Corporate DS/UK/560 Comics Campaign Council; May 1953-1956; Campaigners Comics Campaign Council May 1953-1956 Campaigners CCC The Crime and Horror Comics Campaign May 1953 meeting at Beaver Hall, London of the National Council for the Defence of Children, attended by members of London Federation of Parent-Teachers Associations and the public, resulted in the founding of the Comics Campaign Council (CCC) May-December 1954 a panel set up by Phyllis M Pickard for the CCC, met seven times and evaluated comics 8 November 1954 meeting between CCC and Labour MP's at the House of Commons 1955 Pickard issues British Comics- An appraisal 1956 Comics to classic conference

Campaigning, organising meetings, conferences, panels and exhibitions about the dangers of horror comics to children. Chairman Treasurer Secretary Publicist National Council for the Defence of Children, Council for Children's Welfare, British Communist Party, National Union of Teachers In the 1940s-early 1950s, Dr Simon Yudkin created the National Council for the Defence of Children (NCDC), later known as the Council for Children's Welfare (CCW). In May 1953, they called a meeting in Beaver Hall, London due to growing concerns about horror comics, so they could join together and discuss objections to comics. From this meeting the Comics Campaign Council was founded. The CCC sought to creating an Act so those who created, published and distributed comics could be prosecuted, to raise awareness of the dangers of comics, and appraise what was available for children to read and what was needed for children to read. Some of the campaigns staff include: Joe Benjamin, editor of the CCC's bulletins and later part of the CCW executive committee Phyllis M Pickard, sat on the CCC's panel which evaluated comics and worked as a Psychologist Diana Sinnott St John, a history teacher who became a member of the CCW executive committee in 1956 George H Pumphrey, acted as the CCC's publicist, one of the only non-Communist members of the CCC. Pumphrey worked as a Headmaster A H Holloway, the CCC's Chairman Peggy Middleton, the CCC's Treasurer and teacher who was Labour party member of Greenwich Metropolitan Borough Council and later councillor for Greenwich at the London County Council Simon Yudkin, Paediatrician, CCC Secretary and founder of the CCC and founder and member of the CCW Mildred Masheder, involved in the CCC through her work with Yudkin at the CCW and a Lecturer Sam Aaronvitch, organiser behind the campaign and Communist Party of Great Britain full-time worker Peter Mauger, Teacher, NUT member and Communist Party speaker The Council was mainly staffed by the Communist Party of Great Britain members, the campaign was pro-British and anti-American culture, claiming comics encouraged crime and violence among children. Communist Party ideology and goals were embedded into the campaign. The Communist Party, however tried to hide its links and some CCC staff and the public were unaware of the connection. The Schoolmaster however did reprint an article exposing a CCC member as a Communist Party member. Within Government, Member of Parliament [Henry] Brooke spoke about how the Communist Party was behind the CCC. Since 1952 the government had been growing concerned about crimes committed by children and copycat crime. Other groups and campaigners were also concerned about comics including the Association of Assistant Mistresses, Author's World Peace Appeal, National Union of Teachers and various newspapers. The National Union of Teachers campaign against horror and crime comics in 1954 placed additional pressure on politicians to act as they attracted public interest. The campaign developed over time with rhetoric developing to focus on moral panic. The CCC's draft turned into the creation and implementation of the Children And Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1955. The Act restricted import of crime and horror comics, limited the production of some comics and fined those involved in the creation, publishing and printing of them. As Simon Yudkin, among others, was one of the driving forces behind both the CCC and the CCW, some people viewed the CCC's as an arm of the CCW, however, its publications and records illustrate the CCC and CCW were connected but seperate organisations. Barker, Martin. 1984. A Haunt of Fears. Pluto Press. Barker, Martin. 1992. A Haunt of Fears. Univ. Press of Mississippi. Barker, Martin. 1989. Comics: ideology, power and the critics. Manchester University Press. Lent, John A. 1999. Pulp Demons : International Dimensions of the Postwar Anti-Comics Campaign. Madison N.J.: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press ; London. ‌Gravett, Paul. 2014. “Comic Books: A Freakish Kind of Writing.” The Guardian. The Guardian. May 2, 2014. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/may/02/comic-books-freakish-writing. Yudkin et al. 1969. A Tribute to Simon Yudkin. The Council for Children's Welfare. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition - ICA 2004 ISBN 2-9521932-2-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 Yes emills 23/01/2026 emills 02/03/2026 2ec9daf4-8e6e-4234-a9d7-8904b798a944