manx celtic music and dance

RESEARCH - A forgotten Manx dancer?

12 Dec 2019

A forgotten Manx dancer?

Researched by David Radcliffe (2019)

Whilst researching my mother-in-law’s family tree I came across a half-sister to her father, a person of which she had only a vague recollection. I found a record of the birth of this lady, Kathleen Sumner, but little else; so consulted the online newspaper collection at the Manx Museum, and found a surprising number of stories...

Kathleen was born in 1920, the daughter of Robert Sumner and Fanny Callin of Foxdale. Robert and Fanny had married in Douglas in 1915, when Robert was a Private in the 5th King's Liverpool Regiment. Fanny was the youngest of 7 children of Robert Callin (a miner) and Margaret Callister. Fanny had already had 2 children, and appears in the newspapers in 1905 trying to get a maintenance payment out of the father of her first child.

Kathleen first gets a mention in the papers in aged 8 ¾ when Fanny Sumner is summonsed for not ensuring that her daughter was regularly attending school in Foxdale . She claimed that Kathleen had been suffered from ill health, however it turned out that the Court was aware that young Kathleen had been attending dancing classes in Douglas!

The dancing lessons were obviously working as Kathleen next appears in the papers in 1930 at a Concert where she performed 'fairly dance' (fairy?) and 'Irish Dance'.  The following year she was listed under the newspaper headline:

'SUCCESSFUL COMPETITIONS STAGED AT THE PALAIS DE DANSE'

Miss J. Davie and Mr H.N Radcliffe won the Insular Dancing Championship for 1931 at the Palais de Danse last night. The junior results were: Children under 12: 1. Beryl Hardy and Kathleen Sumner.

In 1932, now 11, Kathleen is listed, alongwith with Joan Beryl Hardy, as a ballroom champion at the St. Aubyn School of Music, Dance and Drama run by Mrs A M Rushworth.

During 1933 Kathleen appears in another concert, this time in Kirk Michael, with the Mr James Dunlop's Concert Party. 'The programme was one of great variety, consisting of vocal, instrumental,  dancing and gymnastics.

All of this sounds like a fairly promising talent doing local concerts and competitions, so I was a little taken aback at the next newspaper article from 1938 where Kathleen is described as having left the Island at the age of 13 to embark 'on a professional career which has been consistently successful'. 

'When the Tiller Girls – the most famous dance troupe in the world stepped onto the stage of the London Coliseum on Wednesday night to display their skill for six thrilling minutes before the King and Queen, there was no prouder artiste on the programme than 18 year old Kathleen Sumner, a member of the troupe – and the first Manx girl to have the honour of appearing at a Royal Command Performance.'

'Miss Sumner, who will be remembered by many folk in the Island as an extremely promising child dancer began her training for her stage career with Miss Olga Harris (now Mrs R. Cowell) at the St Olwyn School of Dancing. Following Miss Harris's marriage, Kathleen joined Miss A.M. Rushworth's St. Aubyn School of Dancing, and as a very small girl distinguished herself by winning five medals in one day, and later winning the Manx Dance Championship, under 12, two years in succession'.

'She has played Red Riding Hood in a touring pantomime produced by Mr Will. A. Jackson (former producer of the Villa Marina season shows), and one of the “Babes in the Wood” in resident Panto in York, after which she joined the “Bon Ton Rascals,” at the Blackpool Tower for 22 weeks, during  which time she broadcast and made gramophone records.

Kathleen then found a partner and launched her own act on the music halls, under the title of “The Hepburn Sisters”.

It was immensely popular, and in two years, the young artistes had only four vacant weeks.

They were booked for a Continental tour, but an unsettled Europe mad them change their plans and the act was broken up last march, when Kathleen went to London and her partner returned to Liverpool.

The Manx girl was only 2 days in London when she joined the well-known Sherman Fisher school,; and within a week she was taking part in a film entitled “Take Off That Hat”, which has just had its trade show.

Finally, Kathleen called at the celebrated John Tiller school; and was chosen out of a hundred girls to fill the only vacancy.

She spent the summer season at Blackpool Opera House – returned to London – was picked for the Coliseum troupe – and now has entertained their Majesties!

What's more, this talented young lady has been booked for Francis Laidler's Xmas pantomine at Covent Garden – and then she 'll put on a new act with a male partner.'

 

Wow! Quite a star! What happened next? Can I buy her records on e-bay? Are there films on Youtube?

In an interview with the local press in 1938 'Kathleen says she won't be satisfied until she's a screen star' 'and next June she will take another step towards realising her ambition when she has a minor talking part in a film to be made in Pinewood'.

'Her stage name, by the way, is “June Raye” - and she hopes to make it as famous as the name of Jessie Matthews – before she's 21 too!'

What next?

1947 – 'We regret to record the death at the early age of 27 years of Miss Kathleen Sumner who was well-known in the Island as a girl-dancer when she and her mother resided in Foxdale. She passed away at her mother's home in Frodsham (Cheshire)'.

'she took part in many local dancing events before leaving the Island in 1931, when she went to the Tiller School. She appeared soon after with the Tiller Girls in a Royal Command Performance and during the war worked with ENSA.

She had accepted a £60 a week film contract when she became ill and spent a long time in a sanatorium'.

 

I haven't obtained a Death Certificate, but would guess at T.B.

A great talent lost at a young age, potentially on the cusp of stardom...  

 

 

 

 

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