Coordinates: 51°38′N 0°18′W / 51.64°N 0.30°W / 51.64; -0.30

Elstree
Elstree  Elstree shown within Hertfordshire
Population	4,765 (2001)
OS grid reference	TQ175955
Civil parish	Elstree and Borehamwood
District	Hertsmere
Shire county	Hertfordshire
Region	East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BOREHAMWOOD
Postcode district	WD6
Dialling code	020
Police	Hertfordshire
Fire	Hertfordshire
Ambulance	East of England
EU Parliament	East of England
UK Parliament	Hertsmere
List of places: UK • England • Hertfordshire

Elstree is a village in the Hertsmere borough of Hertfordshire, England, on the former A5 road, which followed the course of Watling Street, about 13 miles north of London. In 2001, its population was 4,765^[1]. It forms part of the civil parish of Elstree and Borehamwood, originally known simply as Elstree.

The village often lends its shorter name to businesses and amenities in the adjacent town of Borehamwood, and the names of Elstree and Borehamwood are used interchangeably. Elstree is perhaps best known for the Elstree Film Studios, where a number of famous British films were made, and the BBC's Elstree Studios, where the TV soap opera EastEnders is made; these are both located in Borehamwood.

The local newspaper is the Borehamwood and Elstree Times.^[2] Together with Borehamwood, the village is twinned with Offenburg in Germany and Fontenay-aux-Roses in France.^[3]

Transport[link]

Elstree & Borehamwood railway station[link]

27 March 1954 Northbound steam train passing through Elstree & Borehamwood railway station.

Elstree & Borehamwood railway station is on the Thameslink Line between London King's Cross and Bedford. It was built by the Midland Railway in 1868, and is located just north of the 1,072 yard long Elstree Tunnels.^[4]

The area of Borehamwood to the west of the railway line, formally Deacon's Hill, is colloquially called Elstree even though it is not contiguous with the village. Elstree South tube station was due to be an extension of the Northern Line, planned in the 1930s, but never completed.

Road links[link]

The old A5 road (Watling Street) goes through Elstree village, where it is designated as the A5183 road. Through the village, the road is called (from south to north) Elstree Hill South, High Street and Elstree Hill North. The 18th century Grade II listed building, Elstree Hill House, is still on Elstree Hill South, and used to be the home of the old Elstree School (see Schools). In the early 1900s, it was noted that:

".. the hill roads are remarkably direct and seldom curve to avoid the steep pitch, and it has been suggested that the roads were originally slides for the timber which used to be sent to London for fuel."^[5]

Elstree Aerodrome[link]

Elstree Aerodrome has a paved 717 yards long runway, suitable for light aircraft use. In the early 1930s it was a grass landing strip for the local Aldenham House country club.^[6] A concrete runway was put down during World War II, and Wellington Bombers were modified here. ^[7] On Saturday 31 November 1975, racing driver Graham Hill was killed when his light aircraft crashed on Arkley Golf Course, 3 miles short of the airport.^{[8] [9]} The aerodrome used to be a base for Capital Radio's Flying Eye helicopter traffic reports.^[10]

Today, the aerodrome is home to the London School of Flying Ltd a new company (not associated with the former and now defunct Cabair Group)^[10] It is frequently used by celebrities visiting the nearby Elstree Film Studios.

London Transport works[link]

London Transport's Aldenham Works was sited on the edge of Elstree close to the A41; it was opened in 1956, closed in 1986, and demolished in 1996. It is now a large business park.

Elstree Grange[link]

Originally a 19th century steam ship owned by the Houlder Brothers,^[11] the town also lends its name to a series of ships called the Elstree Grange (rebuilt 1916, 1944, 1979),^[12] at one time sunk during the Second World War.^[13]

Buildings[link]

Grade II listed buildings[link]

Holly Bush public house (15th century)

House at Elstree designed by E.J. May, and exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1887.

Elstree is home to a number of Grade II listed buildings, including some at Grade II* (particularly important buildings), such as:

• Holly Bush public house (15th century)^[14]
• Aldenham House and stable block (c.1672)^[15]
• The Leys, built in 1901 by Scottish architect and designer, George Henry Walton.^[16][17]

Edgwarebury Hotel[link]

The Edgwarebury Hotel & Restaurant is located on Barnet Lane, and operated by Corus Hotels.^[18] The Tudor-style building dates back to 1540, was converted into a hotel in the 1960s, and has featured in many TV and film productions, such as the 1968 Hammer Horror classic, The Devil Rides Out. Notable guests have included Peter Sellers, Tom Cruise, John Cleese and Stanley Kubrick.^[19] It was the country home of armaments manufacturer and First Baronet Sir (Arthur) Trevor Dawson, (1866–1931).^[20]

Other buildings[link]

A house in Elstree designed by architect Edward John May (1853-1941) was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1887. St Nicholas Parish Church was designed by English architect Philip Charles Hardwick.^[21]

Schools[link]

Elstree is home to Aldenham School, and Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, both independent public schools (ie. fee-paying), Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls, and St Nicholas Church of England V.A Primary School.^[22]

Earlier schools[link]

Since the 1780s, a private school has been located in Elstree.^[23]

Elstree School, a boys' preparatory school, was located in Elstree from 1848 until 1938 before moving to Woolhampton, Berkshire before the outbreak of the Second World War.

Hillside School was located in Elstree between 1874 and 1886, before eventually becoming Dorset House School in 1905,^[24][25] (not to be confused with Hillside School in nearby Borehamwood.)

Recreation[link]

Sport[link]

Elstree Cricket Club was formed in 1878,^[26] and still plays in the Herts Saracens League.^[27][28] 18-hole Radlett Park Golf Club was founded in 1984,^[29] having recently being renamed from Elstree Golf & Country Club.^[30] It is closer to Elstree than Radlett.

Leisure[link]

Section 15 of the London Outer Orbital Path (London Loop) goes through Elstree,^[31] before continuing as Section 16, a 10 mile (16km) walk from Elstree to Cockfosters.^[32][33]

Parks[link]

Tykes Water bridge

Aldenham Country Park is both a recreational facility and a breeding centre for rare livestock. Section 15 of the London Loop walk passes by.^[31] In 1873 nearby Tykes Water stream was dammed in order to create Tykes Water lake.^[34] Tykes Water Bridge features in the open credits to the Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee film, Dracula A.D. 1972,^[35] and used in the opening title of the Avengers TV series.^[36]

Elstree Reservoir[link]

The dam was built in 1795 by French prisoners of war.^[37] English watercolour landscape painter John Hassell writes:

"At the top of Stanmore Hill we enter on Bushy Heath, and at some distance on the right in the valley catch a view of the celebrated reservoir, the property of the Grand Junction Company, on Aidenham Common, at the foot of the village of Elstree. This noble sheet of water occupies a space of considerable extent on the verge of Aidenham Common, which thirty years ago was a barren waste; here the improvements in agriculture are indeed conspicuous, for at this place a poor, sandy, meagre, wretched soil has now by good husbandry been converted into rich pasturage.

"The reservoir has all the appearance of a lake; and when the timber that surrounds it shall have arrived at maturity, it will be a most delightful spot. From this immense sbeet of water, in event of drought or a deficiency of upland waters, the lower parts of the Grand Junction and the Paddington Canals can have an immediate supply. The feeder from this reservoir enters the main stream near Rickmansworth, above Batchworth Mills, and supplies the millers' below with 300 locks of water, to whose interest the Duke of Northumberland is a perpetual trustee."^[38]

In 1886, the Photographic Society of Great Britain featured an exhibition of photos of Elstree Reservoir by Edgar Clifton.^[39] During World War I, then Major Keith Caldwell with No. 74 Squadron RAF, used Elstree Reservoir for target practice.^[40] In 1918, one of the pilots accidentally killed a local resident when his machine gun misfired.^[41]

Climate[link]

History[link]

Elstree War Memorial, Elstree Hill North

Etymology[link]

The name "Elstree" derives from the Anglo-Saxon phrase "Tidwulf's Tree", which is mentioned as "Tidulfres treow" in an 11-12th century manuscript of of an A.D. 786 charter.^{[42] [43]} It is thought that "the "T" being lost in the wrong division of 'aet Tidwulfes treo'"^[44] (meaning "at Tidwulf's Tree").

In 1723, topographer John Norden noted in his book Speculum Britanniae, that in the country of Hartfordshire (sic) was one "Elstre or Eglestre".^[45] In an earlier edition, he writes:^[46]

"ELSTREE n. 20. in OFFAES grant EAGLESTRE

Nemus aquilinum: a place wherit may be thought Eagles bredd in time past, for though it be nowe hilly and heathy - it hath beene replenished with stately trees, fit for such fowle to breede and harbour in. It is parcell of the libertie of S. Albans.

Nemus aquilinum is the Latin for "grove of eagles".

Robinson Crusoe author, Daniel Defoe wrote in his 1748 travel guide that:

"Idlestrey or Elstre, is a Village on the Roman Watling-street, on the very Edge of Middlesex; but it is chiefly noted for its Situation, near Brockly-hill, by Stanmore, which affords a lovely View cross Middlesex, over the Thames, into Surry."^[47]

In 1811, topographer Daniel Lysons writes:

"The name of this place has been variously written; — Eaglestree, Elstree, Ilstrye, Idlestrye, etc. Norden says that it is called, in Offa's grant to the Abbey of St. Alban's, Eaglestree, that is, says he, "Nemus aquilinum, a 'place where it may be thought that eagles bred in time past'." It has been derived also from Idel-street, i.e. the noble road; and Ill-street, the decayed road. May it not have been, rather, a corruption of Eald-street, the old road, i.e. the ancient Watling-street, upon which it is situated?"^[48]

5th century: Battle of Ailestreu (Elstree)[link]

In the 5th century, British warlord Vortigern and his two sons, Vortimer and Catigern, took part in the Battle of Elstree, then called the Battle of Ailestreu,^[49] where the Saxon Horsa was killed. It's possible there is confusion with the Battle of Aylesbury. George Moberly writes:

"Nennius, M.H.B. p. 69, calls the place of battle where Hors fell Episford; Britannicè 'Sathenegabail' = the Saxon battle. The Saxon Chronicle, ad a. 455, calls it Ægæles-threp, and Henry of Huntingdon, M.H.B. p. 708, Ailestreu. This would naturally be Elstree, of which name there is a place in Herts; but Beda's description of its situation has caused it rather to be referred to Aylesford in Kent, near which is a small village called Horsted."^[50]

16th - 18th centuries[link]

The Manor of Elstree was formerly included in the Manor of Parkbury, and belonged to the Abbey of St. Albans. On the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was granted by Henry VIII, to Anthony Denny (1501–1549).^{[51] [52]}

In 1607, Anthony Denny's grandson Edward Denny sold part of the estate, with all manorial rights, to Robert Briscoe, who sold it the same year to Sir Baptist Hicks. Part of the estate became the Manor of Boreham, and was sold to Edward Beauchamp. It remained with the Beauchamp-Proctor family until 1748,^[53] when it was sold to James West, M.P. for St. Albans, who, in or about 1751, alienated it to a Mr Gulston of Widdial^{[clarification needed]}. Gulston then sold it to a Mr Pigfatt, a gunsmith, who, within a few years, conveyed it to Thomas Jemmet. In 1774 it was purchased from Mr Jemmet by the late George Byng, M.P. for Middlesex, who passed it on to his son, by which time the estate was called the Manor of Boreham.^[51]

In 1776, the House of Lords granted:

"An Act for dividing and closing the Common or Waste Ground, called Boreham Wood Common, in the Parish of Elstree otherwise Idletree, in the County of Hertford."^[54]

In 1796 topographer Daniel Lysons writes:

"The parish of Elstree contains about 3,000 acres of land, which is divided between arable and pasture nearly in an equal proportion. The soil is, for the most part, clay. Boreham Wood, a waste of nearly 700 acres, was inclosed about the year 1778, and is now in culture. This parish pays the sum of £151 11s 0d to the land-tax, which is raised by a rate of about 1s 9d in the pound".^[55]

Murders[link]

The burial of William Weare at the parish church in Elstree.

Martha Ray murder[link]

The Elstree Murder of Eliza Ebborn on 17 August 1882 by George Stratton, as illustrated in The Illustrated Police News Saturday, 11 November 1882

In 1779, Martha Ray (c. 1742–1779), singer and mistress of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, was buried in the parish church (illustrated, right) after she had been shot dead by the Rev. James Hackman, Rector of Wiveton in Norfolk.^[56]

The Elstree murder of William Weare[link]

In 1823 Elstree became notorious for the Elstree murder of William Weare, killed in Radlett and the body disposed of in a pond in Elstree by John Thurtell.^[57] The incident was recalled by Charles Dickens in his Weekly Journal.^[58] An inquest of the deceased was held on 31 October by county coroner Benjamin Rooke at the local Artichoke public house.^[59]

The Elstree murder of Eliza Ebborn[link]

On 17 August 1882, Eliza Ebborn of Watford was murdered by 24-year-old shoemaker George Stratton, who was subsequently sentenced to death.^[60][61] She was buried at Elstree Parish Church.^[62]

Administrative districts[link]

Elstree used to be in the Hundred of Cashio, also known as the Liberty of St Albans.

Elstree Rural District[link]

From 1941 to 1974, Elstree Rural District was the local government area, before being abolished and merged with Hertsmere. On 20th March 1957, Armorial Bearings were granted. The arms and crest are described as follows:

The background of royal ermine, represents the royal visits to and associations with the district, principally the visit of Henry VIII and his court to Tyttenhanger in 1525 to avoid the "sweatinge sicknesse" and the visits of Charles II to Salisbury Hall in Shenley. The oak tree with the Saxon crown represents Saxon Elstree - "Tidwulf's tree" - around which the district has grown. The tree also represents Boreham Wood and the district's woodlands, the gold acorns symbolize growth and prosperity. The waves at the base represent the River Colne, Aldenham Reservoir and link with the waves in the arms of the Hertfordshire CC and the Greater London Council.The gold saltire on blue is from the arms of the Abbey of St. Albans, the manor of Elstree came into the possession of the Abbey in 1188, and Tyttenhanger in Ridge stands on the site of a former possession of the Abbey, and the whole area lies in the Liberty of St. Albans. The scallop shells, the badge of pilgrims, recalls their passage along Watling Street through Elstree to St. Albans.

The hart is from one of the supporters of the County Council arms, wearing a mural crown, symbol of civic government. The spool of film (unique in civic heraldry) recalls the industry which had made the name of Elstree and Boreham Wood so widely known in modern times.

The motto is taken from the wall of Shenley Cage, and also links with the County motto "Trust and fear not". "^[63]

Clubs, societies and organisations[link]

• Elstree And Boreham Wood History Society, (inc. Elstree and Borehamwood Museum)^[64]
• Elstree, Borehamwood & Radlett mencap Society.^[65]
• Elstree Golf & Country Club.^[66]

References in the media[link]

• Elstree is replicated as a part of one of three maps is based in the game Urban Dead. The "Borehamwood" map was released as part of the promotional campaign for the release of British writer Charlie Brooker's Dead Set.
• "Elstree" is also the title of a song about the film studio by the Buggles on their 1979 album The Age of Plastic.
• St. Nicholas Church, Elstree featured in an investigation of paranormal investigation

Notable residents[link]

Napoleon's Death Mask, made in 1821 by Elstree resident, Francis Burton M.D., the uncle of explorer Richard Francis Burton

See also notable pupils at:

(a) Aldenham School (b) Elstree School before it moved in 1938, (b) Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' School, (c) Haberdashers' Aske's School for Girls

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

Books[link]

• Richard Riding and Grant Peerless, Elstree Aerodrome: The Past in Pictures, The History Press Ltd (26 Nov 2003), ISBN 0-7509-3412-3, ISBN 978-0-7509-3412-1, 192 pages.
• Robert Bard, Elstree and Borehamwood Past, Publisher: Phillimore & Company, Limited, 2006, ISBN 1-905286-11-2, ISBN 978-1-905286-11-9, 128 pages
• Stephen A. Castle, William Brooks, The Book of Elstree & Boreham Wood, Publisher: Barracuda Press, 1988, ISBN 0-86023-406-1, ISBN 978-0-86023-406-7, 136 pages
• G. R. T. Eales, A Lecture on the history of Elstree, Publisher: Scott, Greenwood & Son, 1922
• Anthony Frewin, John Mansbridge, Elstree & Boreham Wood through two thousand years, Publisher: Ann and Lionel Leventhal, 1974, ISBN 0-9503822-0-5, ISBN 978-0-9503822-0-3, 47 pages.
• Paul Welsh, Elstree and Borehamwood in Old Picture Postcards, ISBN 90-288-3013-8, ISBN 978-90-288-3013-4, 80 pages.
• J. Roy Avery, The Elstree murder, Publisher: Haberdasher's Aske's School, 1963, 19 pages.
• Thomas Burke, Murder at Elstree: or, Mr. Thurtell and his gig, Publisher: Longmans, Green and co., 1936, 177 pages
• Elstree Rural District: official guide, Forward Publicity Limited, Edition 9, illustrated, Publisher: Home Pub., 1972. ISBN 0-7174-0233-9, ISBN 978-0-7174-0233-5. 72 pages.
• William Hawtayne, A sermon preach'd at Elstree in Hertfordshire, on the twentieth of January, 1714. Mr. Hawtayne's thanksgiving-sermon on the 20th of January, 1714. Printed for Tim Goodwin. 20 pages.
• Franklyn de Winton Lushington, Sermons to young boys delivered at Elstree school, Publ. 1898. Republished Kessinger Publishing LLC 2010. ISBN 1-166-95208-8, ISBN 978-1-166-95208-2.
• The first register book of the parish church of Elstree, 1655-1757, Translated by Arthur R. T. Eales, publisher: pr.by Coombes, 1914, 76 pages.
• I. C. M. Sanderson, A history of Elstree School and three generations of the Sanderson family, Publisher Elstree School, 1978.
• John Hill, Hertfordshire Militia Lists: Elstree & Shenley, Issue ML 102 of Militia Series, Publ. Hertfordshire Family & Population History Society, 2000, ISBN 1-903245-06-0, ISBN 978-1-903245-06-4, 13 pages
• An Illustrated Guide to the Elstree Country Club, Elstree, Herts, publ. Elstree Country Club, 1950, 12 pages. (at the British Library), retrieved 22 Sep 2011.

Journals[link]

• "Medieval Pottery From Elstree, Otterspool & Prehsi", Academic Journal Offprint From St. Albans Architectural And Archaeological Society Transactions (1961)
• Renn, Derek F, "Further finds of medieval pottery from Elstree: with a survey of unglazed thumb-pressed jugs", Hertfordshire Archaeology 1968, pp.124-7
• Stephen Castle and Michael Hammerons, "Excavations Elstree, Middlesex, 1974-6". At Archaeology Data Service Website, retrieved 22 Sep 2011

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Elstree

• 'Parishes: Elstree', A History of the County of Hertford: volume 2 (1908), pp. 349–51.
• 'Elstree', The Environs of London: volume 4: Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent (1796), pp. 24–8.
• Archaeology Data Service: Archsearch
• Elstree Village at BBC Domesday Project online, retrieved 22 Sep 2011
• Elstree Church records at the London Family History Centre.
• "Elstree with Boreham Wood" 1855 Post Office Directory, via Historical Directories
• "Elstree with Boreham Wood, 1894 Kelly's Directory of Essex, Herts & Middx
• My Borehamwood and Elstree News, online and print magazine founded in 2011
• Tried and Trusted website

See also[link]

• All pages beginning with "Elstree"
• All pages with titles containing "Elstree"

Teddy Brown (1900 – 1946) was an American entertainer who spent the latter part of his life performing in Britain. He was born Abraham Himmelbrand in 1900, and first played in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, but moved to the field of popular music in the 1920s.

He was noted for his rotund appearance, approaching 400 pounds in weight, and was often compared to (or considered the British answer to) another rotund band leader of the same era, Paul Whiteman.

Brown played several instruments, the saxophone, the drums, percussion, the xylophone, and he also whistled melodies while he played any of the percussion instruments.

He arrived in London in 1926. The next year he formed his own orchestra, playing at the Café de Paris. He went on to play in other night clubs both in London and Paris including the Kit Kat Club. The custom-made Besson xylophone he played had a six-octave range, two more than the usual xylophone. In 1927, the UK division of Lee DeForest's Phonofilm made a short film of Brown playing the xylophone.

As Brown's considerable percussive skills and fame in the UK spread, he appeared in an early sound feature length movie in 1930, co-directed by a young Alfred Hitchcock, titled "Elstree Calling", a musical variety review that answered Paul Whiteman's music review feature film of the same year, "King of Jazz", with both films featuring early color sequences. Elstree was the movie and radio studio complex where many famous films and radio shows were produced in the early days of British media entertainment. A variety of impressive older musical and comedic vaudeville acts and new talent were featured each of the two films.

Brown's appearances in "Elstree Calling" won favorable audiences reviews at the time. His third appearance in the film was the most impressive, as he plays the xylophone with amazingly fast precision, using only one hand at a time, and sometimes behind his back.

Brown's rapid-fire style was an early influence on percussionist, band-leader Spike Jones, who would launch his own high-energy career a decade later.

From 1931 on Brown played on the radio, in films and the variety stage playing the xylophone. His appearance was dapper but quite stout but he was nimble and often danced around the xylophone while playing. He became very popular with audiences and appeared in the Royal Variety Performance in 1931. He was associated with The Crazy Gang, and was often the subject of their jokes. He died in 1946.

Selected filmography[link]

• Convict 99 as Slim Charlie

References[link]

• Oxford Companion to Popular Music published by Oxford University Press, 1991 ISBN 0-19-280004-3
• Teddy Brown Pages: http://www.jabw.demon.co.uk/tbrown1.htm; http://www.jabw.demon.co.uk/tbrown5.htm. These contain links to discographies as well as biographical information

External links[link]

• Teddy Brown at IMDB
• Teddy Brown at YouTube

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Will Fyffe (16 February 1885 - 14 December 1947) was a major star of the 1930s and 1940s, a star of stage, screen and vinyl.

Fyffe made his debut in his father's stock company at the age of six. He travelled extensively throughout Scotland and the rest of the UK, playing the numerous music halls of the time, where he performed his sketches and sang his songs in his own inimitable style. During the '30s, he was one of the highest paid musical hall artistes in Britain.

In addition, Fyffe appeared in 23 major films of the era (American and British), sometimes starring, and recorded over 30 songs, witty masterpieces enveloped in an engaging melody and delivered with his own unique style.

His singer-songwriter skills are still well known to us today and whereas the memory of his contemporaries may continue to fade, Will has become immortalised for his rendition of his own composition, "I Belong To Glasgow".^[1]. This song, which has been covered by the likes of Danny Kaye, Eartha Kitt, Gracie Fields and Kirk Douglas, is still as fresh today as it was then, and is as memorable for its lyrics as it is for its melody :

“If your money, you spend,

You’ve nothing to lend,

Isn’t that all the better for you”

As a result of this song, Will became forever associated with Glasgow, even though he was born 70 miles (110 km) away in the east coast city of Dundee.

Fortunately for us, Fyffe left some rare footage of his stage act, which gives us a glimpse of stage life in those times. In the footage, he performs the “Broomielaw” sketch and sings his song “Twelve and a Tanner a Bottle”. The footage came about as a result of a screen test, shot for Pathe in New York in 1929.

Early life and career[link]

Will Fyffe was born, on 16 February 1885, in a tenement at 36 Broughty Ferry Road, Dundee, ^[2] the eldest child of John Fyffe (1864–1928), a ship's carpenter, and a music teacher, Janet Rhynd Cunningham (1858–1949).

His father was interested in theatrical entertainment and operated a Penny Geggy, in which the young Will gained valuable experience as a character actor, as he travelled around the Lowlands of Scotland.

In his twenties, Fyffe joined Will Haggar Junior's Castle Theatre company, touring the South Wales Valleys from its base in Abergavenny. Fyffe and his wife feature in an advert for the Castle Theatre in the Portable Times in 1911.

Fyffe's screen debut was in 1914 when William Haggar, Will Junior's father and a pioneer silent film producer, made an epic 50-minute version of the classic Welsh Tale, The Maid of Cefn Ydfa, which was first screened in Aberdare in December of that year. Reviewed in The South Wales Echo in 1938, the film disappeared, but was rediscovered in 1984 in a family cupboard and conserved: 38 minutes survives, in the Welsh Film Archive in Aberystwyth. In the film, Fyffe plays Lewis Bach, the loyal servant of the maid ^[3].

As a character actor, he was much in demand in Hollywood and Britain, starring and co-starring in dozens of productions, with the likes of Finlay Currie, Patricia Roc, John Laurie, Duncan MacRae, John Gielgud, Douglas Fairbanks Jr, Margaret Lockwood and Charles Hawtrey. His last film was The Brothers, which was released shortly after his death. In Owd Bob, (To The Victor in America), Fyffe plays the ‘likeable old carmudgeon’, McAdam,. The New York Times describes Fyffe's performance as fitting “snugly into the mental dossier we have been compiling under the heading, great performances” ^[4].

Although he became well known as a talented actor for the breadth of his on-screen characterisations, Fyffe was also a successful music hall artist (singer-songwriter and comedian), creating a succession of comic characters, whose story he narrated with his unique form of delivery – Fyffe would start his song, pausing in the middle to give a monologue with further detail of the song’s storyline, before resuming the song where he left off. Listen to the stories of the 94 year-old bridegroom and his 3 scheming sons in "I’m 94 Today", and the proud new father in "You Can Come And See The Baby". 'Daft Sandy', the village idiot, was one of Fyffe’s most popular characters - the drama critic, James Agate, referred to this as "a masterpiece of tragi-comedy". Will Fyffe had the ability to create a character and then seem to actually be that character.

In 1937, Fyffe appeared in the Royal Command Performance at the London Palladium. As one local commentator put it:

“ … we are sure the lasting thrill for us all was the finale, Will Fyffe, a wonderful Scottish comedian, was top of the bill. To finish, he sang a song. On the second chorus, the scenery changed completely, and down the aisles came Scottish Pipers. The artists all appeared around a rostrum in front of the orchestra, and we filled the stage, in Scout uniform complete with red scarf. It was the greatest thrill of our young lives. As the National Anthem was played, we faced the Royal Box and sang as we had never sang before.”

For a period, Fyffe developed a successful stage partnership with Harry Gordon, playing opposite him in pantomime for many years.

In 1939 Fyffe was the ninth most popular British star at the box office.^[5]

I Belong To Glasgow[link]

It was when Fyffe wrote and recorded the song "I Belong to Glasgow" that he became a world wide star. According to Albert Mackie's The Scotch Comedians (1973) ^[6], Fyffe found the inspiration for the song from a drunk he met at Glasgow Central Station. The drunk was "genial and demonstrative" and "laying off about Karl Marx and John Barleycorn with equal enthusiasm". Fyffe asked him: "Do you belong to Glasgow?" and the man replied: "At the moment, at the moment, Glasgow belongs to me."

He was so popular that the Empire Theatre in Glasgow ran a 'Will Fyffe' competition, with dozens of entrants singing I belong to Glasgow. Heavily disguised as himself, Fyffe entered the competition for a bet, but he could only win second prize! ^[7] According to theatre manager and historian, W. J. MacQueen-Pope: "Will Fyffe was a man of great honesty and integrity", and this comes across in his songs when heard today.

One of the lines in "I Belong to Glasgow" reads  : 'We went in a hotel, where we did very well'. It was by falling from a hotel room window that Fyffe met his death. (After an operation on his right ear in 1947, Will went to recuperate at his own hotel in St Andrews. One night, he fell from the window of his suite and was taken to the local cottage hospital, where he later died.) ^{[2] [7]}

Fyffe was buried in his adopted home city of Glasgow, (Lambhill Cemetery), three days later.

Fyffe was survived by a son, Will Fyffe Jr. (1927–2008), a musical director who wrote a musical about his father’s life, and a daughter, Eileen.

Filmography[link]

The Internet Movie Database ^[8]

1947 - The Brothers
1944 - Give Me the Stars
1944 - Heaven Is Round the Corner
1940 - Neutral Port
1940 - The Prime Minister
1940 - They Came by Night
1940 - The Mind Of Mr. Reeder (aka The Mysterious Mr. Reeder)
1940 - For Freedom
1939 - The Missing People (aka Missing People)
1939 - Rulers of the Sea
1938 - Owd Bob (aka To The Victor)
1937 - Said O'Reilly to McNab (aka Says O'Reilly to MacNab, Sez O'Reilly to McNab)
1937 - Spring Handicap
1937 - Cotton Queen (aka Crying Out Loud)
1936 - Annie Laurie
1936 - Love in Exile
1936 - Men of Yesterday
1936 - Well Done, Henry
1936 - Debt of Honour
1936 - King of Hearts
1935 - Rolling Home
1934 - Happy
1914 - The Maid of Cefn Ydfa

Discography[link]

Ah’m Feart For Mrs. McKie (1931)
Clyde Built
Corporal McDougall (1939)
Daft Sandy (1930)
Doctor McGregor (1926)
Down In The Quarry Where The Bluebells Grow (1926)
He’s Been Oan The Bottle Since A Baby (1932)
I Belong To Glasgow (1927) (Animated footage)^[1]
I’m 94 Today (1929) (Live footage)^[9]
I'm The Landlord Of The Inn In Aberfoyle (1932)
It Isn’t The Hen That Cackles The Most
McPherson’s Wedding Breakfast (1930)
Sailing Up The Clyde (1927)
She Was The Belle of the Ball (1929)
Sheila McKay (1929)
The Skipper Of The Mercantile Marine (1939)
The Centenarian (1927)
The Gamekeeper (1927)
The Railway Guard (1930)
The Spirit O The Man Fae Aberdeen (1931, Walsh & Fyffe)
The Train That's Taking You Home (1929)
The Waddin O Mary Maclean (1931, Martin & Fyffe)
Twelve And A Tanner A Bottle (1929) (Live footage)^[10]
Uncle Mac (1931)
Ye Can Come And See The Baby (1927)
The ‘Broomielaw’ Sketch (1929) (Live footage)^[11]

Archive Footage[link]

The Scottish Screen Archive (includes the Broomielaw sketch and the song Twelve And A Tanner A Bottle.^[12]

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} [1] (I Belong To Glasgow - Animated Footage)
2. ^ ^{a b} [2] University of Glasgow
3. ^ [3] William Haggar
4. ^ [4] New York Times
5. ^ "POPULAR PLAYERS.". The West Australian (Perth, WA : 1879 - 1954) (Perth, WA: National Library of Australia): p. 3. 24 February 1939. http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article46303803. Retrieved 24 April 2012. 
6. ^ Mackie, Albert David, The Scotch Comedians: from the music hall to television (Edinburgh: Ramsay Head, 1973)
7. ^ ^{a b} [5] Foot stompin'
8. ^ [6] IMDB - The Internet Movie Database
9. ^ [7] (I'm 94 Today - Live Footage)
10. ^ [8] (Twelve And A Tanner A Bottle - Live Footage)
11. ^ [9] (The 'Broomielaw' Sketch - Live Footage)
12. ^ [10] Scottish Screen Archive

External links[link]

• Will Fyffe on Time Out
• Will Fyffe on Fandango