I.B.M. British Ring 19th Annual Convention 1955

The 19th Annual Convention of I.B.M. British Ring No.25 takes place 14th–18th September 1955 in Southport, with Convention Headquarters at the Prince of Wales Hotel and events at the Cambridge Hall and the Floral Hall. Under the presidency of Geoffrey Robinson, with His Worship the Mayor of Southport, Councillor A. E. Townend, J.P., extending a cordial welcome and International President Chas. A. Rosskam sending the greetings of the I.B.M., the week brings together overseas visitors from Australia, Belgium, Holland, India and the U.S.A. for David Berglas’s outdoor ‘Thoughts Out of Space’, the Official Opening, ‘Magic of the North’, Café International, U. F. (Gen) Grant’s film lecture ‘Magic Made Easy’, the Grand Dealers’ Exhibition and Demonstration, the Civic Reception, the Competition for the British Ring Shield, the Grand Convention Banquet and ‘Magic Round the World’, Children’s Playtime, the Lecture Sessions, the Grand Magic Gala at the Floral Hall and The New Era Company’s midnight demonstration, closing on Sunday with the Installation of Eddie Dexter as the new President.

President Geoffrey Robinson writes that returning to Southport — scene of the very successful Conventions of 1939 and 1949 — the Ring feels very much at home and knows it will have another wonderful time. The great thing about a British Ring Convention, he says, is its atmosphere, arising from the welcome of the civic authorities and the hotel, the delight of meeting old and new friends and the pleasure of seeing magic, and yet more magic, at all hours of the day and night; he especially welcomes those attending their first Convention and thanks the Mayor, the civic authorities, the hotel and the Convention Committee. His Worship the Mayor of Southport, Councillor A. E. Townend, J.P., writing from the Mayor’s Parlour in August 1955, is delighted that Southport has again been favoured with a visit from the Annual Convention, mindful of the very happy memories his Council holds of previous visits, and extends a very cordial welcome to all delegates and their friends. International President Chas. A. Rosskam sends greetings from the officers and directors of the I.B.M. and its Rings throughout the world, with wishes for a record attendance, ideal weather, perfect fellowship and the best of magic; distance and press of business alone prevent him from attending, and he cordially invites the membership to the I.B.M. convention in Miami, Florida, in June 1956.\r\n\r\nThe Ring’s officers are President Geoffrey Robinson and President-elect Eddie Dexter; Past Presidents Oswald Rae, Herbert J. Collings, John Ramsay, Ernest Wethered, O.B.E., Wm. G. Stickland and Oscar Paulson, with the late Harry Kaye and the late John Gambling; Vice Presidents L. Bofeys, Ralph Chart, T. H. Chislett, Lewis Davenport, D. Deveen, Gus Fowler, Les Levante, “Murray”, Voltaire and Milton Woodward; Hon. Secretary and Hon. Organising Secretary Wm. G. Stickland (“The Wand”, Ferndown, Dorset); Assistant Hon. Secretary and Treasurer H. J. Atkins (176 Hill Lane, Southampton), who is also Registration Officer; Hon. Solicitor Donald Crombie; Hon. Librarian Bill West; Hon. Editor Voltaire, editor of ‘The Budget’; Hon. Auditor Freddie Carter; Publicity Officer Robert Johnson; and Welfare Officer Eddie Dexter (14 Derwent Avenue, Southport; Southport 87342), to whom Ringers hearing of any case of sickness or accident should report. The Convention Committee comprises Freddie Carter, Eddie Dexter, Paul Graham, Francis Haxton, Wilfred Tyler and Peter Warlock, with Paul Graham in charge of Stage Management and Oscar Paulson directing the Shield Competition; the Committee also includes George Blake, Tom Harris, Edward Love, Jack Potter, Oswald Rae, Eric Williams and others, and the Benevolent Fund Trustees are Donald Crombie, Arthur Culpin, Eddie Dexter, E. G. Love and W. G. Stickland.\r\n\r\nThe British Ring welcomes its Overseas Visitors, including Charles Wicks from Australia, Henk Vermeyden from Holland (President of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés Magiques), H. M. Vakil from India (editor of ‘Cigam’), Suzy Wandas from Belgium and Mystic Craig from the U.S.A., together with Gala artistes Paul Arland of Denmark, René Septembre of France, Albert Le Bas of Ireland and Esme Levante of Australia, and Monte Vesuvius of Sydney, who competes for the Shield. Greetings also come from Dr. and Mrs. Zina Bennett of Detroit, U.S.A., who hope to be with the Ring again in 1956, from Rolland Fraser of Sydney, and from Renos Lyssiotis of Nicosia, Cyprus.\r\n\r\nConvention Headquarters is the Prince of Wales Hotel, where events are announced on the fixture boards at the Registration Office and a blackboard is provided for any alterations or special announcements. Official Convention hosts, distinguished by ‘Ask Me’ rosettes, are particularly anxious to assist newcomers, who should make themselves known to the hosts so that introductions may be effected, and the Stewards too will be very happy to give information regarding any events. There are two Registration Desks, one for delegates who have previously registered and the other for registrants at the Convention. Please wear your Convention badge, which shows all delegates your name: the rule “Admission only by badge” will be strictly enforced, and the badge admits to all events excepting public shows and the banquet. The official photographers for the Convention are the Van de Wynt Studio Group — King, 59a Station Road, Southport. The programme’s preface notes that the British Ring, whose membership now exceeds eight hundred, has seen Cheltenham, Northampton, Buxton and Bournemouth each accommodate two Annual Conventions, and that Southport, with the Floral Hall, is now host for a third time.\r\n\r\nThe Convention opens on Wednesday 14th September at twelve noon with a sensational outdoor attraction on the foreshore flying ground at the corner of Marine Drive and Esplanade: David Berglas, radio and TV’s man of magic, in ‘Thoughts Out of Space’, a telepathic experiment in a new dimension given with the co-operation of the Mayor of Southport. At 2.30pm in the Ballroom of the Prince of Wales Hotel comes the Official Opening by the President, with the Mayor present, followed at 3.30pm by ‘Magic of the North’, arranged and introduced by Oscar Paulson, in which Northern members take part, and at 8.15pm by Peter Warlock’s Café International, an evening in a continental setting with dancing, games, ‘Les Girls’, table-top magic, the Can Can, cabaret and a spotlight on the overseas visitors, with Bobby Voltaire as Master of Ceremonies. Thursday begins with the judging of the Craig Cup for the most attractive dealers’ stand at 9.30am and the Annual General Meeting and Election of Officers at 10am (members only), followed at 11.45am by two showings of the U. F. (Gen) Grant film lecture ‘Magic Made Easy’, shown for the first time in this country, and the first presentation of Charles Wicks’s colour film ‘At His Fingertips’. After lunch the Grand Dealers’ Demonstration is staged in the Ballroom at 2.30pm, with the Grand Dealers’ Exhibition open from Thursday to Sunday, and at 8pm the Mayor and Mayoress give the Civic Reception at the Floral Hall, with cabaret by Graham Adams and Vercoe and dancing until 1am.\r\n\r\nFriday opens at 10.15am with Francis Haxton’s lecture ‘Card Magic My Way’, and at 1.45pm prompt in the Cambridge Hall Oscar Paulson introduces the Competition for the British Ring Shield, with twenty-seven entrants competing for the British Ring Shield and Cash Prize, the Conventioneers’ Trophy, the Craig Trophy for the best performance by a lady magician, the Theo Speaker Cup and the third prize. At 5pm magicians give Hospital Shows at the Children’s Convalescent Home and Southport Infirmary, and at 7pm the Grand Convention Banquet takes place at the Prince of Wales Hotel under the chairmanship of the President; afterwards the diners proceed to the Cambridge Hall for ‘Magic Round the World’, devised by Wilfred Tyler. Saturday brings Wilfred Tyler’s Children’s Playtime at 10.30am in the Cambridge Hall, the lectures by Lewis Ganson (‘Take a Trick’, 2.30pm) and Percy Press (‘Those Were the Days’, 4pm), and the Grand Magic Gala at the Floral Hall at 2.30pm and 7.45pm, introduced by the Fabulous June, with Sooty and Harry Corbett in their first appearance in England, Percy Press, Ram Das & Kim, Suzy Wandas, René Septembre, Derrick Speight, David Berglas, Albert Le Bas, Paul Arland and Esme Levante & Company; at midnight come the Magic Films and The New Era Company’s demonstration, with performances at 12, 12.30, 1 and 1.30am. On Sunday 18th September a Cocktail Party at 11.30am is followed at 12.30pm by the Installation of Eddie Dexter as the new President — a fitting climax, as he is a resident of Southport — and the Convention closes with a vast army of magical workers looking forward to the twentieth Convention in 1956. Throughout the week the Harry Kaye Memorial Album is on view at the Registration Desk and the Giant Tombola, arranged by George Smallwood and Helene Strachan, raises funds for the Benevolent Fund.