Len Walker (1905 - 1996)
With his wife Maud and
son Robin, Len Walker presented marionette performances
under the names of The Rose-Berry Marionettes and
The Merryman Marionettes.
A Design Engineer by
profession, Len was a brilliant technical illustrator
whose illustrations adorned the pages of early issues of
The Puppet Master - the Magazine of The
British Puppet & Model Theatre Guild. His
illustrations also appear in The Marionettes of
Barcelona - a book by Ray DaSilva on the work
of Harry Tozer.
Illustration by Len Walker
for "The Puppet Master" 1946
Len Walker's puppets
and designs were a source of inspiration for many of the
British Puppeteers who followed him.
In addition to his
puppetry skills, Len was also an accomplished poet and
published a book of poetry - "A Light Hearted Look -
Verses with Rhymes just like Old Times" in 1994,
when he was 89 years old. The book was dedicated
to the memory of his wife, Maud, who died in 1993.
The following is the
first verse of his poem "The Shrimp and the Crimp" which
betrays the wonderful sense of fun which came across in
all his work.
SWIM-ABOUT-SALLY, the saucy young shrimpet,
Sat down on a rock, close to Lionel Limpet;
"I wonder," she said,
"If the hair of my head
Would look more attractive if I were to crimp it?"
Maud &
Len Walker with some of their puppets 1955 |
