I think this is worth the wait, which is my way of saying I was slow, and it will be expanded.
Today we have a puffin, for Noel Lewis Carrington, who had been born in 1895 to a railway engineer who had at one time worked in India as an engineer. Noel was one of five children, and the house was filled with art, and more importantly with encouragement to paint and draw whatever anyone liked. This promotes learning and the children were all talented artists, who moved in art circles, indeed that was how Noel met his wife, also an artist, and how his sister met the love of her life, Lytton Strachey.
Art was briefly put aside for war, where Noel was shot, during the Battle of The Somme. He was also awarded the OBE in 1919. When he returned to civilian life he worked for the Oxford University Press, spending time in India establishing and maintaining branches there. After this he went to Country Life magazine, which furthered his delight in village life and local architecture. He also co-founded Royle Publications, the greetings card and calendar company.
In 1932 his sister killed herself, just two months after Lytton Strachey`s death from cancer. They had met in 1916 and connected instantly, They moved in together shortly after. The house was bought in the name of one of her and Noel`s friends, who moved in too, marrying her in 1921, though she freely admitted it was not love, just to ensure the trio would, and could stay together. Lytton paid for the wedding, and went with them for their honeymoon. The marriage did not last, and though she had other relationships, Lytton was her entire world. And after he died she could only follow.
Noel was shocked by this, and banished art from his life. Then in 1938 he met a man called Allan Lane, who had founded Penguin Books, but now had an idea to create non fiction books specifically for children that would educate them about nature and design. Clouds of another war were gathering, and you might think that a bad time to start printing books for children, but Allan Lane wanted to press ahead, seeing books as being education for those without a place to learn, comfort as their world changed, and a reminder of beauty that they might help to restore it once the war had ended. They were not to be Penguins, but Puffins, hence our card; Puffin Picture Books to be exact, and they were to cost just sixpence each. Despite what I have just said, the first three books were based on warfare - indeed the first ever front cover, for "War on Land" (PP1),showed two tanks. The next two were War on Sea (PP2) and War on Air (PP3). And all three were issued in 1940.
Noel and his wife had three children and lived in Hampstead until the end of the Second World War. Then they moved out to the Berkshire country and started a farm. He continued to write on art and design, and the Puffin Picture Books were still appearing at intervals, the last being no.120, in 1965. He died in April 1989,