Cyril’s lifetime of laughs remembered

It became something of a badge of honour to be sketched by Cyril, who at one stage had a weekly spot in the Courier where his wicked sense of humour was let loose on the event of the week.

Cyril was born in India in 1916 and came to Warwickshire at the age of 11 with his widowed mother.

Always talented with pencils and paint, he attended Leamington Art School for a time but then had to leave early so that he could support his mother by getting a job with the grounds staff at Warwick School.

Of course, it was impossible to keep a good man down and before he went off to serve in the Second World War, Cyril had met his beloved wife Pat who promptly saved every penny of the pay he sent back home.

By the time he returned from North Africa they had enough money to put down a deposit on the family home in Lime Avenue, Leamington.

The couple had two children, Nicola, who emigrated to Canada in 1977 and Neil, who sadly died in 1981.

Last week Nicola sent in her own personal memories of her parents and asked whether people still remembered them.

From her home in Toronto she said: “Dad ended up becoming the publicity director for Atco Motor Mowers, which was later taken over by Qualcast. He’d been a member of Leamington Cricket Club since the late 1930s and was sad when the job led to him and Mum having to move to Derby in 1970.

“I know that on one memorable occasion Dad received a telegram asking him to turn out for the Warwickshire County 2nd Xl in a game against Northants.

“But most of my recollections are of him going out to football matches on cold Saturday afternoons and drawing the players at half-time or afterwards. I believe he was paid £6 per cartoon - each one involving about ten hours’ work - but it was a labour of love.

“The originals were often framed and hung up in a team’s clubhouse for all to view. I wonder if any are still left?”

Cyril died in 1991, three days after his golden wedding anniversary. Pat bravely battled on alone until the age of 83, when she decided to emigrate to Canada to be closer to Nicola and her five grandchildren. She died later the same year.