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Cross, Stanley George (1888 – 1977)

Stan Cross original cartoon artwork.

Stan Cross was born in the United States of America, third son of English-born parents. The family settled in Perth, Australia in 1892. In 1912, with the help of a 'more or less affluent brother', Cross went to study in London. His first published cartoons appeared in Punch. He also freelanced for the Sunday Times and the Western Mail. In 1918, Cross accepted a position on Smith's Weekly at £5 a week back in Australia. During 20 years with Smith's, Cross developed into one of Australia's finest black-and-white artists and the country's foremost 'single-panel' cartoonist. On 12 August 1933 Smith's Weekly 'reprinted by request' Cross's celebrated cartoon of 29 July, affectionately known by its caption, 'For gorsake, stop laughing—this is serious!', and took the unprecedented step of publishing a print on 'high-class art paper' for sale at 2s. 6d. On Christmas Eve 1939 Cross resigned from Smith's Weekly. In 1940 he accepted an offer from Sir Keith Murdoch to work for the Melbourne Herald. He was allowed to remain in Sydney. For the Herald, he created 'The Winks' which by July 1940 had evolved into 'Wally and the Major'. Over the next 30 years in newspapers throughout Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, readers were able to enjoy the extraordinary, knock-about adventures and lifestyle of Wally Higgins, Major Winks, Pudden Bensen and a company of comedy players in the army during the Second World War.