Thanet in the 1950s

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Thanet in the 1950s

Postby John Humphrey » 02 Mar 2010, 17:00

I know this is straying just a little from the subject of Dreamland (although there was a circus on the Dreamland site a couple of years or so ago), but does anyone remember the Raymer's Circus that used to visit Ramsgate during the holiday weeks? Would this have been the small circus (with no animals other than dogs) that traded as "The Big Top Circus" that visited Sevenoaks in the early summer of 1955? If it was the same circus, it would presumably have been working its way down to Ramsgate.

I am particularly interested in a former bus that this circus used as a caravan-cum-office. A photograph on another website of an Aldershot & District Dennis "E" has left me half-convinced that this is what I saw in 1955. It is relatively unlikely, admittedly, that a late-1920s vehicle would have still been in use, even on a circus, as late as 1955; however, as it was such a small circus, it is just possible.

If this was indeed Raymer's Circus, does anyone know where its home base was? If this was however not Raymer's circus, I am told that there was another small travelling circus that visited Kent, owned by the Weight family; could that have been "The Big Top Circus" and, if so, where was that circus based? If I could find out where the circus was based, I could perhaps find out something from the local history section of the nearest reference library.

I should be very grateful for any information on this long-standing mystery.
John Humphrey
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Raymer's Circus

Postby Raymond Dolling » 08 Mar 2010, 08:16

Raymer's was a very small family circus that operated from 1946 until about 1960. It was based at Kesgrave in Suffolk. It used to give daytime performances at the Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate 1954 - 1958. These came to an end I believe when a backstage fire destroyed all the costumes and props.
The entire company consisted of Stanley Raymer, his wife Olive and their two sons David and John. On the road each of them drove a vehicle of some sort which towed a trailer. There was also one 'outside' act, different each year and usually a couple, who made at least two appearances in the show. I know that in 1953 this was Victor and Pauline Johnson who did two acts - Ricardo and Pauline, knife throwers, and Sylvia on the Silver Thread, tight rope. They had a GMC (General Motor Company) Bedford bus.
Raymers had a bus as well - an SOS (Science Over Strength) bus bought from Birmingham Corporation. It was driven by Mrs. Raymer and towed the dog trailer. The act was known as 'Olivia's Jewels' and consisted of six little terriers, each named after a precious stone - pearl, ruby, etc.
Stanley Raymer died in 1981 and his wife has passed away as well. However David and John are still alive. Both started successful businesses away from the circus.
Weight's Circus was another very small circus owned by Charles Weight who died in 1985. It was continued for a while by his children Philip and Patricia but closed eventually. It was based at one time at Grafty Green near Lenham, thereafter at Moon's Green, Wittersham near Tenterden and as far as I know Philip Weight still owns this property. Interestingly in 1952 Raymers were in partnership with Weights but only for that one season.
I do not know if either of them ever used the title 'Big Top Circus'. It is possible but unlikely.
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Thanet in the 1950s

Postby John Humphrey » 22 Mar 2010, 16:51

I am a little mystified.

"SOS" is believed to stand for "Squire's Own Specifications". Basically, the old Midland Red bus company (the proper name was The Birmingham and Midland Motor Omnibus Company Ltd.) made its own vehicles (including engines) although the bodywork was usually contracted out. In pre-war years the vehicles were badged as "SOS" (Squire being the surname of a senior BMMO official), and this was because some vehicles of this make went to other BET Group bus companies, notably Northern General and Trent. In post-war years, vehicles of this make were supplied only to BMMO and so were badged as BMMO rather than SOS. Indeed, BMMO coaches regularly used to work through to the Kent Coast during the summer.

From this, it will be seen that the bus with Raymer's, if indeed it was of the SOS make, would have been ex-BMMO rather than ex-Birmingham Corporation. Conversly, if the vehicle was indeed ex-Birmingham Corporation, it would have been of a make other than SOS.

The vehicle I recall seeing in Sevenoaks definitely had rear-entrance bodywork, whereas it appears from the appropriate website that all the SOS single-deckers had front entrance bodywork. Unless Raymer's Circus changed its vehicle part-way through the 1950s, it does seem that the circus I remember from 1955 must have been other than Raymer's. Also, another website shows Raymer's as having a horse, but the circus I remember seeing in Sevenoaks definitely had only dogs.

On this basis I think the circus in 1955 must have been Weight's or perhaps somebody else's circus. Does anyone have any ideas, please?

However it would nevertheless be interesting to have further information about the SOS and the Bedford that have been mentioned.

Incidentally, a few years later (in 1962) Sanger's Circus visited Tonbridge and then Sevenoaks. They had an SOS which I saw in the Tonbridge circus field from the top of a bus on the way to school, a day or two before the circus opened. I duly visited the Sevenoaks site the following week hoping for a better view of the SOS but it was not there. Either the SOS was part of an advance party setting up the circus before the main circus arrived, or else there were two separate bits of Sanger's, one of which visited Tonbridge while the other visited Sevenoaks. Can anyone shed light on this, please?
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Thanet in the 1950s

Postby Daniel Bates » 24 Mar 2010, 17:20

Would any of the following organisations be likely to have any information?

The M&D and East Kent Bus Club
The PSV Circle
The Omnibus Society

Somebody ought to be able to resolve this!
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Postby carla21010 » 15 Jun 2010, 16:57

My father David Raymer would know all the answers why don't you contact him direct he is on face book
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Thanet in the 1950s

Postby John Humphrey » 16 Jun 2010, 11:50

Many thanks for the tip about David Raymer but I'm afraid Facebook is beyond me. I've tried looking up the surname Raymer and place name Kesgrave on www.118500.co.uk but it says that there is nobody of that name. I wonder if someone with a little more knowledge of technology could please let me know and address and/or a phone number fro David Raymer. Many thanks
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Postby carla21010 » 16 Jun 2010, 14:11

send me you email address or phone number and I will pass it on to my father, you don't have to display your details send them direct to me, Carla
kithillclucker@aol.com
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Thanet in the 1950s

Postby John Humphrey » 18 Jun 2010, 16:26

I have now heard from David Raymer and so now know that the circus that I remember in Sevenoaks was not the Raymer circus. I sent a copy of this blog a few weeks ago to a member of the Weight family at Wittersham and am still waiting to hear. I also sent a copy to Bob Ogley who does the "Chronicler" column in the "Sevenoaks Chronicle" but so far there has been no response from that direction either. I did, however, ring the "Sort Out" number as advertised in the "Steam Heritage" guide and had a most interesting conversation in which it was explained that the generator set that was being used would have been ex-War Office; as bus companies began to sell off redundant diesel-engined vehicles, it was usual for circus operators (needing to generate electricity purely for lighting) simply to use the bus engine and dynamo: hence the use of a separate generator set would certainly indicate an older petrol-engined vehicle, in which case it was quite possible that it could have been a Dennis E.

Is there anyone else who could shed light on this?
John Humphrey
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Re: Thanet in the 1950s

Postby Arhsub » 25 Feb 2014, 19:06

I wonder if someone with a little more information of technological innovation could please let me know and deal with and/or a contact variety fro Bob Raymer. Many thanks


marc jacobs | so low
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Re: Thanet in the 1950s

Postby Munchkin » 28 Oct 2014, 12:10

My mother and father were Pauline and Ricardo (Victor) Johnson. I have photographs of them performing, and also of them with their Dennis bus.
I have a photograph of John and David Raymer, with my father, sitting in the door well of the bus.
Does anyone have any information about Pauline Johnson's mother, Georgina Pinder, who also performed a high wire act.
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