following the war, Bestall finished his studies at the LCC Central School of Art and was hired to illustrate books by Enid Blyton. He also began doing paintings for The Amalgamated Press and did illustrations for Punch and Tatler, as well as for over 50 books. Enid Mary Blyton (August 11, 1897–November 28, 1968) was a popular English childrens writer. ... Look up punch in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Richard Steele Tatler is a contemporary British society magazine published by Condé Nast Publications. ...

In 1935, Bestall was selected to take over the Daily Express’s Rupert Bear stories from Mary Tourtel. Bestall improved the stories and plots of Rupert but more importantly he created the most beautifully crafted illustrations in the Rupert Annuals. Much of the landscape in Rupert is inspired by the Snowdonia landscape of North Wales, notably around Beddgelert, where Bestall’s family had a cottage. He had first visited Beddgelert whilst holidaying with his parents at Trefriw in the Conwy valley in 1912 and 1913. Mary Tourtel ( 1874 - 1948 ) Artist and creator of Rupert the Bear. ... Tryfans north ridge (seen on the left in this picture) in Snowdonia. ... Approximate extent of North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. ... Beddgelert is a village in Gwynedd, Wales, lying in Snowdonia. ... Trefriw is a village on the River Conwy in north Wales, lying a few miles south of the site of the Roman camp of Canovium, sited at Caerhun. ... Boats in the river at Conwy The River Conwy (Welsh: Afon Conwy) is a river in North Wales, United Kingdom. ...

Bestall produced his last Rupert story on July 22, 1965. He retired from the Daily Express in July 1965, but continued creating Annual covers until 1973.

Personal life

Although living in Surbiton, Surrey, after World War I he regularly holidayed in Nantgwynant, near Beddgelert, and in 1956 bought 'Penlan', a cottage at the foot of Mynydd Sygun, in Beddgelert. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Nant Gwynant is a valley in Snowdonia, north Wales. ...

After the formation of the British Origami Society in 1967, Bestall took an active interest, including serving as its president for many years, until his death. The British Origami Society is a charitable organisation devoted to the art of origami (paper folding). ...

In 1985, Bestall was honoured by the Queen Elizabeth II, who appointed him to be a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE). Bestall was unable to receive the award in person because he had bone cancer. On his 93rd birthday, Prince Charles sent him a telemessage, which read: "I have heard that you were sadly unable to receive your MBE from the Queen recently. I wanted to send you my congratulations on your award and to wish you a very happy birthday with many happy returns. As a child I well remember your marvellous illustrations of Rupert Bear." Elizabeth II in an official portrait as Queen of Canada (on the occasion of her Golden Jubilee in 2002, wearing the Sovereigns badges of the Order of Canada and the Order of Military Merit) Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary) (born 21 April 1926), styled HM The... The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions; in decreasing order of seniority, these are Knight Grand Cross or Dame Grand Cross (GBE) Knight Commander... Prince Charles may refer to: Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, current heir-apparent to the British throne Any of the previous British royals named Charles, Prince of Wales The former Belgian regent, Prince Charles of Belgium This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that...

In May 2006, Bestall was commemorated with an English Heritage Blue Plaque at 58 Cranes Park, Surbiton, London, where he lived for 30 years. A blue plaque showing information about The Spanish Barn at Torre Abbey in Torquay. ... , Surbiton, a suburban area of London in the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, is a commuter town next to the river Thames, populated with a mixture of Art-Deco courts, spacious and grand late-19th century town houses blending into a sea of semi-detached 20th century housing estates. ...

He died on January 15, 1986, aged 93, at Wern Nursing Home in Penlan, Wales.

External links

• A BBC site biography

References

• The Life and Works of Alfred Bestall: Illustrator of Rupert Bear by Caroline Bott (Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 2003)
• The Rupert Bear Story (Channel 4, 9 December 1982) Directed by Terry Jones -- A tribute to Alfred Bestall (Terry Jones is perhaps best known as a member of the Monty Python team and as a scriptwriter. He has also written a number of books for children. Jones' favourite children's story was Rupert Bear by Alfred Bestall.)