Bill Cunningham AKA Smugs

[Belly]

Who was the inspiration for Bill Smugs in the Adventure series?

Thanks

[Tony Summerfield]

Hello Belly,
We know the answer to this from The Story of My Life which was Enid's own autobiography written for children. He was a man that she met when on holiday in Swanage - he asked to be included in one of her books as a secret service agent or something similar - just as he was, balding etc. He also suggested the name Bill Smugs which was a name that he used to call himself as a boy.
I hope this helps and that you keep coming back to the site.
Best wishes
Tony

[Neasa]

Hi Belly
there is a small bit of info on Bill Smugs on http://www.gingerpop.co.uk. Its listed on the models page. Hope this helps!

[Belly]

There was something really haunting about all her books, a kind of empathy with children she had.

I think she was responsible for me failing an entrance exam at 11 though as I wrote about her as the person who has influenced me most in life. (There was a anti-Blyton sentiment at the time)!

My upbringing was a bit old fashioned compared to other kids - and I think a love of Blyton got me a bit destroyed in the playground also!

The books I think are in part responsible for my now very fertile, vivid imagination.

Am guessing I am far from alone

[Belly]

Meant to thank you all for your replies to my Bill question in my last post. It was great to see where Enid got her inspiration from. Also interesting that someone is currently trying to find his relatives!

I think it is an excellent site.

[Kirrin]

My upbringing was a bit old fashioned compared to other kids - and I think a love of Blyton got me a bit destroyed in the playground also!



Am guessing I am far from alone

I know what you mean there! Lets face it most kids who say you are old-fashioned are just degenerates anyway and not worth bothering about!!

[Moonraker]

Here, here! You are a much better person for your love of Blyton!

[Kirrin]

just ignore them if they think your weird then who cares!
they secretly want to be like you but dont dare!

[pete9012S]

...He also suggested the name Bill Smugs which was a name that he used to call himself as a boy.

Tony

I didn't realise the name Enid actually used was given to her as well.Amazing that he has never been tracked down,come foreword,or been mentioned by someone who knew him!

[Courtenay]

Of course, it could be that Enid was embroidering the story somewhat, as she was known to do at times...

[pete9012S]

(posted 2005)

Sadly there was no progress on the search for Bill Smugs. I still feel that he must have spoken to SOMEONE about having spent an evening with Blyton (You would have done - wouldn't you!) and that if he was in his thirties in 1940 then he could be around 100 now. I understand that the Grosvenor Hotel register did not survive; the site is now the towns award winning sewage works.


Viv

I suppose realistically,that as the above post is now over ten years old and the 'real' Bill would be around 110,this is one mystery that may never ever be solved.

[Julie2owlsdene]

Enid writes in The Story of My LIfe, as Tony has said, that she was staying at Swanage one year, and she met this person there. He was very amusing and 'we' liked him. He knew she wrote books and he said he had always wanted to be in a book, so I doubt very much that Enid was 'embroidering' that bit of info, Courtenay.

In her book - The Story of My Life, she tells of the many people she knows that are in her books, even Mam'zelle in the St Clare's books, was a French Mistress that Enid had at her own school, and a lot of her ways are in the books, including hating spiders, beetles, bees mice and bats etc.

[pete9012S]

I see 'Bill Smugs' even has his own twitter account...

https://twitter.com/inspectorsmugs?lang=en" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Bill's real name was Cunningham.Any info on where Enid got that surname from?



He's following some familiar faces as well..

[Julie2owlsdene]

Maybe Enid just got that name from the phone book, which she has been known to dip into.

She wrote that she put Bill Smugs into a story, bald head and all, just like the gentleman she met, and she says the sad part is that they never saw Bill Smugs again, and she didn't even know his address.

[Wolfgang]

Perhaps Enid thought that Bill was rather cunning than smug...