Raymond Sheppard and a few snow scenes!

Boy's Own Paper December 1957, p.22

I've shown some Christmas, and snow scenes previously, and was wondering what to show you next. This time I started by looking for snow scenes and tripped over a couple in Boy's Own Paper. That led to this group of published images.

In Boy's Own Paper (December 1957 we have a story called "Valley of the Bear" by John Bancroft. Page 22 has the caption "Rearing on its haunches it struck out violently, all the power of nearly half a ton of bone, muscle and flesh behind the blow". Raymond Sheppard shows his command of animal drawing here, with the bear drawing back its lips in a snarl while rearing over the two men in snow, its feet planted firmly apart. It's interesting how the Art Editor has added the border to the text and run it through the artwork.

John Bancroft wrote quite a few stories and articles for Boy's Own Paper, and was even quoted as "John Bancroft of the "Boy's Own Paper" on the covers of at least two of his books. It appears he was born in 1912 and died in 1996. A blurb found online states:

John Bancroft lives in Devon. He is a regular writer for Boy's Own Paper, is an experienced reviewer of books for young people, and has written many radio scripts for the B.B.C. He specialises in adventure stories for teenagers, particularly boys, and has further books in preparation.

I searched the BBC Radio Times listings but couldn't find a "J. Bancroft" or "John Bancroft" listed and then became suspicious. That led me to searching every way I know and then I found the answer. I really should start all searches on my friend Steve Holland's BearAlley blog. John Bancroft was none other than Alan C. Jenkins who wrote an awful lot for BOP.

Here is a partial bibliography of his works under that pseudonym, John Bancroft. 
 

• Guardian of Honour, (Illustrated by Grace Huxtable), London: Macmillan & Co, 1961.
• The Ring of Truth (Illustrated by Grace Huxtable), London: Macmillan & Co, 1962.
• The Borodin Affair, London:Epworth Press, 1966
   
• "The Nelson Touch" The Boy’s Own Paper May 1955
• "The Ring o’ Bells", The Boy’s Own Paper December 1955
• "Kaarpa the Ermine",The Boy’s Own Paper March 1956
• "The Easter Egg" (Competition Story), The Boy’s Own Paper April 1956
• "Spring Comes to Dartmoor", The Boy’s Own Paper May 1956
• "The Easter Egg" (Competition Results), The Boy’s Own Paper July 1956
• "The Orang-utan Run", Parts 1, 2 and 3 The Boy’s Own Paper September - November 1956
  
• "Lets Watch Seals", The Boy’s Own Paper May 1957
• "Arrears of Rent", The Boy’s Own Paper September 1957
• "Plot the course of Roaring Stags", The Boy’s Own Paper October 1957
• [Unknown] , The Boy’s Own Paper August 1958
  
• [Unknown] , The Boy’s Own Paper February & November 1959
  "Guardian of Honour, The Boy’s Own Paper December 1959
• [Unknown] , The Boy’s Own Paper February 1960
• [Unknown] , The Boy’s Own Paper Jan & Aug 1961
• "The Borodin Affair, The Boy’s Own Paper February 1965
  

As we are talking about John Bancroft, here's another story by him illustrated by Sheppard (no snow this time!)

Boy's Own Paper September 1957, p.42-43

 "Arrears of Rent", appeared in Boy’s Own Paper September 1957 issue and shows "The vixen swept in snarling towards the badger's formidable jaws". The badger is defending a dead rabbit against the fox. Again we see here a naturalist's eye and Sheppard too has that perfect knowledge of animals and their individual characteristics.

Let's move onto another author

Boy's Own Paper February 1958 pp.18-19

Boy's Own Paper of February 1958 has a story illustrated by Raymond Sheppard "The Moon of the Crusted Snow" by Eric Acland. Captioned "The voice of his rifle brought an avalanche of whiteness" it shows am Obijwe hunter in a beaver-skin hat shooting at four foxes who are after a fallen deer in the snow.

One of Acland's early books lists him as a "writer and lecturer on military history". He has  the rank of Captain when writing the 1937 "Princess Elizabeth". St. Andrews College (of Aurora, Ontario) in-house journal in 1944 says:

"Lieut. -Col.  Eric  Acland,  E.D.  ('l9-'20 [sic?])  has  been  appointed  a  Deputy Director  of  Military  Intelligence  in  charge  of  a  special  wing  at  National  Defence Headquarters,  Ottawa.  He  has  served  overseas  on  special  duty  and  prior  to  the war  was  on  the  editorial  staff  of  The  [Toronto] Evening  Telegram"

In 1946 they also mention, in the old boy's section: "Lt.-Col.  Eric  Acland  ('19-'24),  since 1944 Deputy Director of Military Intelligence at National Defence Headquarters, has now  retired  from  the  army". But it didn't last long as in the same journal in 1953: "Lt.-Col.  Eric  Acland  ('19-'24)  has  been  elected  Vice-President  of  the Canadian  Military  Intelligence  Association". A 1933 publication published a poem and cited it was taken from "Regimental Journal of the South Wales Borderers, and is reproduced from ‘‘Bugle Notes" by Eric Acland".

I also learned that 

"in 1940 under Lieutenant Eric Acland, [M13 was set up] its main concern was counter-espionage and security with respect to Army personnel and classified information. It maintained close liaison with U.S. Military Intelligence (G-2), British Security Coordination, and Britain’s MI 5. Its primary job was to keep aggressive watch on Canadian soldiers of suspected subversive backgrounds or intentions"

There is also an Eric Acland in the Aylmer, Quebec area, as Wikipedia lists him as a "pre-amalgamation Mayor" from 1965–1967. Eric Acland married in August 1968 to Lois Jennings Edwards at  Aylmer, Quebec. I wondered cautiously if I was looking at two men but I'm sure the later short stories certainly reflect the same sensibilities as the Boy's Own story from 1958.

ERIC ACLAND BIBLIOGRAPHY

• Long Live the King; George V--King and Emperor; Prince and Sovereign--Edward VIII by Eric Acland and Ernest Henry Bartlett. Toronto: John C. Winston. 1936
• The House of Windsor, George V to George VI. by Eric Acland and Ernest H. Bartlett. Toronto: John C. Winston Company, [1937]
• The Princess Elizabeth.by Eric Acland. Toronto: John C. Winston Company [1937]
  
• The House of Windsor : George V to George Vi Royal tour ed. by Eric Acland and Ernest Henry Bartlett. Toronto: Dominion Book and Bible House., 1939
• "The Girl With the Teal Blue Eyes" in Maclean's 15 October 1949
  
• A Tour of Historic Aylmer Quebec = Un Voyage Au Passé Historique D'aylmer.  by Eric Acland and Aylmer and District Arts Association. 1966. 
• Adventure Westward (illustrations by Merle Smith). Camden N.J: T. Nelson. 1967
• Drums of Niagara; an Adventure Story of Early Canada Toronto: T. Nelson (Canada). 1967
• Christ-Church Aylmer-Quebec 1843-1968 by Eric Acland and Don Ritchie.1967
• "Man-Gods Visit Little Mountain" in Boy's Life August 1969
  
• "Twenty Feathers" in Boy's Life May 1971
• "Christmas Bells" in Boy's Life December 1971
• "Windigo of Greed" in Boy's Life February 1972
• "Wings of Spring" in Boy's Life  June 1973
• "Maheengun, My Brother" in Boy's Life August 1974 
• "The Poacher Hunt" in Boy's Life March 1976

The mystery is sort of solved in the 23 August 1982 issue of Maclean's magazine. Julie Van Dusen's tragic report tells us that the unfortunate Acland, on a regular visit to the Old General Store in Aylmer, the town of which he was voted mayor twice, met a belligerent policeman who pushed him, leading to his hospitalisation at the age of 76 and his subsequent death after 45 days. So we now know he was born c.1906 and died 1982. A tragic story considering how Boy's Life presented one of his stories in 1971 (May):

To read a story by Eric Acland ("Twenty Feathers," page 28) is to know that he knows whereof he writes, so it's hardly surprising to learn that his varied and distinguished career in the service of our neighbor to the northly surprising to learn that his varied and distinguished career in the service of out neighbor to the north includes more Iban a decade as senior administrative officer of Canada's Department of Indian Affairs. During World War II Colonel Acland was his country's deputy director of military intelligence, in charge of counter-intelligence operations. He resigned his government post in 1963 to devote his time to writing—which had been his profession prior to World War 11—and is the author of two books. Drum of Niagara and Adventure Westward, both historical fiction for young people. "Man-Gods Visit Little Mountain" (August 1969) first introduced BL readers to the woods wisdom of Walks-Upright, the Ojibwa guide.