OBITUARY.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 115, 20 June 1914, Page 10

OBITUARY.

A WELL-KNOWN PLAYWRIGHT. By Cable. I—Ptest 1 —Ptest Association.—-Copyright. (Received June 20, 9.15 a.m.) ; ,; LONDON June 19. The death has occurred of Mr.Brandon Thomas, the well-known wright.[Brandon Thomas was best known through his comedy, •'' Charley's Aunt,'' the record: laughter-maker which netted a fortune for him and for the first, producer, of the play, W. Cr. Peniey, who died about two years ago. He wrote many other plays, more or less : successbut -jidne : that caught on as. well as that still popular comedy. • Brandon Thomas was born in • 1856$ and was trained as a: civil engineer. He.had a stronger- taste for acting, however, and made his first appearance on the stage -in 1879; when he played the .part: of Sandy iPibroch- in •■* ' The Queen's . Shilling, '•': produced by SL- John: Hare, and became a ;popular comedian from, the beginning. Almost all his parts were in comedy, and he figured in most of the big comedy; successes produced, in Lon--don.]- •.-.• •!•,.' .■■■ :•> ■;■.. • .;:«: ~ . :> r >:■ MR CHARLES LEZARD, The, death occurred on . "Wednesday last of Mr, Charles,Lezard,-a very: old resident of ■:thia.:city, and' one, of the country.'s ;ear-ly.j He was the oldest son of, ;Mr Joseph Lezardj • diamond merchant; and wholesale, jeweller, London.. Mr>. Lezard was educated >at Kingfs College* he graduated, and he afterwards lived in Geneva for some time. ,He;went,into business-with his father, on his return; to London, but later he ; decided to emigrate to New Zealand. He took passage in the ship Oliver Cromwell, his father. being .part owner of that vessel. The. passengers were landed at Port Chalmers in 1862, and Mr Lezard, after a short residence in Dunedin, decided to try his luck on the Otago..gqldfields. Subsequently he wentto Invercargill, and from : the souther n u to wn h.ecame to Christchurch. In, 1867 Mr married, the second daughter .of, the late Mr Jacob,Schwartz, and soon afterwards he went to Kaiapoi, where he remained in business for two yeal;s,. For some time'he was,,an .officer, in the. No. 9".C6mpany .Woodend Volunteers'.' On his return to Christchurch he his present business, and up till .within a few weeks, of his deatih. he attended to. his,work.... He was a member of the City a projnineiit.Freemason, an' Odd-, .fellow. . ~. ■ . ~.?'..

'TheMate'Mr Lezard was t gre4tly respected in business circles, and priyateiy lie had many' friends, pe leaves a wife, two sons, and eight ,daughters. The'funeral took place on, Thursday morning at Linwood Cemetery, when the Bex.'C. G. Muter officiated., ".