Luck of the Legion
Encyclopedia
Luck of the Legion was a strip cartoon in the Eagle
, written by Geoffrey Bond and illustrated by Martin Aitchison
, that ran from 1952 to 1961.
The series followed the exploits of the French Foreign Legion
in North Africa (then largely French-colonised or controlled) and focused mainly on the chisel-jawed British hero Sergeant "Tough" Luck and his faithful companions, Belgian Corporal Trenet and Italian Legionnaire Bimberg. Bimberg was the comic relief, short and fat and perpetually dishevelled, with a battered kepi. The strip was set in a vaguely pre - World War I period of colourful uniforms and unquestioned imperial values.
Sergeant Luck and his companions also saw service elsewhere in the French colonial empire - such as Indo-China or West Africa. However their adventures were normally focussed around isolated forts located in the Sahara. Adversaries were generally tribesmen whose dress was inexplicably Saudi Arabian rather than Algerian or Moroccan. However on occasion Sergeant Luck found himself in conflict with unbalanced or traitorous senior officers.
Two of the above novels were also published in France under the Collection Signe de Piste (by Alsatia), with artwork by French artist Pierre Joubert. These novels were simultaneously published in both soft and hard covers:
Eagle (comic)
Eagle was a seminal British children's comic, first published from 1950 to 1969, and then in a relaunched format from 1982 to 1994. It was founded by Marcus Morris, an Anglican vicar from Lancashire. Morris edited a parish magazine called The Anvil, but felt that the church was not communicating...
, written by Geoffrey Bond and illustrated by Martin Aitchison
Martin Aitchison
Martin Aitchison was an illustrator for the Eagle comic from 1952 to 1963, and then one of the main illustrators for Ladybird Books from 1963 to 1990....
, that ran from 1952 to 1961.
The series followed the exploits of the French Foreign Legion
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion is a unique military service wing of the French Army established in 1831. The foreign legion was exclusively created for foreign nationals willing to serve in the French Armed Forces...
in North Africa (then largely French-colonised or controlled) and focused mainly on the chisel-jawed British hero Sergeant "Tough" Luck and his faithful companions, Belgian Corporal Trenet and Italian Legionnaire Bimberg. Bimberg was the comic relief, short and fat and perpetually dishevelled, with a battered kepi. The strip was set in a vaguely pre - World War I period of colourful uniforms and unquestioned imperial values.
Sergeant Luck and his companions also saw service elsewhere in the French colonial empire - such as Indo-China or West Africa. However their adventures were normally focussed around isolated forts located in the Sahara. Adversaries were generally tribesmen whose dress was inexplicably Saudi Arabian rather than Algerian or Moroccan. However on occasion Sergeant Luck found himself in conflict with unbalanced or traitorous senior officers.
Novels
Because of the success of the Eagle comic strip, writer Geoffrey Bond wrote a series of novels based on the characters. These were:- Luck of the Legion (Hutchinson - 195?)
- Sergeant Luck Takes Over (Hutchinson - 195?)
- Carry On, Sergeant Luck! (Hutchinson - 195?)
- Sergeant Luck's Secret Mission (Hulton Press - 1956)
- Sergeant Luck's Desert Adventure (Hulton Press - 1958)
- The Return of Sergeant Luck (Max Parrish - 1964)
Two of the above novels were also published in France under the Collection Signe de Piste (by Alsatia), with artwork by French artist Pierre Joubert. These novels were simultaneously published in both soft and hard covers:
- Les Tigres de Chaï-Fang (Sergeant Luck Takes Over) - 1968
- La Garnison Fantôme (Carry On, Sergeant Luck!) - 1969