At WWII end, Theophilus Harding Willcocks, also known as Phil Willcocks or THW started publishing results in recreational mathematics. This talented amateur mathematician (and chess enthusiast) was born in 1912, at Newquay, Cornwall, England. A modest man, THW was for many years, an employee at the Bank of England until his retirement. Since 1945, his continuing interest in the field is evidenced by his many outstanding productive contributions to its growing body of knowledge. His publications in Fairy Chess Review (no longer published, but see the website <a href="http://www.mayhematics.com/d/d.htm"> mayhematics </a> by George Jellis - mainly concerned with the history of work published in Fairy Chess Review), the Canadian Journal of Mathematics and the Journal of Combinatorial Theory have demonstrated his unique approach to mathematical problems. Willcocks also worked on chessboard dissections (now called polyominoes) THW discovered (in 1946) and subsequently published what is arguably the most widely known perfect squared square (until Duijvestijn's discovery of 21 : 112A in 1978). http://www.squaring.net/gfx/cpsso24-400.jpg So many authors have cited this square that its figure is well known even to casual readers. "This little gem of Willcocks", as it has been called is 24: 175a (THW), composed of 24 squares with a side of 175 and an included rectangle . For more than three decades, it was the benchmark by which all other squares were measured (as it had the lowest order and smallest side of any known perfect square) and it remains today, the lowest possible order compound perfect square, a fact established by Duijvestijn, P. J. Federico and P. Leeuw in 1982. Even today with conclusive permanent records of the ultra-low-order squares established, only three people have produced a square which betters this square in size and order ... Willcocks is one of these (Duijvestijn and Skinner are the others), Willcocks found 22: 110B by hand, by applying a transform to Duijvestijn's 22: 110A. These two, and another 110 in order 23 are the smallest possible perfect squared squares. All the ultra-low-order squares (from order 21 through 24) are now known. All but one of these are simple. 24: 175a (THW) is compound. it stands alone, the very best of all the compound perfect squares, the only ultralow-order compound perfect square. Phil Willcocks produced many squared squares over more than half a century, inventing new techniques and methods on a regular basis. Working alone and in collaboration with Federico and others, he was able to equal or better many of the results produced by brute force computer enumeration. In recent correspondence George Jellis stated; "I’ve never actually met THW in person, but he was a member of the Fairy Chess Correspondence Circle (made up of contributors to Fairy Chess Review) when I was invited to join it in the 1970s. One of his interests was in retroanalytical “last-move” compositions. He and H. E. de Vasa were the first to construct diagonally magic knight’s tours on the 16x16 and larger boards (following on from the work of H. J. R. Murray who died in 1955). He published articles in Recreational Mathematics Magazine 1962 and Journal of Recreational Mathematics 1968 on this subject. Most of my correspondence with him was in connection with magic knight’s tours, and tours by other pieces. He also contributed a few cryptarithms to my Games and Puzzles Journal. One “composed to mark a young brother’s 70th birthday” is: THIRTY + TWENTY + TEN + SEVEN + THREE = SEVENTY. Rachel features in a set of cryptarithms from THW, involving quarrelling sisters who each maintains “I am equal to two of you!”: RACHEL + RACHEL = ALISON, ALISON + ALISON = RACHEL, ALISON + ALISON + ALISON = RACHEL. Phil, short for Theophilus, like his father, worked all his career for the Bank of England, latterly on exchange controls. During the war he served in Italy and North Africa in the RAF. Willcocks is one of three brothers. His youngest brother is Sir David Willcocks CBE MC (born 30 December 1919) a distinguished and well-known British choral conductor, organist, and composer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Willcocks The three brothers have remained close and have recently worked together to restore the pipe organ in the beautiful Parish Church of St Michael at Newquay where they attended services with their parents throughout their childhood. http://stmichaelsnewquay.wordpress.com/organ-appeal/ The second brother Wilfrid Willcocks also had an interesting and productive life, having been a Japanese POW in WWII. He became a successful investment analyst. He wrote about market developments for the Financial Times, became a member of the Stock Exchange and a Lloyds name. In retirement he continued to play the stock market with success, outperforming it through booms and recessions. He established a trust which will continue to support environmental and social charities. He died in 2011 aged 96. http://www.thisiscornwall.co.uk/Japanese-PoW-dies-96/story-12474563-detail/s... Phil Willcocks will be 100 years old on April 19, 2012. http://www.squaring.net/history_theory/th_willcocks.html The biographical sketch is based on contributions from Jasper Skinner, Geoffrey Morley and George Jellis. Stuart Anderson