Part Eight: Ada Mary Chapman

Over the last couple of days, I have uncovered much information, about Miss Ada Mary Chapman, George Bruce Chapman's younger sister.

Information that has shed new light on what I already knew. Born in 1888, she achieved as much acclaim as her brother after his passing in 1935, when she took up the reins of the business, expanding it and keeping it just as successful.

This portrait was taken in 1936 and was signed by Miss Chapman herself.

And this information was on the back: 

ADA CHAPMAN FOR CHAPMANS (B'HAM) LTD PRESENTS THE BINGLEY HALL BIRMINGHAM XMAS CIRCUS DAILY UNTIL JAN 9^TH

(This photo was sourced from this website: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/postcard-ada-chapman-signed-245794435)

This article, published in the Nottingham Journal on the 9th of January, 1937, tells of her determination to keep the family business going.

This next article details on how much she was involved, travelling far and wide to source new attractions:

There were many articles published, the ones that I have found, the majority were from 1939, before war was declared in September that year. Many advertisements about the circus coming to town, a couple of articles about Miss Chapman bring the delights of the circus to ex-servicemen and on occasion to a children's hospital.

All very impressive.

My favourite article, published in the Birmingham Daily Gazette (Birmingham seemed to adopt her as a favoured citizen - despite her Northampton roots), describes my (possible) great aunt as a "...woman of outstanding character - the brains and the sole directing influence over a great show business..."

Then in March 1940, the circus was sold. Britain was suffering through the war and a circus could not be maintained while London was being bombed.

This article, published in the Daily Herald on the 13th of March, 1940, details the events.

Today, I found a photo of Miss Chapman at that auction. (This photo was sourced from this website: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/1940-press-photo-ada-chapman-circus-1807869386)

This card was on the back of the photo:

And the photo itself:

After the circus was sold, (here I reference an article on the Birmingham Post website, published more recently - the 6th of November 2009 written by Richard McComb:

http://www.birminghampost.co.uk/lifestyle/memories-of-blitz-britain-3937012)

Miss Chapman moved to Suckley, just north of Cradley, where Winnie (then 12, interviewed in this article when she was 82) lived with her family. 

"Dorothy, Winnie’s mother, cleaned and cooked for Miss Chapman and also fed the animals, which were kept in cages in the orchards. Her daughter was introduced to the circus owner and the two hit it off.

Winnie, who was 12 or 13, recalls: “Miss Chapman took a shine to me because I was a good listener. She used to tell me about her father and his big game hunting abroad. It was fascinating for me because I lived in the back of beyond.”

The girl would be ferried about in the wealthy entertainer’s black Rolls-Royce. At night, they would listened to Lord Haw-Haw’s broadcasts on Miss Chapman’s state-of-the-art wireless and the older woman would captivate her young companion with tales of her overseas’ exploits.

Winne says: “The furthest I had been was Birmingham. It was something to hear about what she had done and where she had been. She told me she was the first white woman to sail up the Amazon River. I always had my supper with her. I would have a cracker biscuit and a bit of cheese. She would always get rations from somewhere. I guess it was money that talked.”"

Then, Miss Chapman moved with her animals to Tack Farm, near Bromyard, Herefordshire.

This article, published in the Daily Mirror, on the 29th of July, 1940 describes it. The girl, Valeska mentioned is Valeska Germains, her brother Roberto also worked in the circus.

This article was published in Australia, in the New South Wales publication, the Barrier Miner.

6th February 1940.

The last article I found her in, was about Don Ross's circus in 1946. Published on the 20th of June in The Stage (a publication which has mentioned Chapman circus a few times before). 

Miss Chapman is one of the those who signed, as were Roberto and Valeska Germains.

A bit more research found that Miss Chapman passed away in 1967, in Bromyard, Herefordshire, still with her farm I suppose.

Tack Farm is now an equestrian centre.

Part Nine: Jan Doksansky

During a few random google searches, putting Chapman and Circus together, then apart, with different names attached, turned up different things.

One of which, was the life story of one Jan Doksansky, born in 1900 (the first source I found said 1901) who worked with among others, Chapman Circus.

This is the source that sparked a newspaper search on Find my Past.

This is Jan Doksansky, born October 14th 1901 of Czech origin. This picture is of his own group of four male lions in the winter of '52/53. He was a very good all round trainer, particularly with horses and elephants. However, we know him best for his work with lions and polar bears. He worked exclusively for Chapman's Circus in the UK during the whole time they were in existence. Michael Howes, our general manager's grandfather, Captain Sydney Howes, was taught by Jan. He was greatly respected and died of cancer in 1958. His lions were sold to Robert Brothers' Circus and he also had a chimp act that he worked for the last three years of his life. I have his ring cage here and I knew his wife fairly well. He also worked in 1929 for the Detroit Zoo, training an elephant act. 

As it said above, he worked with lions and polar bears and during my newspaper search, there were a few articles that spoke of his bravery and daring while working with these animals, a couple of incidents where he was injured, once during a matinee show and after being treated, came back to work that very night.

This article sourced from the National Library of New Zealand details it. https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/OSWCC19310609.2.4

There are many articles that detail Mr Doksansky's daring, of being indomitable, intrepid, his skill in training and displaying a variety of performing animals.

Including this one, published in the Birmingham Mail on the 19th of January in 1939.

Mr Doksansky and his wife Sylvia Cleopatra Doksansky (nee Lee) both were involved in the circus and in the midst of the height of Chapman Circus, they had two children, both whose descendants are still around today. They married in 1950 and after Mr Doksansky passed in 1958, his wife remarried.

Part Ten: The Tapes

During my research to find something Chapman related, a clue that would point towards more certainty that the man is actually related. Dreaming big.

One of my emails came back with a promising reply from the British Library. There were ten tapes recording an interview with a Louise Fossett, which included her memories of being in various circuses with her family. One of which was Chapman.
Going through the list, there were three tapes that had Chapman mentions.

I made a note of them and kept the note relatively safe. It is a fact universally acknowledged that the British Library is in Britain, specifically London. A full seventeen hours worth of flying time from my current location.

Thankfully a recent trip included London and was able to pay a trip to this library. Here I must thank the staff there for their patience, they have a specific way of patrons accessing their information and I was a complete novice.

(For those who are wondering, you have to bring sufficient identification to apply for a readers pass, then you have to make an appointment with the relevant department.)

Listening to them in Carrel No. 2, (nope, not a made up word) - I made notes whenever Chapman was mentioned, which was satisfyingly often.

Mrs Fossett tells of the "wonderful Mr Chapman." In her words, "the animal man" was an importer of exotic animals. He had a shop on 17 Tottenham Court Road and later moved to number 24. This second address was like an arcade. (I went to both addresses a little later, the first is now home to the local Boots branch and the second, not much at all) There was also the Tannerfield Stud Farm in Cheshunt, she mentions 200 tortoises in the fields.

 After the circus the family was with ended, Mrs Fossett's father was charged with "putting up the first Chapman circus, in 1928." Mr Chapman knew nothing about circuses apparently.

When Mrs Fossett's father passed not long after, Mr Chapman helped the family, sent them 2 pounds a week and employed Mrs Fossett and her siblings. She tells of selling programs and taking money at the ticket office. Fifteen shillings a week. There was a bus specifically for the circus artists to take them from the store back to the farm.

"Mr Chapman was always around the world, buying animals and exporting wild beasts to different shows."

When she was older, she and her sisters were working and living in London with the Circus. She speaks of a "Mrs Chapman" who was very friendly, bought her and her sisters costumes, anything they wanted to "glamourise the circus".

When Mr Chapman passed (I'm thinking it was sooner, maybe when the trial happened) they found out that the woman who they thought was Mrs Chapman wasn't, his actual wife and daughter were in Birmingham. They had had no idea of his unique situation.

Considering the timing, I'm quite certain that this "Mrs Chapman" in London, was in fact Miss Helen Edwards.

All in all, well worth the time and effort. Thanks again to the British Library and the staff there.

A break in the case

A month ago, I discovered the Association of Circus Proprietors (later found that Mr Chapman was a founder member) and decided to make contact to see if they had any information.

They didn't - to be fair, Chapman Circus was over almost seventy years ago, but they did put me in touch with the Circus Research Network, a group of people that researches and writes about circuses in the UK.

I was thrilled and more so to become a member, as I was able to contact many by one email. And a few responded to my query, including a Mr Barltrop.

He attached an article, from the King Pole magazine, about the Chapman Circus. I was elated, overjoyed and I read through the pages with increasing zeal. The story I had uncovered from the newspaper articles and advertisements had been put into an article.

But what really made me proverbially jump up and down in happiness, was that the article had included photographs.

Including a couple of the man himself, George Bruce Chapman.

The lady next to him is Margaret Edwards, the other director of G.B. Chapman Ltd.