Leslie Ashwell Wood - Celebrated Cutaway Artist

Leslie Ashwell-Wood was born in North London, with his birth year being either 1903 or 1913.* Due to the lack of definitive records, the exact date of his birth remains unconfirmed; however, research into his life suggests that 1903 is the most likely year.

A versatile figure, Ashwell-Wood received formal education in art, engineering, and science—a unique combination during the early twentieth century. His career began at Fairey Aviation in 1936, where he excelled as a trained draughtsman and technical illustrator. His role involved creating engineering drawings (often called blueprints) that showcased both third angle and isometric projections of objects, the latter offering a three-dimensional appearance on a two-dimensional page.

His earliest published drawings for public consumption are believed to have appeared in the children's factual magazine 'The World of Wonder,' which included two series featuring 52 and 26 issues respectively, starting in 1932. Initial drawings were signed 'LW' instead of the later recognized 'L. Ashwell Wood.' Following these series, he contributed to 'Modern Wonder/Modern World,' which began in May 1937 and continued until its cancellation in March 1941, likely due to wartime paper rationing. The first section of the webpage after this introduction highlights a series of hardback books published by Odhams that showcase his transport illustrations.

The earliest known drawing attributed to Leslie Ashwell Wood is ‘Keeping the Shipping Channels Clear,’ found on the back cover of Modern Wonders Volume Two, No. 31, dated December 18, 1937.

During wartime, it is believed that Leslie Ashwell Wood worked with the Ministry of Information. Other notable artists who went on to join him at the boys’ weekly comic and newspaper ‘EAGLE’ also served in various governmental roles. For instance, Laurence Dunn worked in the Admiralty’s Naval Intelligence Division, while Hubert Redmill was involved in the Air Intelligence branch of MI6.

Ashwell Wood's notable illustrative style distinguished him as EAGLE’s longest-running cutaway artist. His meticulously detailed annotated sketches often included familiar 'cut-away' sections, which were not only artistically sharp but also educational, providing clear explanations of complex scenes.

EAGLE’s captivating and educational cutaway illustrations persisted through changes to the comic during the 1950s and 1960s. They spanned from the 'New Gas Turbine Electric Loco' in the first issue to the 'Gas Turbine Truck' in the penultimate issue, Vol. 20 No. 16 (April 19, 1969). Ashwell Wood was significantly regarded as the most prolific cutaway artist for EAGLE, contributing nearly two-thirds of the almost 960 cutaways published in the weekly title.

Additionally, he illustrated a cutaway in the Dan Dare Spacebook, contributed articles in the first five Eagle Annuals, and created a factual series of illustrated features titled ‘In Her Majesty’s Lifetime,’ which ran from Vol. 3 No. 46 (February 20, 1953) to Vol. 4 No. 4 (May 1, 1953).

In the initial years of EAGLE, it was common for Wood to have his cutaways published weekly for up to two months at a time before featuring another artist’s work. This consistency indicates his capacity to research, design, paint, and deliver these intricate illustrations within about a week, using an angled art board illuminated by an anglepoise lamp along with natural light from nearby windows.

Throughout his tenure at EAGLE, Leslie Ashwell Wood resided in the same house in Willesden Green, north-west London, and sadly passed away in 1973. At the time of his death, he had recently completed a 12-part landscape hardback series for Benwig Books titled ‘Inside Information.’

Leslie Ashwell Wood was recognized as one of the highest-paid artists at EAGLE, with a pay rate of £42 per cutaway. In contrast, Hubert Redmill earned £36 15s and Laurence Dunn £31 10s.

When producing cutaways for EAGLE, he began with highly detailed pencil sketches, although it remains unclear whether he painted directly over these or used them solely as guides. Recent validation indicates that he was responsible for creating the cutaway text himself, rather than relying on a writer or member of the EAGLE editorial team.

The accuracy of Ashwell Wood's illustrations is generally unquestioned, although it is evident that some internal details of military subjects may have involved educated speculation. An EAGLE cutaway from April 1958 showcasing the English Electric P1B (which later evolved into the Lightning) attracted unwanted attention from authorities, who feared that the ‘Official Secrets Act’ was being breached. Ashwell Wood was compelled to demonstrate that he had not violated any regulations.

It is documented that Marcus Morris, the founder of EAGLE, received multiple ‘D’ notices from the government, attempting to suppress the publication of illustrations deemed military secrets in a children's comic.

The following section of this webpage is divided into six parts:

Part One features samples of cutaway drawings by L.A.W. featured in the Odhams Wartime and early post-war Public Information books published from 1942 to 1950 (see also seperate 'Odhams 1942-50' section of this website.)

Part Two focuses on the articles illustrated by him in the three early Odhams Children's Wonder Books between 1946 and 1949, including sample cutaways.

Part Three provides a link to a vast colour gallery of cutaways from the Eagle Magazines. If you click on the image it will take you to an impressive presentation on Flickr.

Part Four features a gallery of the front Dust Jacket covers of the Transport titles in the ‘Eagle Books of’ and ‘Eagle New Books of’ series.

Part Five presents a scrolling gallery of the twelve hardback and four softback volumes of the Benwig Books ‘Inside Information’ series published from 1969 to 1971, authored and illustrated by Leslie Ashwell Wood in the final years of his life.

Finally, Part Six concludes this webpage with front cover images of the four Eagle compilation volumes which included examples of the many cutaway drawings featured in the Eagle magazines, some entirely featuring cutaways and others only partly.