Walter Wilkinson (1888–1970) was a puppeteer, writer and artist. According to a plaque erected in the garden of a house in the village of Selworthy, Somerset, he was born in 1888, began his wandering from this location and died in 1970. It is inferred in his fourth book that he fought in the First World War on the Western Front: "Strange to think that only a few weeks ago she was charming young men in Vienna, men at whom, a few years ago, the showmen might have been pointing a rifle". Works He became interested in puppets while in Italy before the First World War, and tried to revive the anachronistic Punch and Judy show back in England. He created his own characters, carving the heads from wood, claiming that the traditional Punch and Judy was enough to scare children away. His hand puppets included Barleycorn, Uncle Joe, Old Martha, Pretty Sally, Cheeky Pipi, the Rev. Mr Black and the Monkey. He referred to his hand puppet theatre as 'The Peep-Show', also the title of his first book describing his travels with these creations. He first performed with his brother, Arthur Wilkinson, travelling the country in a caravan. Arthur later set up The Marionette Society, while Walter persevered with hand puppets. Walter Wilkinson wrote and had published a series of eight books about his travels with his puppet show in England, Scotland, Wales and America. He built a barrow which converted into the theatre which he would erect on village greens, in schools or wherever he could find an audience. He carried his tent on his barrow and spent the summers camping in the countryside. He was a popular author in the 1930s and 1940s, receiving positive reviews from D. H. Lawrence, J. B. Priestley and other contemporary critics. He illustrated the end papers and dust jackets of his books himself with annotated maps; his last published book "Puppets in Wales" also contains some of his drawings within the text of the manuscript. In the later books he is accompanied by his wife, Winifred. They travelled to America in 1937 where they were guests of honour at the Puppet Festival. The following year he also travelled to Canada. Personal Philosophy His personal philosophy is intrinsically outlined in all his books and set out in his first book: "If I were a philosopher expounding a new theory of living, inventing a