Mascots at War

[colcool007]

I am sure that somebody asked, on the Old Forum, about one of the early features that ran in the Warlord called Mascots at War about the animals that served with various regiments. As I now am the proud owner of copies of the first 35 issues, does anyone want to ask the question again?

[Corporal Clott]

I dimly recall this series. Although I wrote ?Union Jack Jackson,? ?The Big Palooka? and ?Three Men in the Jeep? stories, I wasn?t involved in these. Probably just as well because I?d have been tempted to make up some ridiculous story about an officer who had a chimp for a batman. Actually, having served in the army, I can confirm that in reality the opposite would have more likely!

[colcool007]

... Although I wrote ?Union Jack Jackson,?

Very well done that man. I enjoyed it thoroughly from day one. Especailly enjoyed the one-off when they were in Berlin to meet a top agent.

?The Big Palooka?

All of them? That would mean that you are... a fairly mature lad!

and ?Three Men in the Jeep? stories,

You must have been on tight deadlines when you did that one as I thought the Bullet ones were UJJ derivatives and certainly didn't match the other stories that you have metioned being involved with. I suppose everybody is entitled to an off-day!

... Probably just as well because I?d have been tempted to make up some ridiculous story about an officer who had a chimp for a batman. Actually, having served in the army, I can confirm that in reality the opposite would have more likely!

As a current blue suit, I couldn't possibly comment on that. However that does remind me of ?The Coonskin Grenadier? as there was a few stories arcs where he was accompanied by a chimp that was a honourary Sergeant.

[Corporal Clott]

To be honest I can?t remember how many I wrote. I had a record of all the stories I've done for DCT, but the file grew so thick I eventually ditched it. I know I did one UJJ for the annual and I may have done others. At the time I was also doing stories for the Dandy along with Dandy & Beano Comic Libraries, Starblazer and Commando. So things are pretty blurred. I don?t recall the deadlines being tight. It worked like this: I would either suggest story lines myself or DCT would come up with them. These were then passed on to me at the annual meeting. Each story line would stretch out to 20 odd episodes and the scripts would be passed on to the artist. As for my comments on army officers, that may have been sour grapes. I scored a miserable ?Foxtrot? on my selection board for a short service commission and ended up in the Intelligence Corps. It may also have been based on a certain 2nd Lieutenant Hailey-Bell whom I ran into on a Brigade exercise in Sennelager. Although the guy was related to the famous Mills family, (John Mills the actor and his daughter Hailey Mills), he couldn?t read a map and had managed to get himself and his platoon totally lost. Unfortunately he asked me for directions. He was probably misled by the title ?Intelligence Corps.? God only knows where they ended up after I directed them! This may offer some clue as to why we?re not doing too well in Iraq.