Billy Bunter at Butlin's

An on-line site to which I belong has had correspondence about this Cassell Bunter title. By way of reply to this, as well as a piece about a little considered member of the Hamiltonian cannon, this article has been written.

Billy Bunter at Butlin’s was published in 1961 between Billy Bunter’s Treasure Hunt (Number 29) and Bunter the Ventriloquist (number 30). Unexpected and unannounced, it was reviewed in the Collectors’ Digest for July 1961 (I think by Eric Fayne). In his opinion, the ‘story was probably unique’. (By that I assume he meant that the story was an original; no rehashing of an old plot.)

The reviewer assumed a tie-up between Cassell, Hamilton and Sir Billy Butlin. He went on to laud a ‘very fine yarn … the best holiday story since the pre-war days’. However, he did comment adversely on the appearances of Mr. (as he was then) Billy Butlin as being too frequent. Finally, he thought that Bunter fans would rush off in their thousands to buy the book.

As one of the easiest of the Bunter books to obtain, it was obviously printed in a large run. In addition to the Yellow–Jacket Edition, there was also a ‘Beaver Club Edition’. This club, a junior club for the Happy Campers, was represented on the maroon just jacket with the club logo. Inside, a ‘personal’ message from Butlin, himself.

As for obtaining the book – in my early collecting days, I had no problem – Norman Shaw had, it must have been, at least 100 copies of the latter edition. And, in fact, gave me my copy to complement my other purchases.

Frankly, I have to disagree with Eric about the book itself. I think it is by no means one of his best – in fact, I would go as far as to rate it as awful. The book appears contrived. The appearances of Butlin himself are no more than a paper-thin and an obvious attempt to advertise the Holiday Camps. (The book confirmed my desire never to cross the threshold of them!) As to it being the ‘best holiday story since the pre-war years’, that is, I would submit, piffle.

The members of the web-site, obviously, enquire about the tie-in. It seems to me, based upon Frank Richards’ Diaries and comments by Maurice Hall, that Gentry, FR’s editor at Cassell, was instrumental in generating the idea. When put to Hamilton, his reaction was ‘Fascinating idea; BB meets BB’. This was in the middle of July 1960. At the start of August there had been no response, but, in the middle of that September, Gentry reported, telephonically, that agreement had been reached. Hamilton’s diary entry, in response to this, was ‘BB at Butlin’s – Winner?’

Delays followed – because a promised meeting between Hamilton and a representative of Butlin’s (one Mr Vinter) did not take place until the November. (When he learned of this, Hamilton wrote (in typical punning humour, ‘If Vinter come, can Spring be far behind?’ Finished in mid-December 1960, a copy of the manuscript was sent to Butlin for his perusal. The reply by a private secretary expressed the great man’s approval; he was ‘… much amused by his [Bunter’s] antics’. (I am not certain, but I think this may have been a letter to Maurice Hall when researching his book on FR. Sadly, Maurice never realised the importance of research or the giving of references.) Further, extra copies were to be ordered to ensure that all children visiting the camps received a copy.

Obviously, the 'sales' were phenomenal – after all every child that went to Butlin’s in 1962 received a free copy. However, the true mark of success would only be seen if we knew the Cassell Yellow-Jacket Edition sales; we don’t, so we cannot tell.

As I said earlier, it is a disappointing addition to the oeuvre of FR; but, one should read it to complete one’s reading – even if it is, in my opinion, a case of Homer nodding.