Gilbert Bundy (1911 – November 21, 1955) was an American cartoonist and illustrator, particularly for ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

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Judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

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'' magazines. He killed himself on the 12th anniversary of a deeply traumatic experience as a war artist in the

Battle of Tarawa The Battle of Tarawa was fought on 20–23 November 1943 between the United States and Japan on Tarawa Atoll in the Gilbert Islands, and was part of Operation Galvanic, the U.S. invasion of the Gilberts. Nearly 6,400 Japanese, Koreans, and Am ...

Early life and career

Bundy was born in

Centralia, Illinois Centralia is a city in Clinton, Jefferson, Marion, and Washington counties in the U.S. state of Illinois with the largest portion in Marion County. The city is the largest in three counties, Clinton, Marion, and Washington, but it is not a ...

. His father was a scout for an oil company, so they lived in several oil boom towns across Oklahoma, with Bundy finishing high school in

Winfield, Kansas Winfield is a city and county seat of Cowley County, Kansas, United States. It is situated along the Walnut River in South Central Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 11,777. It is home to Southwestern College. ...

. Bundy's career started in Kansas City, working for an engraving company, and then he moved to New York City in 1929, to draw cartoons for ''

'' and ''

'' magazines. Bundy's "stylish character studies helped establish ''

'' magazine", which began publishing in 1933. According to Martin Plimmer, "Bundy's work was painstakingly researched, the result of numerous life studies, the final version being drawn from memory to add spontaneity."

Second World War

In the Second World War, Bundy was a volunteer

war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...

in the South Pacific, working for

Hearst newspapers Hearst may refer to: Places * Hearst, former name of Hacienda, California, United States * Hearst, Ontario, town in Northern Ontario, Canada * Hearst, California, an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, United States * Hearst Island, a ...

and

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is an American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product License, licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, columnist, newspape ...

. On November 21, 1943, Bundy was on a small

landing craft Landing craft are small and medium seagoing watercraft, such as boats and barges, used to convey a landing force (infantry and vehicles) from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. The term excludes landing ships, which are larger. ...

during the amphibious landing in the

, when a Japanese shell exploded, leaving him trapped under four dead Marines. The wrecked craft drifted onto a coral reef that was within range of Japanese gunners on the island, so Bundy had to hide beneath the bodies for the remainder of a long day, as enemy bullets and shells hit the craft or landed nearby. Once night fell, he swam away through shark-infested waters, and as Hearst newspapers reported, "He was believed dead for three days. His reappearance startled his Marine mates." Bundy was sent home to the US to recuperate, and returned to painting illustrations for "light-hearted romantic stories" for ''

'' and other magazines, but he "remained haunted by his wartime experience."

Death

On November 21, 1955, on the anniversary of his Tarawa trauma, he killed himself in his apartment in New York City's Hotel Le Marquis; "his body was found hanging by several neckties from a door hinge", and police determined it was a suicide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bundy, Gilbert 1911 births 1955 deaths People from Centralia, Illinois Artists from Illinois American magazine cartoonists American magazine illustrators 20th-century American illustrators People from Winfield, Kansas 20th-century American war artists 1955 suicides Suicides by hanging in New York (state) Esquire (magazine) people