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Theobald "Toby" Barrett Diary, 1916

Theobald Toby Barrett 1916 Diary 52.pdf

Revision as of Jan 2, 2026, 4:36:44 PM, edited by 10.0.2.100

we took their seats at the other end of the row. The concert wasn't bad at all. It was mostly of a vaudeville minstrel show nature, which neither Marj. nor I are particularly fond of but still it was good for its class and fairly decent. Lieutennant Doughty & Shargeant Hawking were blacked up and did a good share of the entertaining. Jock Watt danced a Highland Reel accompanied by some other fellow and the music for them was furnished by Waddel with a Harmonica or what ever they call those things they pull in and out like bellows. Jock was dressed in kilts and looked very "cute" especially in some of the twirly whirl parts of his dance. In those actions it might have been deemed an improvement by a few folks if he had had a pair of some sort of pants on but I think it held the attention of the public better as it was as they didn't want to miss seeing everything The most remarkable performer of the evening was Pte. Glover, the Strong man, who I believe comes from Port Rowan and is a private in the 133rd. He would have done very well for a performance at Shea's and when one considers that he comes from so near home and it isn't his regular business, he was rto say the least a surprise. First of all he took a quarter inch iron rod about eighteen inches long and took it in his teer=th with a handkerchief around it and then pulled down on each end with each hand and till it was bent to nearly a right angle, he then took similar rods and smote them on the muscula rof his extended forearm till they bust a t a slight angle. He next drove a five or an eight inch spike into a saw bench and got half a dozen of he biys to hold the bench while he wrapped a handkerchief around the hea dof it and took it in his front teeth and bent it backweat=rds & foreqwards till he broke it off, all these tings he would throw into the audience ot prove they wee genuine. He took Sid Stass and put him in a chair lifted him up and held Sid, chair, the last opart of that was to see poor Sid turn pale green. He was so scare dhis knwees shook andhe certainly looked pla=eased to get dagely dowen to land His teeth and jaws weren't the only strong parts o with him as he did all kinds of other stunts, such as lying down on his back and raisinf rising to his feet

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