Len BowerLeonard (Len) Bower won a scholarship to train as an illustrator at Leeds College of Art in 1939, but his studies were interrupted by WWII when he joined the RAF as an aircraftsman at Mildenhall, Binbrook and St Athan. During this time he developed hs considerable skills in illustration, using it to teach other aircraftsmen about the structure of planes. His natural abilities as a teacher caught the eye of a commanding officer, and he was called back to St Athan, this time as an instructor. After completing his studies at Leeds College of Art, where he met his wife Sadie (who also became a renowned art teacher in Leeds), he became Head of Art at Batley Grammar School, and then a senior lecturer in Art Education back at Leeds College of Art. Because Len chose to become a teacher rather than an illustrator, he never had any work published until Jane asked him to illustrate Thread and Thrum - although he produced a constant stream of highly professional artwork, posters and visual aids for all kinds of occasions, mainly church-related. Around the age of 94 he gradually lost his sight to macular degeneration. Apart from his six years in the RAF he has lived in Leeds all his life. His witty, humorous war diaries and poignant memoirs inspired his daughter Jane Bower to write and perform her solo show Daddy's Diaries about his remarkable war years. The show features his illustrations. You can learn more about Len by watching the show via www.tinyurl.com/daddysdiaries Read More Read Less