Bertram Mills Circus 1930's Photos

[danjake]

A number of old photos have recently come into my possession and a long lost brother of my Dad features in all of them. His name was Robert Crook, born in Bath in 1909 and possibly using his mothers married name of Cryer.

I am desperately trying to identify the other men on these photos who worked for and travelled with Bertram Mills Circus in the 1930's. Robert is the young man on the far right of the first one and is easily spotted on the others while the man in the middle with the glasses and holding the cigarette has been identified to me as Charles Leighton who was the Advance Booking Manager and he died in 1947.

Any scrap of information, however small, would be very gratefully received.

With thanks to all.

Brian

[danjake]

Apologies i am trying to upload the other 4 photos !

Brian

[danjake]

This was meant to be the original first photo with Robert Crook on the right and Charles Leighton in the centre with the glasses.

Thank you !

[danjake]

These are the final two photos.

Once again thanks to all.

Brian

[John915]

Good evening,

I think the chap in the 2nd picture wearing an overcoat may be Bertram Mills himself. The two young lads on the right sans hats could be his sons, Cyril and can't remember the other name off hand . will have to google that one.

John915

[dawnsh]

2 sons - Cyril Bertram Mills and Bernard Notley Mills

Dawn

[danjake]

Thank you Dawn and John for your interest. These are obviously photos of the management and hierarchy of the circus and certainly not ordinary workers or performers.
With this in mind I've studied a couple of archive photos of Bertram and his two sons Cyril and Bernard, born in 1902 and 1905 respectively, but I have to say that I couldn't be sure one way or the other.
Thanks again !

[John915]

Good evening,

Whilst I agree that it looks like shots of the management, the chap in 2 of the shots with the flat cap is the odd one out. He looks strangely at odds with all the others for him to be management. I had thought he could be Nikolia Poliakoff, Coco the Clown, but why would he be with such a grouping. I had the great fortune to meet him twice in person during the fifties after winning colouring competitions. The winners all got free family tickets for Olympia where B M s circus appeared during the winter months. I often wonder where my signed pictures went.

John915

[danjake]

Hi John

I'm useless at facial recognition of photos but do you think with his square jaw and short stature that he's the same man wearing smart suits in pic 1 (far right), pic 3 (centre), pic 4 (bottom left) and pic (second right) ?

The interesting thing for me is that despite his flat cap and scarf in pics 2 and 6 it seems that he is still important enough to be in the centre of the picture.

Coco the Clown was born in 1900 and I do not know when he joined Bertram Mills but it would be wonderful if he were one of the young men in these photos which I can accurately date between 1928 and 1937 because of my uncle who was born in 1909. He is in every photo, seated front centre in pic 1 and to flat cap mans left in pic 2.

I hope that one day you discover your signed pictures !

Regards

Brian