Milligan, Spike

(1918-2002)

   Terence Alan Milligan was born in India, where his Irish father was a captain in the Royal Artillery; he finished his education at the South East London Polytechnic in Lewisham. Determined to be an entertainer, he learned to play the ukulele, guitar and trumpet, and won a Bing Crosby crooning competition at the Lewisham Hippodrome. His wartime experiences in the Royal Artillery provided material for several best selling novels. The Goon Show with Spike, Harry Secombe, Peter Sellers, and Michael Bentinefirst broadcast in 1951-ran nine years on the BBC with 26 shows a year. He was a prolific writer and starred in five movies. In 2000, he was awarded an honorary knighthood, honorary because he was an Irish citizen. Plagued with manic depression for years, he died surrounded by his family. Some of his poetry publications: Small Dreams of a Scorpion, 1972. Goblins, 1978. Silly Verse for Kids and Animals, 1984. Spike's Poems: Knees, Fleas, Hidden Elephants and Other Poems, 1997. Some of his poems: "A Baby Sardine," "Cat Will Rhyme with Hat," "The Bongaloo," "You Must Never Bathe in an Irish Stew."

   Sources: Amazing Monsters: Verses to Thrill and Chill. Robert Fisher, ed. Faber and Faber, 1982. Prince Charles Leads Spike Milligan Tributes, Wednesday, 27 February, 2002: BBC News, TV and Radio (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1843963.stm). Cat Will Rhyme with Hat: A Book of Poems. Jean Chapman, ed. Scribner's, 1986. Once Upon a Rhyme: 101 Poems for Young Children. Sara Corrin and Stephen Corrin, eds. Faber and Faber, 1982. Poemhunter (www.poemhunter.com). The Columbia Granger's Index to Poetry. 11th ed. The Columbia Granger's World of Poetry, Columbia University Press, 2005 (http://www.columbiagrangers.org). The National Portrait Gallery (www.npg.org.uk). The New Oxford Book of Children's Verse. Neil Philip, ed. Oxford University Press, 1996. The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems. Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark, eds. Oxford University Press, 1983. The Spike Milligan Tribute Site (http://www.spikemilligan.co.uk/4680/index.html).