Uncle Billy Day: A Showman’s Recollection

My Uncles and Aunts have told me many stories of their lives during World War II. My mother is one of ten children and being slightly different ages they all have a different perspective of a time that drastically changed everyone’s lives. My family have descended from a long line of travelling showpeople. My ancestors travelled the country with their bioscope, menagerie and circus shows. Buy the time of the Second World War the family business had progressed to bumper cars and candy floss. The war effected so many different people in so many different ways, but how did it affect travelling showpeople? My Uncle Billy Day was only 10 year old when the outbreak of the war commenced. I sat down and recorded just some of his memories and experiences.

When war broke out my grandfather was presenting his travelling fair at Sandhurst on the Kent coast My uncle Billy told me that “On the Saturday, we were open and it was just getting dusk. Along come the local village policeman and told us we would have to close. Dad asked him “Why?” the policeman said, “You’ve got to be blacked-out”. “Well” Dad said, “I won’t put any lights on.” The Policeman said, “You’ll still have to close up because the bumper cars are sparking, and the enemy could see”. On the Sunday Morning, the announcement was going to be made on the wireless, and we were all told to be extremely quiet and not breath. I remember hearing the Prime Minister say we are at war. I suppose at the time it was rather a panic. We had one petrol lorry and a wagon behind that and my father decided to get further in land, away from the military area. So failing to get petrol, because then it was a shortage straight away, he put paraffin in the tank, and we drove the lorry on paraffin and we got as far as Feltham and that’s where we stopped for the first 18 months of the war.

At Feltham William’s family lived in the same showmen’s base as his brother in law Harry Studt. My Uncle Billy recalls why they left after 18 months “Being a big family with several children school age, the evacuation authorities said being so many raids going on, that we would all have to be evacuated. Dad said being because we are on wheels, we are not splitting up. So we all come away. We started the lorry up on mentholated spirits, turned it over to paraffin and then we went out into the country as far as we could on what fuel we had. And we finished up in Thame and that’s where we stopped for another two years.

While at Thame my grandfather managed to get permits enabling him to retrieve equipment that was left behind in Kent. The family then moved to Abingdon and operated an undercover ‘Stay at Home Fair’. These fairs where organized to help raise public morale. My family operated their Funfair continuously at Abingdon for two years. The fair was open every day, only closing on December 25th. Not only the residents of Abington visited the fair it was frequented by troops from Australia, New Zealand, for just about all nationalities especially Americans. Most of the airborne were trained in Abingdon. Lots of airborne troops enjoyed “all the fun of the fair”.

Because of the rationing the supply of fuel was insufficient, this problem was overcome with a little help from the American Soldiers, Uncle Billy said “I happened to say to one of the Americans that we probably wouldn’t open the following week because we were running out of fuel, our ration had run out. So he said “Well our steam engines in America don’t run on coal they run on wood, so could you use wood?” I said, “Yes”. So the next morning in comes two lorries loaded up with packing cases, that the Americans had brought in to keep us going. So we broke up the packing cases and burnt them to keep going till we got the coal ration back.”

There was not only problems due to rationing, it was difficult to acquire spare parts and hire skilled workmen. Showmen found it necessary to really on their own ingenuity to repair their equipment as Billy explains “We couldn’t get any spare parts, and as a Dodgem car broke down, I at to strip that particular car that broke down, and use the spares to keep the others going. At one time we went right down to six cars, because I couldn’t get the parts to keep ‘em going. There was nobody available to make the parts or repair ‘em.”

On one specific occasion Billy remembers the Military made a special request from his father “I believe they were commandos, I believe they were going over the top for some reason or other. But I mean of cause they were not at liberty to tell you what they were doing, where they were going or whatever. The commanding officer come in and said to Dad ”Would you open this up, just for these boys to have a couple hours fun”. Which we did do. Only when I jumped on the car to take the money off of one of the soldiers, the soldier refused and sent me over to the commanding officer, who was talking to Dad at the time. The commanding officer said, ”they’re going over the top, within the next few hours, so let ‘em have their fun, it might be the last bit of fun they’ll have”. And we rode them for a couple of hours, they never done any arm or any thing, they just had a good time for a couple of hours and they just went.”

As the end of the war drew nigh, the Day family took to the road once again. One of the first places they attended was Highworth Street Fair. Uncle Billy told me about how a memorable mark in history effected him “We closed and were packing up, maybe about 12 o’clock after fair night. A jeep come round with four Americans in. The Americans said, “Don’t you know the wars over?” A couple of local boys that were helping us said “Lets go and bang so and so up and tell them that the wars over”. So they banged on one door and told the war was over. Then we banged on the next door and we finished up five o’clock in the morning banging every door and getting every body up in Highworth. And for the most part of it, they got up and they come out with us, in their nightshirts and pyjamas and come round the town with us and we had a good old time all night long. Apparently the local tradesmen come round to Dad and said “We want you to open, in Highworth Rec., for the VJ celebrations”, so Dad said there was only the family there and we just couldn’t do it. So the local tradesman butcher, baker, candlestick maker and what have-you said, “ We’ll get the help you tell us what to do”. And every able-bodied person in Highworth come round. At one time there were 30 odd helping us. We had the butcher with his apron on helping lift the Dodgem plates, and any way by 4 o’clock we opened. When we were open they were riding the Dodgem and I was still putting lamps up and still putting odd bits up. We had a real good night. I don’t only mean a good night financially that wasn’t the only thing, everybody was happy and we all had a real good time. Wore out, half-asleep but never the less we all had a good.”

World War II changed the lives of every living sole in this country, all sectors of the British community at to cope through those hard times. So many people where affected in so many different ways and all have tales to tell, including the travelling showpeople. This is just one showman’s memory.

Every year representatives of travelling showpeople, under the banner of the Showmen’s Guild, take part in the Remembrance Day Parade. They represent their regiments and the community which they are proud to belong.

Mr Jimmy Ryan (Showman)
The Westminster Dragoons 79th Armoured Division
Normandy, Belgium, Holland and Germany.

Mr Jimmy Williams (Showman)
The Royal Army Service Corp
Took ammunition to the troupes and helped to supply them with compo packs. Joe also took medical supplies to the Nazi Concentration Camp Belsen after it was liberated on April 15th 1945.

Mr Henry Farr (Showman)
Royal Engineers
North Africa, Sardinia and Corsica and Anzio Beach, Italy.

Mr Benjamin F Biddall, (Showman)
15 Field Park Co. of the Royal Engineers, The 3rd British Infantry Division,
Germany, Palestine, Egypt, the Lebanon and a Normandy Veteran

Mr Billy Freeman (Showman)
Mechanical Equipment Royal Engineers.
Italy, PLUTO and Normandy campaign ‘Operation Overlord’.

Mr Harry Wallis (2nd Battalion Royal Scott’s Fusiliers), Mr Jimmy Smith (Manchester Regiment), Mr Joe Gill (Royal Scott’s Fusiliers), Mr Matt Meakin (Royal Airforce), Mr Jimmy Hayes (R.N. Patrol Service), Mr Joe Vernon (Royal Artillery Korea Campaign), Joe Hives (Royal Naval Air Service), Mrs Norma Beaumont (U.S.K. Monmouthshire). Mr F.E Beaumont (R.A.S.C. Desert Rat). Mr Joe Chadwick (2nd Battalion Gloucestershire Regiment). Mr Richard Deeks (Royal Marine Commandos), Mr Georgie Bliss (7th Indian Division of the 14th Army), Mr Joe Vernon (R.E.M.E.), Mr Stanley Crow (R.A.S.C. 8th Army), Mr Frankie Newsome (R.E.M.E.), Mr Freddie Stokes (R.A.S.C.), Mr Jimmy Cowie (R.E.M.E.), Mr Morland Evans (Group 5410 4th Border T.A. Carlisle). Mr Billy Whitelegg (R.A.S.C.), Billy Rowland (RAF 1101 Marine Craft Unit), Mr Georgie Rowland (RAF 2927 Squadron), Mr Bobby Stevens (Royal Army Ordinance Corp.), Mr Reggie Leonard (R.E.M.E.), Mr Arthur North (RAF Rescue Service).
Showpeople - to name but a few.

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