I.B.M. British Ring 6th Annual Convention 1936

The 6th Annual Convention of I.B.M. British Ring No.25 takes place 26th–28th June 1936 in Northampton, with Convention Headquarters at the Grand Hotel and the entertainments at the Town Hall. Opened by the Ring’s President, Oswald Rae, the weekend brings together members and visitors for Friday’s Official Opening and Tea, Sensational Outdoor Attractions with Paul Graham and Cardi, the Mayoress’s Reception and a Concert at the Grand Hotel; Saturday’s Official Group Photograph, Charabanc Excursion, Children’s Matinee and Grand Public Entertainment; and the Annual General Meeting, First Appearance Entertainment and Farewell Luncheon on Sunday.

The British Ring welcomes members and visitors to its Sixth Annual Convention at Northampton, 26th–28th June 1936. The Convention Programme opens with a portrait of Oswald Rae, President of the British Ring, I.B.M., who extends a hearty welcome to “each and everyone”. Wm. G. Stickland, ‘The Wessex Wizard’, is Hon. Secretary, and anyone wishing to join the I.B.M. is invited to obtain all particulars from him at The Wand, Dudsbury Crescent, Dorset. He and Poppy Gwynne send hearty greetings to magician friends in all parts of the globe, and announce that “IT” — his latest book of original Illusions & Tricks — will be published shortly.

The Convention is welcomed by its hosts, the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club. Its President is Mr. A. Valentine (“Daulby House”, Southfield Road, Duston, Northants), its Vice-Presidents are Rev. J. Trevor Lewis, Col. C. L’Estrange Malone and Mr. Chass. Lewis, and its Hon. Secretary is Mr. A. E. Tear, of Wollaston, Northants. Fraternal greetings to all visiting magicians and friends come from the following members: P. F. Rushton, W. R. Austin, W. C. Murdin, W. Ken. Hanning, Percy Jessop, P. L. Harris, Eric C. Lewis, G. H. Turner, E. E. Newell, C. Lankester, G. R. King, Prof. Goff, Billy Dooley, Will Vaughan, Rev. Louis A. Ewart, L. Burrows and H. Holt Howard. Through the kindness of Mr. C. Lankester, the Lower Assembly Hall becomes a “Welcome” Club on Friday and Saturday, 26th and 27th June, where every visiting member will receive a hearty welcome; an information bureau will be in constant attendance, and a writing room with shorthand typist will be at the disposal of members of the I.B.M.

Convention Headquarters is the Grand Hotel, where the Secretary’s Office is Room 21. Members and visitors are requested to register on arrival at the Lower Assembly Rooms, Town Hall, which are set aside as a rest room, and where they will be received by a Reception Committee and will receive the Convention Badge. Non-members are charged 2/- for the Convention Programme and Badge (free to members).

The Convention opens on Friday 26th June at 3pm with the Official Opening by the President at the Town Hall (Lower Assembly Room). Tea is served through the generosity of C. Lankester, Esq., of the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club, who also invites all members of the I.B.M., the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club and all friends and visitors. At 4.30pm come the Sensational Outdoor Attractions: at Franklin’s Gardens, Paul Graham, the man with the Double Vision, will play a game of tennis — completely blindfolded; and at 5.30pm at Waterloo House, Market Square, Paul Graham, completely blindfolded, will walk the parapet of the building, while Cardi presents his sensational “Death Drop”, devised by Brunel White. At 6.30pm the Mayoress receives members and friends at the Town Hall, with light refreshments and an impromptu entertainment, and at 8pm Supper (2/6) is served at the Grand Hotel — Chicken Consommé, Salmon Mayonnaise, Small Dainty Mixed Grill and Apricot Melba. Those wishing to sit for supper are asked to give their names to the Hon. Secretary during the afternoon.

At 9pm a Concert is held at the Grand Hotel. Part I, arranged by the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club, features Archie Tear (Manipulative Magic), Eric C. Lewis (Magic of 1936), Peter Dooley (Billy’s Clever Son), G. H. Turner (The Magical Gardener), Billy Murdin (Mystery & Magic), Will Vaughan (The Tricky Trickster) and Arthur Valentine (Only a Mystery Man). Part II, arranged by the British Ring, features Geoffrey Robinson (Great Unexpectations), Cardi (with a Smile and a Cigarette), Oswald Rae (The Bewildering Humorist), Cedric (The Clever Boy Magician) and Douglas Swanson (The Debonair Deceiver).

Saturday 27th June begins at 10.30am outside the Town Hall with the Official Group Photograph, taken by Mr. Tom Hayter; it is hoped all members and visitors will endeavour to be present. At 11am a Charabanc Excursion includes a tour of Messrs. Padmore & Barnes Boot Factory. At 3pm the Town Hall hosts the Grand Children’s Matinee, organised by the British Ring (I.B.M.) under the auspices of the Northampton Mercury and Herald, with all proceeds in aid of the Merry Comrades Cot Fund. Walter Kemp is Master of Ceremonies, and the Convention Orchestra plays the Overture under the direction of W. Griffiths. The programme features Djinn and His Magic; Francis White (‘Even so, Magical Meanderings’); Marelles Marvellous Marionettes, presented by Stanley Marelle; Eric Williams (‘Wizardry and Wisecracks’); and Wm. G. Stickland, ‘The Wessex Wizard’, assisted by Poppy Gwynne. After the Interval and a Selection come Billy Dooley, Northampton’s Own Illusionist; Archie Byford and his ever popular Punch & Judy; Tom Sherborne in a Sketch assisted by “Wally” (‘My Voice & I’); and Stanley Cable (‘The Magic of China’), with The King and Harry Kaye directing the stage.

At 8pm the Town Hall hosts the Grand Public Entertainment, compèred by Walter Kemp, with the Overture by the Convention Orchestra under W. Griffiths. The first half brings Yung Len Tu & Company, the Royal Chinese Illusionist, in ‘Magic of the Mandarins’; Stanley Marelle, The Midland Magician; Beck and English, Sensational Adagio Dancers; Geo. R. Brand (‘The Clerical Error’); and Deveen, ‘The Distinguished Deceiver’, and his New York Blondes. After the Intermission and a Selection by the Orchestra come Raoul, ‘Le Magicien Français’ (Wonders without Words); Wm. G. Stickland and “Jimmy” in a Ventriloquial Sketch; the D’Alton Quintette (‘The Magic of Melody’); Paul Graham, ‘The Man with Double Vision’; and J. Milton Woodward, Wizard of Mirth and Mystery, followed by The King. The programme is under the direction of Harry Kaye. It is advisable to book seats for these public entertainments; Booking Agents are Messrs. Fraser, Son & Mackenzie, Abington Street. Suppers can be obtained at the Grand Hotel after the evening entertainment at 2/6 per head, to be ordered at the hotel beforehand, with a buffet in the Coffee Room and Snack Bar.

The Convention closes on Sunday 28th June at the Grand Hotel with the Annual General Meeting, for members only, in the Coffee Room at 10.30am. At 11.30am comes the First Appearance Entertainment, to which any member who has not previously appeared at a Ring function is invited. At 1pm the Farewell Luncheon (3/- per head; orders to be placed with the hotel manager beforehand) offers Green Pea Soup, Salmon Mayonnaise, Roast Spring Chicken with Bacon and Bread Sauce, Cauliflower with Cream Sauce and New Potatoes, Assorted Cold Meats & Salads, Pear Melba, and Cheese & Biscuits, with coffee extra.

For all the latest magical novelties, visitors are invited to the “Demon Den” of L. Davenport & Co. at the Grand Hotel. The Programme is filled with greetings and advertisements. The Great Levante, Australia’s Famous Illusionist, is truthfully sorry that engagements make it impossible for him to be with the Convention, and his page lists his tour dates, from Chelsea and Poplar through the summer to Boscombe in September, and the £1,000 Trunk Mystery. Greetings come from Stanley A. Cable (Libury Hall, Munden, near Ware), Harry Kaye (Bush Hill, Enfield), A. Douglas Swanson (Glasgow), Walter W. Kemp (Orpington), The Byfords, Henry A. Goad (President of the Plymouth Magicians’ Club), Prof. L. Bofeys and Valere (Cheltenham), J. Gambling (Cambridge), Geoffrey Passmore (York), The Associated Wizards of the South (Arnold De Blogur, President), Billie Murdin (Wellingborough), Raoul (Horsham), Eric Williams (Ledbury), Effie Tyler (Crawley), Cedric (Walthamstow) and J. Milton Woodward (Leamington). The Programme also prints ‘The Magician’s Ten Commandments’ by Douglas Dexter, and its back cover advertises L. Davenport & Co., The Magic Store, New Oxford Street, London, with The Glass Penetration Mystery as presented by Chris Charlton. The British Ring thanks all who have contributed to the success of the Convention, including W. Cowper Barron, Esq., and the Press, Arthur Valentine, Esq., the members of the Northamptonshire Magicians’ Club and many other good friends too numerous to mention.