Harry William "Whanny" Whanslaw (3 November 1883 – 26 March 1965) was a British author, illustrator and puppeteer who was best known for prompting the revival of puppetry in the United Kingdom in the 1920s.
[1][2] Harry Whanslaw was born on 3 November 1883 in Putney, London.
He was the only child of his father, Robert, who had been born in Ohio, and his mother Edith, descended from a family in Wiltshire.
Harry was a 4th Cousin of Susan Whanslaw, who became World President of the Mothers' Union in the 1970's and had married Anglican Priest and Social Activist Chad Varah.
He was also a 4th Cousin once removed of George Grimson, an RAF Pilot who escaped from German POW Camps multiple times World War 2 before being hunted down by the SS and Gestapo.