V.A.L. Holding

Val Holding served in World War II in the Parachute Regiment and then worked at Gamages department store in London as a store detective before writing many War Picture Library comics for Fleetway. He also wrote Paddy Payne, a fighter ace story for Lion. In 1961 he became Managing Editor of Juvenile Publications at Fleetway, and he established Martspress with Leonard Matthews in the 1968.