Denys James Watkins-Pitchford MBE (25 July 1905 – 8 September 1990) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

naturalist, an

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicat ...

, art teacher and a children's author under the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"BB". He won the 1942 Carnegie Medal for British

children's books A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younge ...

Early life

Denys Watkins-Pitchford was born in

Lamport, Northamptonshire Lamport is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. The village is on the A508, about south of Market Harborough and north of Northampton. Nearby is Lamport Hall. At the time of the 2001 census, the parish's population was ...

, the second son of the Revd. Walter Watkins-Pitchford and his wife, Edith. His elder brother, Engel, died at the age of thirteen. Denys was himself considered to be delicate as a child, and because of this was educated at home, while his younger twin, Roger, was sent away to school. He spent a great deal of time on his own, wandering through the fields, and developed a love of the outdoors, which was to influence his writing. He enjoyed shooting,

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques ...

and drawing; all these things were to influence his writing greatly. At the age of fifteen, he left home and went to study at the Northampton

School of Art An art school is an educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, including fine art – especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. Art schools can offer elementary, secondary, post-secon ...

. He won several prizes while there, but was irked by the dry, academic approach, and longed to be able to draw from life. While at the Northampton School of Art, Watkins-Pitchford won a travelling scholarship to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. He was later to say that he could not remember how long he had spent in Paris, but QuinnTom Quinn, "BB Remembered", Swan Hill Press, 2006. suggests that it was probably about three months. He worked at a studio in

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the Rive Gauche, left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. Montpar ...

, and attended drawing classes. It is unknown exactly where he studied. In the autumn of 1924, he entered the

Royal College of Art The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It of ...

in London. In 1930 he became an assistant art master at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. ...

where he remained for seventeen years. While at Rugby School he began contributing regularly to the

Shooting Times ''Shooting Times and Country Magazine'', more commonly known as the ''Shooting Times'', is a British shooting, fieldsports, and conservation magazine, published by Future plc. The magazine also features articles on fishing, deer stalking, gam ...

and started his careers as an author and an illustrator. He wrote under the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

of '"BB"', a name based on the size of

lead shot Shot is a collective term for small spheres or pellets, often made of lead. These were the original projectiles for shotguns and are still fired primarily from shotguns and less commonly from riot guns and grenade launchers, although shot shell ...

he used to shoot

geese A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the she ...

, but he maintained the use of his real name as that of the illustrator in all his books. He later illustrated books by other writers, and sold his own paintings locally.

Later years

Watkins-Pitchford married in 1939, and had two children, Robin, who died at the age of seven from

Bright's Disease Bright's disease is a historical classification of kidney diseases that are described in modern medicine as acute or chronic nephritis. It was characterized by swelling and the presence of albumin in the urine, and was frequently accompanie ...

, and Angela. Tragedy entered his life a second time in 1974, when his wife, Cecily, became unwell after working in the garden while a farmer was spraying his fields at the other side of the hedge. She died a few weeks later. By the late 1980s, Watkins-Pitchford needed regular dialysis treatment. He was awarded an honorary MA by Leicester University in 1986, and was made a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

(MBE) in 1990. He collapsed suddenly in September of that year, and died while under anaesthetic in the operating theatre.

Works

For ''The Little Grey Men'', published by

Eyre & Spottiswoode Eyre & Spottiswoode was the London-based printing firm that was the King's Printer, and subsequently, a publisher prior to being incorporated; it once went by the name of Spottiswoode, Ballantyne & co. ltd. In April 1929, it was incorporated as ...

in 1942, BB won the annual Carnegie Medal from the

Library Association The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals, since 2017 branded CILIP: The library and information association (pronounced ), is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge managers in the ...

, recognising the year's best children's book by a British subject. *(1922) ''Diary & Sketchbook'' (Published in 2012) *(1937) ''The Sportsman's Bedside Book'' *(1938) ''Wild Lone: The Story of a Pytchley Fox'' *(1939) ''Manka, the Sky Gypsy: The Story of a Wild Goose'' *(1941) ''The Countryman's Bedside Book'' *(1942) ''

The Little Grey Men ''The Little Grey Men: A story for the young in heart'' is a children's fantasy novel written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford under the pen name "BB" and illustrated by the author under his real name. It was first published by Eyre & Spottiswoode in ...

'' *(1943) ''The Idle Countryman'' *(1944) ''

Narrow Boat A narrowboat is a particular type of canal boat, built to fit the narrow locks of the United Kingdom. The UK's canal system provided a nationwide transport network during the Industrial Revolution, but with the advent of the railways, comme ...

'' *(1944) ''

Brendon Chase ''Brendon Chase'' is a children's novel by Denys Watkins-Pitchford, writing as 'BB'. It was published in 1944 but is set at an earlier date. The novel is about three boys living wild in an English forest. It was later made into a 13-part TV ser ...

'' *(1945) ''The Fisherman's Bedside Book'' *(1945) ''The Wayfaring Tree'' *(1948) ''Meeting Hill'' *(1948) ''The Shooting Man's Bedside Book'' *(1948) ''A Stream in Your Garden'' *(1948) ''Down the Bright Stream'' (sequel to ''The Little Grey Men'' (1942), later released as ''The Little Grey Men Go Down the Bright Stream'') *(1949) ''Be Quiet and Go A-Angling'' (Pseudonym Michael Traherne) *(1950) ''Confessions of a Carp Fisher'' *(1950) ''Letters from Compton Deverell'' *(1950) ''Tide's Ending'' *(1952) ''The Wind in the Wood'' *(1953) ''Dark Estuary'' *(1955) ''The Forest of Boland Light Railway'' *(1957) ''Alexander'' *(1957) ''Ben the Bullfinch'' *(1957) ''Wandering Wind'' *(1957) ''Monty Woodpig's Caravan'' *(1958) ''Monty Woodpig & his Bubblebuzz Car'' *(1958) ''Mr Bumstead'' *(1958) ''A Carp Water (Wood Pool): And How to Fish It'' *(1959) ''The Wizard of Boland'' *(1959) ''Bill Badger's Winter Cruise'' *(1959) ''Autumn Road to the Isles'' *(1960) ''

Bill Badger and the Pirates ''Bill Badger and the Pirates'' is a children's novel with a canal-side setting, written and illustrated in 1960 by the prolific author Denys Watkins-Pitchford, who wrote under the pseudonym "BB". The plot revolves around the release from prison ...

'' *(1961) ''Bill Badger and the Secret Weapon'' *(1961) ''The White Road Westwards'' *(1961) ''The Badgers of Bearshanks'' *(1961) ''Bill Badger's Finest Hour'' *(1962) ''Bill Badger's Whispering Reeds Adventure'' *(1962) ''September Road to Caithness'' *(1962) ''Lepus the Brown Hare'' *(1963) ''Bill Badger's Big Mistake'' *(1964) ''The Pegasus Book of the Countryside'' *(1964) ''Summer Road to Wales'' *(1967) ''Bill Badger and the Big Store Robbery'' *(1967) ''A Summer on the Nene'' *(1967) ''The Whopper'' *(1968) ''At the Back o' Ben Dee'' *(1969) ''Bill Badger's Voyage to the Worlds End'' *(1971) ''The Tiger Tray'' *(1975) ''The Pool of the Black Witch'' *(1975) ''Lord of the Forest'' *(1976) ''Recollections of a Longshore Gunner'' *(1978) ''A Child Alone'' *(1979) ''Ramblings of a Sportsman-Naturalist'' *(1980) ''The Naturalist's Bedside Book'' *(1981) ''The Quiet Fields'' *(1984) ''Indian Summer'' *(1985) ''The Best of BB'' *(1987) ''Fisherman's Folly'' *(1990) ''The Confessions of a Coastal Gunner'' (published in 2011)

Motto

Inside all his books appeared the quotation: :The wonder of the world :The beauty and the power, :The shapes of things, :Their colours, lights and shades, :These I saw. :Look ye also while life lasts. This quote, so apt for his works, has sometimes been thought to have been another one of 'BB'’s creations but it was in fact copied from a tombstone in a north-country churchyard by his father.

Adaptations of his works

In 1975 ''The Little Grey Men'' was adapted into a 10-part animated series called ''

Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder and Cloudberry ''The Little Grey Men: A story for the young in heart'' is a children's fantasy novel written by Denys Watkins-Pitchford under the pen name "BB" and illustrated by the author under his real name. It was first published by Eyre & Spottiswoode in 19 ...

'' by

Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...

in the U.K. ''Brendon Chase'' was dramatised into a 13-part series by

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as 'Southern Television Limited' and the title 'Southern Television' was co ...

in 1980. In 1970, the Swiss public TV station

SRG SSR The Swiss Broadcasting Corporation (german: Schweizerische Radio- und Fernsehgesellschaft; french: Société suisse de radiodiffusion et télévision; it, Società svizzera di radiotelevisione; rm, Societad Svizra da Radio e Televisiun; SRG ...

adapted ''Bill Badger and the Pirates'' into an 18 part marionette children's program entitled ''Dominik Dachs und die Katzenpiraten'', in Swiss-German dialect. It was rebroadcast in March 2012.

Trivia

'' was one of Syd Barrett's favourite books; an excerpt from it was read at his funeral.

References

External links

The BB Society

BB or Denys Watkins-Pitchford
biography at Stella & Rose's Books

at Countryside Models — based on ''The Forest of Boland Light Railway'' * (includes work published as by BB or B. B.)
Michael Traherne
at LC Authorities, 1 record (another pseudonym) {{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins-Pitchford, Denys James English children's writers English fantasy writers British children's book illustrators Carnegie Medal in Literature winners Members of the Order of the British Empire Writers who illustrated their own writing People from West Northamptonshire District 1905 births 1990 deaths Place of death missing 20th-century English novelists