Mr D. H. Gilmore

Press, 16 March 1982, Page 5

Mr D. H. Gilmore

Mr David Hunter Gilmore, an author whose children's books have recently enjoyed renewed popularity in Australia and New Zealand, died in Christchurch at the weekend, aged 78.

Mr Gilmore's first story, "Cuthbert the Caterpillar,’’ was . written in Ngw Zealand iii 1928. More than 10 years passed, however, before the author found a publisher in New South Wales shortly after the beginning of World War 11. Other stories followed quickly; some appeared in the New South Wales School Journal. In all. Mr Gilmore wrote and illustrated 12 stories which appeared as books.

Mr Gilmore grew up in Auckland and tried his hand at journalism, school teaching, and advertising agency work before his talent as story-teller and water-colour illustrator was recognised. The idea for his original story about the caterpillar went back to an incident on a North Island farm where he stayed as a boy during the

influenza epidemic at the end of World War I.

Mr Gilmore taught himself to draw while working in advertising. He also asserted "Gulliver s Travels” was one of his main sources of inspiration and said he fancied being a kind of Gulliver, a giant who exercised friendly control over the little insect characters in his stories.

For 20 years until his retirement in 1973 Mr Gilmore worked as sub-editor on “The Press" in Christchurch. In the last few years, after he moved to Rangiora, Mr Gilmore found his books enjoying a revival of popularity on both sides of the Tasman. New editions of many of them were published by Angus and Robertson in Sydney and collectors became eager to acquire the originals of the water-colour illustrations. Mr Gilmore continued to ■ paint and to experiment with new stories almost until his death. In the last year he had also been working on an autobiography. He is surviveo by his ir?d two daughters.