Popular British comedian dies

Press, 11 July 1988, Page 6

Popular British comedian dies

NZPA-PA London One of the men who brought laughter back to Britain after World War 11, in which he won an award for gallantry, has died aged 68. Jimmy Edwards was to many the epitome of the hunting, shooting and fishing set and became a household name with his radio show “Take It From Here” in the 19505. Educated at St John’s College, Cambridge, he joined the R.A.F. during the war and was shot down flying a Dakota at Arnhem and awarded the D.F.C. He was posted missing for days and got back home to find his mother

and the village pub in mourning. His talent as an entertainer emerged during his demobilisation days. He became a teacher, and then became involved in comedy with the 8.8. C. Jimmy Edwards’ act based on a schoolboy imitating a teacher catapulted him into show business, where he was to go on to become a director as well as a popular comic. His first appearance in the West End was in Henry Fielding’s pantomime version of "Cinderella” and he went on to a summer season at Southsea which broke all. previous attendance re-

JIMMY EDWARDS

cords. His technique of hitting his audience where it hurt most had the subtlety of a battering ram, but swept them

along on waves of hilarity. His magnificent moustache, all 11 inches of it, became a trademark and he founded the Handlebar Club for men with large moustaches. Edwards even nearly made it to the House of Commons, standing as a Conservative candidate for Paddington North. In 1959 he married the actress, Valerie Seymour, but was divorced 11 years later. i He never forgot his wartime days. In 1984 he took two nurses who risked their lives to pick up wounded from the DDay beaches on a nostalgic trip over Normandy in a twin-engined Dakota.