He was born in Grangemouth, Scotland. He settled in Durban which was to be his home for the rest of his life. 

He attended part-time art classes at the Natal School of Art, Durban, and he decided to advance his studies in Britain by taking lessons in drawing and painting at Heatherleys School of Art, in etching at the Central London School of Art, and in anatomical drawing at the Royal Academy in the mid-1930s.

He was an internationally acclaimed cartoonist, particularly in the field of sport; but he was also much admired for his theatre and political cartoons. He was singled out by Time magazine as one of the top six newspaper cartoonists of the 20th century. His work was first published in 1927 in The Natal Advertiser which was to become the Natal Daily News in 1936 and The Daily News in 1962. He made a major contribution towards the popularity of this Durban daily newspaper.

Collections in the Archives