A VERSATILE ACTOR.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20892, 5 December 1929, Page 17

A VERSATILE ACTOR.

MR.VINCENT LAWSON. DISCOVERER OF HAMMOND. Mr Vincent Lawson, who makes such a success of the part of Second Lieutenant Trotter in “ Journey’s End,” has travelled all over the world, and has in all kinds of stage productions, including 28 musical comedies. Most of his stage, experience has been with Seymour Hicks, with whom he played second parts both in England and America, He has toured In America on four occasions. Mr Lawson has taken part in no fewer than 1000 performances of “ The Catch of the Season ” and “ Mr What’s His Name,” the latter being an adaptation from the French. He was one of a star cast in a Royal command performance of “ Broadway Jones.” Just prior to coming to Australia with the “Journey’s End” company Mr Lawson was playing in “The Lady of the Rose,” in which his wife Margery Wyn took the leading female part. Mr Lawson has had 25 years’ experience on the stage, and has played under all the leading managers in London, including Sir Gerald du Maurier, Cyril Maude, Seymour Hicks, and Sir Charles Hawtrcy, It is interesting to record that Mr Lawson bases his study of Second Lieutenant Trotter on the characteristics of a bookmaker whom he. know in Clapham. Mr Lawson was a flying pilot, observer, and aerial bomber in the war, serving in Mesopotamia, where he was shot through the leg by a rifleman, but managed to make a safe descent with his machine. In his younger days Mr Lawson was a footballer of note. He played for Richmond against the 1905 All Black team—the visitors winping by 17 points to nil—and twice represented England against France. Yesterday morning he met Mr James Duncan, who was with the 1005 team, and had a talk over old times. Although Mr Lawson has increased considerably in weight since those days, Mr Duncan recognised him at once. . r . Lawson is also keenly interested m cricket, and can wield a good stick at billiards. Playing for the company against a team from the Auckland picture theatre staffs, ( he knocked up 48 runs in half an hour in fine style. t Lawson claims to have discovered W. Hammond, the Gloucestershire and English test match cricketer. Mr Lawis a native of Cirencester, where | Wally” Hammond went to school My brother and I were passing the Cirencester Grammar School one day,” says Mr Lawson, " when our attention was attracted by one of the boys at the wickets. He was cutting, driving, and pulling to perfection. My brother remarked, ‘That boy, if he gets the chance, will be playing for England some day.’ We were so impressed with the boy’s performance that we told the captain of the Cirencester Town Cricket Club about the boy, whose name, we discovered, was Hammond. He promised to keep an eye on the lad. The result was that two days after leaving school, in 1920, Hammond made a century for Cirencester Town. Shortly after, he was invited to play for Gloucestershire.”