PAUL TEMPLE ALFRED SINDALL Alfred William Sindall was born in Camberwell, London, on March 21, 1900, son of William Cadman Sindall, a banker's clerk, and his wife Emily. He married Elsie M. Harvey in Greenwich in 1922. From at least 1935 he illustrated books, including some in the Biggles series by W. E. Johns. He drew the daily strips Paul Temple 1951-54 in the London Evening News. This detective series was a comics adaptation from Francis Dubridge's radio series and novels. From 1954, the series was continued by Bill Bailey and John McNamara. He then drew Tug Transom 1954-69, written by Peter O'Donnell, in the Daily Sketch. He also drew for Girl in the 1950s, including 'Royal Margaret' 1952. He died in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey, in the first quarter of 1973. His son Bernard Sindall (1925-1998) was a sculptor. John McNamara was the main artist of the British newspaper comic Paul Temple. He took over the artwork from Bill Baily, who had continued the comic after the departure of the original artist, Alfred Sindall, in 1954. This detective series was a comics adaptation from Francis Dubridge's radio series and novels. McNamara presumably drew the comic until the early 1970s. The artist credit byline printed in this installment I believe is not correct. Paul Temple is a fictional character created by English writer Francis Durbridge,1912–1998 for the BBC radio serial Send for Paul Temple in 1938. Temple is an amateur private detective and author of crime fiction. Together with his journalist wife Louise, affectionately known as 'Steve' 'after her pen name 'Steve Trent', he solves 'whodunnit' crimes with subtle, humorous dialogue. Always the gentleman, the strongest oath he utters is 'by Timothy'. Since 1938 the Temples have featured in over 30 BBC radio dramas, 12 serials for German radio, a BBC television series, four British feature films, and several novels. In addition, a Paul Temple comic strip featured in the London Evening News from the mid-1950s to the 1960s. FRANCIS DURBRIDGE Francis Henry Durbridge (25 November 1912 – 11 April 1998) was born in Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, and educated at Bradford Grammar School, where he was encouraged to write by his English teacher. He continued to do so while studying English at Birmingham University. After graduating in 1933, he worked for a short time as a stockbroker's clerk before selling a radio play, Promotion, to the BBC at the age of 21. In 1938, Durbridge created the character Paul Temple, a crime novelist and detective. With Steve Trent, a Fleet Street journalist and later his wife, Temple solved numerous crimes in the glamorous world of the leisured middle classes, first on radio, then in films and, from 1969 to 1971, in a television series. In addition to the Paul Temple series, Durbridge wrote other mysteries for radio and television, many of which were also produced for Dutch, German and Italian television and radio. In the Netherlands Temple was known as Paul Vlaanderen. Durbridge also forged a successful career as a writer for the stage with seven plays, the last of which, Sweet Revenge, was written in 1991. He also wrote forty-three novels, many of which were adapted from his scripts, sometimes with the help of others. Durbridge married Norah Lawley in 1940. They had two sons. He died at his home in Barnes, aged 85, in 1998. |