Geoffrey Willans facts for kids

Herbert Geoffrey Willans (born February 4, 1911 – died August 6, 1958) was an English writer and journalist. He is most famous for creating the funny schoolboy character, Nigel Molesworth. Molesworth was known as the "gorilla of 3B" and the "curse of St. Custard's" school. His adventures appeared in four popular books, brought to life with drawings by Ronald Searle.

Early Life and School Days

Geoffrey Willans was born in 1911 in a city called Smyrna, which is now Izmir in Turkey. His father worked for a railway company there. Willans went to Blundells School in Tiverton, England. After finishing school, he even became a teacher at the same school for a while. He also loved sailing small boats.

Serving in World War II

During the Second World War, Willans joined the Royal Naval Reserve. He served in the Eastern Mediterranean. He took part in important battles like the Greek campaign and the Battle of Crete. He served on a ship called HMS Peony, which was a type of small warship called a corvette. Later, he joined a larger ship, the aircraft carrier HMS Formidable.

The World of Nigel Molesworth

The character Nigel Molesworth first appeared in Punch magazine in 1939. Molesworth later became the main character and narrator of four humorous books. These books were:

• Down with Skool! (1953)
• How to be Topp (1954)
• Wizz for Atomms (1956)
• Back in the Jug Agane (1959), which was published after Willans passed away.

All four books were later put together in one collection called The Compleet Molesworth. These books are known for their funny misspellings, unusual capital letters, and schoolboy slang.

Ronald Searle, who drew the pictures for the Molesworth books, said that Willans's humor was very clever. He mentioned that even schoolteachers enjoyed the books. In fact, some teachers even gave them out as prizes at the end of the school year!

Other Writings and Film Work

Willans wrote many other books besides the Molesworth series. One of his novels, The Whistling Arrow (1957), was about a futuristic airplane. A reviewer said that Willans was very good at writing about planes and the people who flew them. The idea of a "whistling arrow" was made popular by the Walt Disney movie The Story of Robin Hood. In the movie, whistling arrows were used as signals.

Willans also helped write the script for a film called The Bridal Path (1959). This movie starred George Cole. Sadly, Willans died from a heart attack in London at age 47 before the film was released.

He also wrote other funny books, including:

• The Dog's Ear Book (also with Ronald Searle)
• My Uncle Harry (which explored British gentlemen's clubs)
• Fasten Your Lapstraps! (about the early days of long-distance flights)
• Admiral on Horseback (a more serious book about the Royal Navy)

Books by Geoffrey Willans

Molesworth Books

• Down with Skool! A Guide to School Life for Tiny Pupils and their Parents (1953)
• How to be Topp: A Guide to Sukcess for Tiny Pupils, Including All There is to Kno about Space (1954)
• Whizz for Atomms: A Guide to Survival in the 20th Century for Fellow Pupils, their Doting Maters, Pompous Paters and Any Others who are Interested (1956)
  • Published in the U.S. as Molesworth's Guide to the Atomic Age
• Back in the Jug Agane (1959)
• The Compleet Molesworth (1958)
  • Molesworth (2000 Penguin reprint)

Other Titles

• Shallow Dive (1934)
• Romantic Manner (1936)
• One Eye on the Clock (1943)
• Admiral on Horseback (1954)
• The Wit of Winston Churchill (1954), with Charles Roetter
• Fasten Your Lapstraps! A Guide for All Those who Wing the World in Super-comfort and Super-luxury in Super-aeroplanes (1955)
• Crisis Cottage (1956)
• My Uncle Harry (1957)
• The Whistling Arrow (1957)
• Peter Ustinov (1957)
• The Dog's Ear Book (1958)