Reg Smythe

Hartlepool cartoonist Reg Smythe developed his drawing and began selling cartoons during his military service in the Second World War, having already drawn as a schoolboy. His creation Andy Capp went on to become an international success through newspaper syndication and translation.

A statue of Andy Capp was unveiled in Hartlepool in 2007, giving the character a permanent place in his creator’s home town. The public monument celebrates the work of an artist who generally preferred a quieter life himself.