Billy Butlin
Encyclopedia
Sir William Heygate Edmund Colborne ("Billy") Butlin, (29 September 1899 – 12 June 1980), was a British, South Africa-born entrepreneur whose name is synonymous with the British holiday camp
.American Heritage Dictionary 2004, p. 135.Scott 2001, p. 5. Although holiday camps such as Warner's
existed in one form or another before Butlin opened his first in 1936, it was Butlin who turned holiday camps into a multi-million pound industry and an important aspect of British culture.
Born in Cape Town
, South Africa to William and Bertha Butlin, Butlin had a turbulent childhood. His parents separated some time before his seventh birthday and he returned to England with his mother. He spent the next five years following his grandmother's family fair
around the country where his mother sold gingerbread; exposing the young Butlin to the skills of commerce and entertainment. When he was twelve his mother emigrated to Canada
, leaving him in the care of his aunt for two years. Once settled in Toronto
, his mother invited him to join her there.
In Canada Butlin struggled to fit in at school and soon left for a job in a Toronto department store Eatons. In World War I, he enlisted as a bugler in the Canadian Army. After the war, Butlin decided to set his own course in life and made his way back to England with only £5 to his name. Investing £4 of that money to hire a stall travelling with his uncle's fair, Butlin soon learned that the more likely people were to win; the more they would spend, and he quickly became more successful than the other stall holders. One stall became several, including prominent locations such as Olympia
in London, and Butlin soon was able to purchase other fairground equipment; starting his own travelling fair. He proved successful in this endeavour as well, and by 1927 he could opened a static fairground in Skegness
. Over the next 10 years Butlin expanded his fairground empire, all the time harbouring an idea to increase the number of patrons in his Skegness site by providing accommodation.
Butlin's first holiday camp opened at Skegness in 1936; followed by Clacton
, two years later. Plans to open a third in Filey
were cut short by the outbreak of World War II. However Butlin used the war to his advantage, persuading the MoD
to complete Filey and construct two more camps in Ayr and Pwllheli as training camps which he reclaimed once the war was over. In the post war boom, Butlin opened four more camps at Mosney, Bognor Regis
Minehead
, and Barry Island as well as buying hotels in Blackpool
, Saltdean
, and Cliftonville
. By he time he retired in 1968, Butlin had allowed hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers a self-contained vacation with a variety of entertainment.
(part of modern day South Africa). His father, also called William Colborne Butlin (born June 1867), was the son of a clergyman; his mother, Bertha Cassandra Hill (born March 1878), was a member of a family of travelling showmen. They met at a young age when Bertha's parents were working a country fair that William attended and in December 1896 they were married. Their marriage was considered not socially acceptable in Leonard Stanley
, Gloucestershire
, where they lived, and they emigrated to South Africa. William founded a bicycle shop to try and keep the family, and they had two children, Butlin and his brother Harry John (known as Binkie) Butlin. When the marriage failed, Butlin’s mother returned to England with her children and rejoined her own family in Coaley
, near Bristol
.Dacre 1982, p. 36. Within a short time Harry contracted polio, and he died in March 1907. For a time Butlin joined his mother in travelling around the fair circuit
In his autobiography, Butlin recorded that his mother remarried and emigrated to Canada around 1910 and passenger lists of the period show Bertha traveling to Toronto via Montreal in 1912. For two years Butlin, and his cousin Jimmy Hill boarded with a widow in Bristol. In December 1913 his mother returned and married Charles Robotham in Swindon. Butlin's mother and stepfather then asked him to join them in Toronto
, Canada. He was unhappy at school in Canada, mocked because of his English accent, and he left school at fourteen. Eventually he got a job as a messenger boy at Eatons, Toronto’s largest department store. One of the best aspects of working for the company was that he was able to visit their summer camp, which gave him his first taste of a real holiday, indeed a taste of what was to become a very big part of his life. Later he transferred to Eatons advertising department where he drew black and white adverts, while studying at night school twice a week.Dacre 1982, p. 43.
in World War I. His intention had been to sign up as a despatch rider
, as the army already had a full quota this would have resulted in his earning an "I Volunteered" badge for his actions. While applying, Butlin forgot to tell the recruiter of this intention, and was consequently deployed to the Canadian Expeditionary Force
.Dacre 1982, p. 43-45. He joined the 170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion
on 29 December 1915. His attestation papers give his date of birth as 1898 (rather than the actual 1899), allowing him to enlist although only 15 at the time; the papers give his occupation at that time as a "Suitcase Maker". The papers also show, as Butlin himself later stated, that he had been selected to serve as a bugler. Before his deployment to Europe, Butlin transferred to the 216th (Bantams) Battalion, from where he was sent to England.Allinson 1981, p. 180. Once in England, he was stationed at Sandgate
near Folkestone
before being deployed to France. In France, the 216th became part of the 3rd Canadian Division
serving in the second battle of Vimy Ridge, as well as Ypres, Arras
and the second battle of Cambrai; while in France, Butlin's duty was as a stretcher-bearer.
After the war Butlin returned to England aboard a cattle ship, arriving in England with only £5 (2011:£) capital. He made his way to Tiverton in Devon
where his uncle Marshall Hill was a well known showman. He purchased a hoopla stall from his uncle, and ran it successfully. In later interviews Butlin claimed that he accidentally sawed the corners off his hoopla blocks, but some observers such as The Sunday Herald
report that he did it intentionally, displaying "logic and business sense". Butlin's actions in either case, allowed patrons to have a much higher success rate (approximately 3 in 5 for each ring) and brought him more custom than his fellow stall holders; by contrast an average game would have odds of approximately 1 in 9 for each ring which works out at 1 in 700 for a 3 ring game. Butlin's stall gave him less profit per customer than his competitors, but the increase in business gave him a bigger overall profit than theirs. He moved to London and set up a successful stall in Olympia
outside the Christmas Circus run by Bertram Mills
. By the end of the season Butlin had been so successful that he could afford to bring his mother (by then widowed) from Canada.
, leaving his mother to run the Olympia site. Soon he had his own travelling fair visiting country fairs such as Barnstaple. Butlin opened some permanently sited stalls in 1925, in Barry Island
, Wales. In 1927 he leased a piece of land from the Earl of Scarbrough
in the seaside town of Skegness
. On this land, he set up a amusement park
with hoopla stalls, a tower slide, a haunted house, and a scenic railway. In 1928, Butlin secured an exclusive licence to sell Dodgem cars in Europe. The first Dodgems in Britain were available in his park at Skegness; other showmen bought Dodgems from Butlin. His activities in Skegness continued to expand, and by 1930 included a zoo featuring lions, zebras and an African village.Scott 2001, p. 24.
Butlin opened a similar fairground in 1932, in Bognor Regis
, on the corner of the Esplanade, named the Recreation Shelter. The following year he opened a zoo nearby, which featured polar bears, kangaroos and monkeys. At around the same time he also opened an amusement park in Bognor's neighbouring village of Littlehampton
, known as Butlin's Park
.
In the 1930s Butlin had amusement parks in Mablethorpe
(opened 1928), Hayling Island
(1931), Felixstowe
(1931), Southsea
(1931) and on the Isle of Man
. He continued to operate his winter fair at Olympia during this time and soon added the winter fairs at Waverley Hall in Edinburgh and at the Kelvin Hall
in Glasgow. By 1935 most of his existing parks had zoos attached to them, providing another source of revenue. Waverley Hall
Butlin's funfair and amusement park business continued to expand into the post war period. In 1938 he gained the sole contract to supply amusements to the Empire Exhibition
in Glasgow and post war, he continued to open amusement parks such as the one at Sheerness
.Scott 2001, p. 20.
He opened his first Butlin's
camp at Ingoldmells
, near Skegness, on 11 April 1936 (Easter Eve). It was officially opened by Amy Johnson
, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. An advertisement costing £500 (2011:£) was placed in the Daily Express
, announced the opening of the camp, inviting the public to book for a week's holiday. The advertisement offered holidays with three meals a day and free entertainment with a week's full board cost anything from 35 shillings to £3 (2011:£), according to the time of year. When the camp opened, Butlin realised that his guests were not engaging with activities in the way he had planned; most kept to themselves, and others looked bored. He asked Norman Bradford (who was engaged as an engineer constructing the camp) to take on the duty of entertaining the guests, which he did with a series of ice breakers and jokes. By the end of the night the camp was buzzing and the Butlin's atmosphere was born. From that point on, entertainment was the very heart of Butlins and Bradford became the first of the Butlin's Redcoats. The same night Butlin decided that for his camp to work he would require many more people to carry out the same job as Bradford, and the role of Redcoat was conceived.
In his autobiography, Butlin refers to Clacton as his second camp; however, in 1937, the architect Harold Ridley Hooper
, who had drawn the plans for the camp at Skegness, created plans on behalf of Butlins Ltd, for a second camp at Dovercourt
, in Essex
. In the winter of 1938, the camp at Dovercourt was requisitioned by the government for housing children evacuated from Germany by the Kindertransport
programme. Writers and speakers discussing that programme, such as Anthony Grenville and Ela Kaczmarska, claim that the camp had been constructed by Butlin and operated as a Butlin's camp for the 1937–1938 season, Kaczmarska also suggests that it had closed in the summer of 1938 (the same time the Clacton camp opened.) Recollections of the refugees suggest that by December, 1938 the camp was being run by Harry Warner, whose company Butlin was on the board of.Butler, Russell 2010, p. 38. At around the same time Butlin's advertised Dovercourt as "associated with Butlin's" and into the early 1940s Butlin was putting on rail packages with LNER to the Dovercourt camp.
In 1936 Butlin had proposed a new holiday camp at Clacton-on-Sea
in Essex
. Both the council and the Local Association of Hotels and Boarding House Keepers were against it. Butlin (at his own expense) took the members of the council, to Skegness to see how the town there appreciated their holiday camp. They were soon won over, as the local traders had seen an initial dip followed by a rise as campers visited the town and the seasonal workers came to spend their pay. Once approved by the council, construction began and the camp opened in 1938.
On 30 January 1937, Butlin turned his business into a limited company "Butlin's Ltd". Butlin took the decision to form the company as a means to raise finance for his new camps. On 8 February 1937 the company published its prospectus ahead of a public sale of shares. When the shares became available, they sold out entirely in five minutes.Dacre 1982, p. 119.
for use as training camps. The ministry needed further camps, and contracted Butlin to build them. Butlin agreed, on condition he could purchase the sites after the war was over, to use as holiday camps. The ministry agreed, and Filey
(1945), Pwllheli and Ayr
(both in 1947), opened after the war. As Butlin was dealing with other sites, he asked his business competitor Harry Warner to complete the construction of Filey.Dacre 1982, p. 131. Butlin had purchased his first hotel in 1939, the Thatched Barn
in Borehamwood
, Hertfordshire. Like his camps, it was requisitioned (this time by the SOE
) before he could develop it.
During the War Years, Skegness became HMS Royal Arthur
a training establishment for Petty Officers, Pwllheli became HMS Glendower, and Ayr became HMS Scotia both Royal Navy shore establishments, Filey became RAF Hunmanby Moor and Clacton was originally planned to be used as a POW camp, but instead was used as a training site for the Pioneer Corps.Dacre 1982, p. 133. Butlin was recruited by the Ministry of Supply
and asked to look at the causes of low morale amongst the worker in Britain's munition factories. His first stop was at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley
, where he found that the camouflaged huts and barbed wire fences used to house workers gave them the feeling of being interned. Using his experiences of holiday camps, Butlin was able to devise activities and systems to boost morale, leading to his appointment as Director General of Hostels.Rowbotham 1997, p. 237.Scott 2001, p. 7. In this position, Butlin introduced games and entertainment similar to his holiday camps in the hostels, including: whist drives; amateur dramatics; theatrical productions; and cinema. In 1943 he encouraged workers to continue taking their holiday entitlement but to do so at home, arranging various travelling fairs to visit towns on their "holiday week".Barton 2005, p. 184. Butlin's appointment to this role gave cause for concern in some quarters, with questions being asked of the under-secretary Harold Macmillan
about the nature of his involvement. However the appointment was a voluntary one with no salary or expenses and made after consideration of other suitable candidates.
Late in the war, as Europe was being liberated, Butlin was approached by General Montgomery, who asked him to help set up leave
centres for the 21st Army Group. Starting in Brussels, the "21 Club" concept quickly expanded through western Europe, providing entertainment and relaxation for servicemen and women.Dacre 1982, p. 148-149.
In 1944, Butlin was awarded the MBE for his wartime service to the Ministry of Supply.
, in the soon to be Republic of Ireland, in 1948 and on Grand Bahama
, in 1949.
In most ways Mosney was identical to the existing successful camps, but in Ireland this was something seen to be feared, rather than embraced. A number of complaints appeared in the Catholic Standard, warning that holiday camps were an English idea that was not desirable in Catholic Ireland. Like the other camps, Mosney was designed to have a church and reassurances were given that it would be a Catholic chapel with a resident priest. Reassurances were also given that Irish nationals would have priority over British tourists in booking holidays. In July 1948 the camp was finally opened by William Norton
the Minister for Social Welfare
, and it operated successfully as a Butlin's camp until the early 1980s.
A more ambitious plan by Butlin was thought up on a trip to the Bahamas in 1946. Seeing potential for a camp in warmer climes, he formed a company under the chairmanship of Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford and bought land in Grand Bahama. Butlin also purchased the Princess hotel
in Bermuda
and the Fort Montagu beach hotel in Nassau
. The camp was intended to be complete and open on New Years Day of 1950. After an investment of US$5 million (2011:£) the camp opened, still only partially complete in the winter of 1949. To celebrate its opening, Butlin ran a mystery flight, where guests, who had paid $129 (2011:£) each, were taken on a flight to the resort without being informed in advance.
However Butlin did not remain celebrating for long; he required a further $2.25 million (2011:£) to complete the camp, and to make matters worse American tourists were not used to the holiday camp mentality so the venture held little interest. In an attempt to save the camp, Butlin sold the Hotel leases to an American firm. By November 1950, the subsidiary company handling the Caribbean resort was ordered to be wound up by a court. Butlin admitted defeat and focused his efforts back in Europe. In the late 1940s Butlin had successfully opened hotels outside the Skegness and Ayr camps, so he now saw his opportunity to expand into this market. Butlin began acquiring hotels in Saltdean
, Blackpool
and several in Cliftonville
.Cormack 1998, p. 96.
(opened 1960), Minehead (1962) and Barry Island (1966).Dacre 1982, p. 203-206. Barry Island remained part of the Butlin's empire until the 1980s, while Bognor and Minehead remain part of the company today.
On 2 July 1960 Butlin planned to open his holiday camp at Bognor, but because of flooding it was not ready on its opening date. Butlin offered his patrons the chance to be re-sited at Clacton or to stay and help complete the camp's construction. A number opted to stay and help, and received a free bottle of champagne as a reward. Once opened, the camp quickly became popular, accommodating around 5,000 campers and another 5,000 day visitors.
In the winter of 1961, Butlin began work on his camp in Minehead. The site opened to the public on 26 May 1962 having cost £2 million to construct. Over the next decade several attractions were added to the site; a miniature railway was added in 1964, chairlifts in 1965, and a monorail in 1967.
Butlin's inspiration for his holiday empire had come from a holiday to Barry Island in his twenties, when he had been locked out of his B&B
all day by his landlady.Dacre 1982, p. 30-31. He finally decided to build the last and smallest of the camps there in 1965. Butlin took out a 99-year lease on the headland at Nell's Point, Barry Island, in 1966. Building work began there in the winter and the gates opened to campers on 18 June 1966. Butlin retired in 1969 and the Barry Island camp was the last opening under his management.
, which he purchased in 1947.Kynaston 2007, p. 218. Butlin sold Dane Court in 1951, and moved to a property in Grosvenor Square
. He remained in this property through the 1950s and 1960s.
Butlin retired in 1969, handing over running the company to his son Bobby. However, a hostile takeover bid by Phonographic Equipment in November 1969 made him decide to come out of retirement; in the capacity of "consultant". With his father's help Bobby saw off the takeover, and Butlin returned to his retirement.
In 1972, the Rank Organisation
launched a friendly takeover for £43 million (2011:£), which both Butlin and his son agreed to accept.
Butlin's retirement was forced by circumstance. His accountant arranged a meeting at which he informed Butlin that the total rate of income tax
and surtax
that Butlin was due to pay for the coming year was 115% of his income.Dacre 1982, p. 258. Butlin took the decision to move from his London home to become a permanent resident in Blair Adam House, St. John, on the island of Jersey
, in the Channel Islands
. This move was financially beneficial since Jersey had a fixed 20% rate of income tax. He remained a resident of Jersey up until his death on 12 June 1980, aged 80. He is buried in the parish of St John and his grave is shaped to represent a double bed.Pearson 2008, p. 124.
Butlin actively engaged in charity work through the Grand Order of Water Rats
and through the Variety Club. In 1963, he set up the Bill Butlin charitable trust, and in 1966 donated £100,000 (2011:£) to set up a trust to help in cases where police officers were incapacitated or fatally injured while on active duty. With public support the fund grew firstly to £250,000 and eventually to over £1 million. In return he received many honours, from having a Hybrid Tea Rose name after him, to his knighthood in 1964. In being knighted, Butlin was following in the footsteps of his great uncle Sir Henry Trentham Butlin, an eminent surgeon. In 1960, Butlin was awarded the Carl Alan award
for his services to dance.
In the 1920s while staying in Tiverton in Devon, and working with Marshall Hill Butlin met Doris "Dolly" Mabel Cheriton (born 1898) whose family owned the local fish and chip shop and the couple were married in 1927. However by the early 1930s the marriage broke up and they separated. Soon after, Butlin met and fell in love with Norah Faith Cheriton (Dolly's niece, born 1914). Dolly refused to grant Butlin a divorce; it was not until Dolly's death in 1958 that he and Norah were free to marry. The second marriage lasted only a few months, as Butlin had already fallen in love with Shelia Edwina Devine. This time it was Norah who refused to grant divorce. In 1975, with divorce law having changed, Butlin was able to divorce Norah and marry Sheila with whom he remained with until his death.Scott 2001, p. 6-8.
Butlin had several children from his three marriages: Shirley (Born 1931 to Dolly), Robert (Born to Nora in 1934 as Robert F. Reeves), Cherie (also known as Cherry) (Born to Nora in 1939), Sandra (Born 1941), William Jr (also known as Billy) (Born 1960 to Sheila), and Jacquie (Born to Sheila). Bertha Hill's Obituary records "William, Dolly and baby Shirley" and on Shirley's fifth birthday the local Skegness newspaper noted that she invited many of her friends to her father's holiday camp for her party. However, little reference is made to her after this time, and her name is not listed on her father's grave with her still-living siblings. Sandra died in 1976 at the age of 34 (The same year Butlin's second wife Norah died.) William Jr died of cancer in 2003. Robert took over from his father running the company from 1968 to 1984 and died of lung cancer on 31 December 2008. Jacquie lives on Jersey, where she runs a clothes shop. Jacquie's daughter, Laura Emily, was the subject of a court case in the Cayman Islands
in 1992, to establish whether she could be a beneficiary of her grandfather's estate. Cherie is an Actress.
's recording, The Intro and the Outro
, where he is credited with playing the spoons
.
Holiday camp
Holiday camp, in Britain, generally refers to a resort with a boundary that includes accommodation, entertainment and other facilities.As distinct from camping, accommodation typically consisted of chalets – small buildings arranged either individually or in blocks. Some had three or four storeys,...
.American Heritage Dictionary 2004, p. 135.Scott 2001, p. 5. Although holiday camps such as Warner's
Warner Leisure Hotels
Warner Leisure Hotels is a private company owned by Bourne Leisure Limited who have 13 historical hotels located in various countryside and coastal regions of the UK....
existed in one form or another before Butlin opened his first in 1936, it was Butlin who turned holiday camps into a multi-million pound industry and an important aspect of British culture.
Born in Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa to William and Bertha Butlin, Butlin had a turbulent childhood. His parents separated some time before his seventh birthday and he returned to England with his mother. He spent the next five years following his grandmother's family fair
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
around the country where his mother sold gingerbread; exposing the young Butlin to the skills of commerce and entertainment. When he was twelve his mother emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, leaving him in the care of his aunt for two years. Once settled in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, his mother invited him to join her there.
In Canada Butlin struggled to fit in at school and soon left for a job in a Toronto department store Eatons. In World War I, he enlisted as a bugler in the Canadian Army. After the war, Butlin decided to set his own course in life and made his way back to England with only £5 to his name. Investing £4 of that money to hire a stall travelling with his uncle's fair, Butlin soon learned that the more likely people were to win; the more they would spend, and he quickly became more successful than the other stall holders. One stall became several, including prominent locations such as Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
in London, and Butlin soon was able to purchase other fairground equipment; starting his own travelling fair. He proved successful in this endeavour as well, and by 1927 he could opened a static fairground in Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
. Over the next 10 years Butlin expanded his fairground empire, all the time harbouring an idea to increase the number of patrons in his Skegness site by providing accommodation.
Butlin's first holiday camp opened at Skegness in 1936; followed by Clacton
Butlin's Clacton
Butlin's Clacton was a holiday camp located on Clacton-on-Sea in England. It opened in 1938 and closed in 1983.-History:Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring Peninsula in Essex and was founded in 1871...
, two years later. Plans to open a third in Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
were cut short by the outbreak of World War II. However Butlin used the war to his advantage, persuading the MoD
Ministry of Defence (1947–1964)
The Ministry of Defence was a department of the British Government responsible for defence and the British Armed Forces.-History:Prior to the Second World War defence policy was co-ordinated by the Committee of Imperial Defence...
to complete Filey and construct two more camps in Ayr and Pwllheli as training camps which he reclaimed once the war was over. In the post war boom, Butlin opened four more camps at Mosney, Bognor Regis
Butlins Bognor Regis
Butlins Bognor Regis , formerly Butlin's Bognor Regis or Southcoast World; is a holiday camp located in the seaside resort of Bognor Regis, West Sussex, England. It lies south southwest of London...
Minehead
Butlins Minehead
The Butlins Resort Minehead is a holiday camp operated by Butlins, located in Minehead in Somerset, England. It opened in 1962 and remains in use today.-History:...
, and Barry Island as well as buying hotels in Blackpool
Grand Metropole Hotel
The Grand Metropole Hotel is a large hotel in Blackpool, England, the only hotel to sit directly on the shoreline. One of the two oldest hotels in Blackpool, work originally began in 1776 on what was then named Bailey’s Hotel it opened in 1785 and is now owned by Britannia Hotels.-History:In 1776,...
, Saltdean
Saltdean
Saltdean is a residential district located on the chalk cliffs of the south coast of England in East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is situated on the eastern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove, with part outside the city boundary in Lewes district...
, and Cliftonville
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay....
. By he time he retired in 1968, Butlin had allowed hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers a self-contained vacation with a variety of entertainment.
Early life
Butlin was born in the Cape ColonyCape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
(part of modern day South Africa). His father, also called William Colborne Butlin (born June 1867), was the son of a clergyman; his mother, Bertha Cassandra Hill (born March 1878), was a member of a family of travelling showmen. They met at a young age when Bertha's parents were working a country fair that William attended and in December 1896 they were married. Their marriage was considered not socially acceptable in Leonard Stanley
Leonard Stanley
Leonard Stanley is a small village on the outskirts of Stonehouse in Gloucestershire about 2.5 miles from Stroud.-References:* David Verey, Gloucestershire: the Cotswolds, The Buildings of England edited by Nikolaus Pevsner, 2nd ed. ISBN 0-14-071040-X, pp.296-299-External links:* at *...
, Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
, where they lived, and they emigrated to South Africa. William founded a bicycle shop to try and keep the family, and they had two children, Butlin and his brother Harry John (known as Binkie) Butlin. When the marriage failed, Butlin’s mother returned to England with her children and rejoined her own family in Coaley
Coaley
Coaley is a village in the English county of Gloucestershire roughly 4 miles from the town of Dursley, and 5 miles from the town of Stroud. The village drops from the edge of the Cotswold Hills, overlooked by Frocester Hill and Coaley Peak picnic site, towards the River Cam at Cam and Cambridge and...
, near Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
.Dacre 1982, p. 36. Within a short time Harry contracted polio, and he died in March 1907. For a time Butlin joined his mother in travelling around the fair circuit
In his autobiography, Butlin recorded that his mother remarried and emigrated to Canada around 1910 and passenger lists of the period show Bertha traveling to Toronto via Montreal in 1912. For two years Butlin, and his cousin Jimmy Hill boarded with a widow in Bristol. In December 1913 his mother returned and married Charles Robotham in Swindon. Butlin's mother and stepfather then asked him to join them in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada. He was unhappy at school in Canada, mocked because of his English accent, and he left school at fourteen. Eventually he got a job as a messenger boy at Eatons, Toronto’s largest department store. One of the best aspects of working for the company was that he was able to visit their summer camp, which gave him his first taste of a real holiday, indeed a taste of what was to become a very big part of his life. Later he transferred to Eatons advertising department where he drew black and white adverts, while studying at night school twice a week.Dacre 1982, p. 43.
Early adulthood
In 1915, Butlin volunteered somewhat reluctantly for the Canadian ArmyCanadian Corps
The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916...
in World War I. His intention had been to sign up as a despatch rider
Despatch rider
A despatch rider is a military messenger, mounted on horse or motorcycle.Despatch riders were used by armed forces to deliver urgent orders and messages between headquarters and military units...
, as the army already had a full quota this would have resulted in his earning an "I Volunteered" badge for his actions. While applying, Butlin forgot to tell the recruiter of this intention, and was consequently deployed to the Canadian Expeditionary Force
Canadian Expeditionary Force
The Canadian Expeditionary Force was the designation of the field force created by Canada for service overseas in the First World War. Units of the C.E.F. were divided into field formation in France, where they were organized first into separate divisions and later joined together into a single...
.Dacre 1982, p. 43-45. He joined the 170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion
170th (Mississauga Horse) Battalion, CEF
The 170th Battalion, CEF was an infantry unit in the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. Based in Toronto, Ontario, the unit began recruiting during the winter of 1915/16 in that city. Many of the recruits came from the 9th Mississauga Horse militia regiment...
on 29 December 1915. His attestation papers give his date of birth as 1898 (rather than the actual 1899), allowing him to enlist although only 15 at the time; the papers give his occupation at that time as a "Suitcase Maker". The papers also show, as Butlin himself later stated, that he had been selected to serve as a bugler. Before his deployment to Europe, Butlin transferred to the 216th (Bantams) Battalion, from where he was sent to England.Allinson 1981, p. 180. Once in England, he was stationed at Sandgate
Sandgate, Kent
Sandgate is a village in the Folkestone and Hythe Urban Area in the Shepway district of Kent, England. In 2004, the village re-acquired civil parish status....
near Folkestone
Folkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
before being deployed to France. In France, the 216th became part of the 3rd Canadian Division
3rd Canadian Division
The 3rd Canadian Division was a formation of the Canadian Corps during the First World War.The 3rd Canadian Division was formed in France in December 1915 under the command of Major-General M.S. Mercer. Its members served in both France and Flanders until Armistice Day...
serving in the second battle of Vimy Ridge, as well as Ypres, Arras
Battle of Arras (1917)
The Battle of Arras was a British offensive during the First World War. From 9 April to 16 May 1917, British, Canadian, New Zealand, Newfoundland, and Australian troops attacked German trenches near the French city of Arras on the Western Front....
and the second battle of Cambrai; while in France, Butlin's duty was as a stretcher-bearer.
After the war Butlin returned to England aboard a cattle ship, arriving in England with only £5 (2011:£) capital. He made his way to Tiverton in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
where his uncle Marshall Hill was a well known showman. He purchased a hoopla stall from his uncle, and ran it successfully. In later interviews Butlin claimed that he accidentally sawed the corners off his hoopla blocks, but some observers such as The Sunday Herald
The Sun-Herald
The Sun-Herald is an Australian tabloid newspaper published on Sundays in Sydney by Fairfax Media. It is the Sunday counterpart of The Sydney Morning Herald. In the 6 months to September 2005, The Sun-Herald had a circulation of 515,000...
report that he did it intentionally, displaying "logic and business sense". Butlin's actions in either case, allowed patrons to have a much higher success rate (approximately 3 in 5 for each ring) and brought him more custom than his fellow stall holders; by contrast an average game would have odds of approximately 1 in 9 for each ring which works out at 1 in 700 for a 3 ring game. Butlin's stall gave him less profit per customer than his competitors, but the increase in business gave him a bigger overall profit than theirs. He moved to London and set up a successful stall in Olympia
Olympia, London
Olympia is an exhibition centre and conference centre in West Kensington, on the boundary between The Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea and Hammersmith & Fulham, London, W14 8UX, England. It opened in the 19th century and was originally known as the National Agricultural Hall.Opened in 1886,...
outside the Christmas Circus run by Bertram Mills
Bertram Mills
Bertram Wagstaff Mills was a British circus owner who ran the Bertram Mills Circus. Originally from Paddington, London, his circus became famous in the UK for its Christmas shows at Olympia in West London...
. By the end of the season Butlin had been so successful that he could afford to bring his mother (by then widowed) from Canada.
Funfair and amusement parks
Over the next few years Butlin toured the country with the Hills Travelling FairFunfair
A funfair or simply "fair" is a small to medium sized travelling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is...
, leaving his mother to run the Olympia site. Soon he had his own travelling fair visiting country fairs such as Barnstaple. Butlin opened some permanently sited stalls in 1925, in Barry Island
Barry Island
Barry Island may refer to:*Barry Island , Wales*Barry Island , Antarctica...
, Wales. In 1927 he leased a piece of land from the Earl of Scarbrough
Earl of Scarbrough
Earl of Scarbrough is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1690 for Richard Lumley, 2nd Viscount Lumley. He is best remembered as one of the Immortal Seven who invited William of Orange to invade England and depose his father-in-law James II...
in the seaside town of Skegness
Skegness
Skegness is a seaside town and civil parish in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. Located on the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, east of the city of Lincoln it has a total resident population of 18,910....
. On this land, he set up a amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
with hoopla stalls, a tower slide, a haunted house, and a scenic railway. In 1928, Butlin secured an exclusive licence to sell Dodgem cars in Europe. The first Dodgems in Britain were available in his park at Skegness; other showmen bought Dodgems from Butlin. His activities in Skegness continued to expand, and by 1930 included a zoo featuring lions, zebras and an African village.Scott 2001, p. 24.
Butlin opened a similar fairground in 1932, in Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
, on the corner of the Esplanade, named the Recreation Shelter. The following year he opened a zoo nearby, which featured polar bears, kangaroos and monkeys. At around the same time he also opened an amusement park in Bognor's neighbouring village of Littlehampton
Littlehampton
Littlehampton is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun District of West Sussex, England, on the east bank at the mouth of the River Arun. It lies south southwest of London, west of Brighton and east of the county town of Chichester....
, known as Butlin's Park
Harbour Park
Harbour Park is an amusement park in the coastal resort of Littlehampton, West Sussex, England. Opened in 1932, it is situated on the beach, adjacent to the working Harbour & Marina...
.
In the 1930s Butlin had amusement parks in Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe
Mablethorpe is a small seaside town in East Lindsey on the coast of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Several small caravan parks exist around Mablethorpe. The town is administered with Sutton-on-Sea and Trusthorpe, as the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton...
(opened 1928), Hayling Island
Hayling Island
-Leisure activities:Although largely residential, Hayling is also a holiday, windsurfing and sailing centre, the site where windsurfing was invented....
(1931), Felixstowe
Felixstowe
Felixstowe is a seaside town on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The town gives its name to the nearby Port of Felixstowe, which is the largest container port in the United Kingdom and is owned by Hutchinson Ports UK...
(1931), Southsea
Southsea
Southsea is a seaside resort located in Portsmouth at the southern end of Portsea Island in the county of Hampshire in England. Southsea is within a mile of Portsmouth's city centre....
(1931) and on the Isle of Man
Isle of Man
The Isle of Man , otherwise known simply as Mann , is a self-governing British Crown Dependency, located in the Irish Sea between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, within the British Isles. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann. The Lord of Mann is...
. He continued to operate his winter fair at Olympia during this time and soon added the winter fairs at Waverley Hall in Edinburgh and at the Kelvin Hall
Kelvin Hall
The Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, is a mixed-use arts and sports venue that opened as an exhibition centre in 1927. It has been a music hall, indoor arena and barrage balloon factory, and is currently home to the Kelvin Hall International Sports Arena and from 1987 to 2010, Glasgow's Museum of...
in Glasgow. By 1935 most of his existing parks had zoos attached to them, providing another source of revenue. Waverley Hall
Butlin's funfair and amusement park business continued to expand into the post war period. In 1938 he gained the sole contract to supply amusements to the Empire Exhibition
Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938
Empire Exhibition, Scotland 1938 was an international exposition held at Bellahouston Park in Glasgow, from May to December 1938....
in Glasgow and post war, he continued to open amusement parks such as the one at Sheerness
Sheerness
Sheerness is a town located beside the mouth of the River Medway on the northwest corner of the Isle of Sheppey in north Kent, England. With a population of 12,000 it is the largest town on the island....
.Scott 2001, p. 20.
First holiday camps
For some time Butlin had nurtured the idea of a holiday camp. He had seen the way landladies in seaside resorts would, sometimes literally, push families out of the lodgings between meals, regardless of the weather. Butlin toyed with the idea of providing holiday accommodation that encouraged holiday-makers to stay on the site and even provided entertainment for them between meals.He opened his first Butlin's
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
camp at Ingoldmells
Ingoldmells
Ingoldmells is a coastal village, civil parish and resort in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, on the A52.-Geography:In terms of villages it is relatively large, and receives a lot of tourism yearly due its close position to Skegness. Most housing is found in the west of the...
, near Skegness, on 11 April 1936 (Easter Eve). It was officially opened by Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson
Amy Johnson CBE, was a pioneering English aviator. Flying solo or with her husband, Jim Mollison, Johnson set numerous long-distance records during the 1930s...
, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia. An advertisement costing £500 (2011:£) was placed in the Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
, announced the opening of the camp, inviting the public to book for a week's holiday. The advertisement offered holidays with three meals a day and free entertainment with a week's full board cost anything from 35 shillings to £3 (2011:£), according to the time of year. When the camp opened, Butlin realised that his guests were not engaging with activities in the way he had planned; most kept to themselves, and others looked bored. He asked Norman Bradford (who was engaged as an engineer constructing the camp) to take on the duty of entertaining the guests, which he did with a series of ice breakers and jokes. By the end of the night the camp was buzzing and the Butlin's atmosphere was born. From that point on, entertainment was the very heart of Butlins and Bradford became the first of the Butlin's Redcoats. The same night Butlin decided that for his camp to work he would require many more people to carry out the same job as Bradford, and the role of Redcoat was conceived.
In his autobiography, Butlin refers to Clacton as his second camp; however, in 1937, the architect Harold Ridley Hooper
Harold Ridley Hooper
Harold Ridley Hooper was an English architect based in Ipswich, Suffolk.He was elected ARIBA in 1910, having been articled to John Sewell Corder, and started his own practice in Ipswich in 1912. He was a Colonel in the 4th Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment during World War I...
, who had drawn the plans for the camp at Skegness, created plans on behalf of Butlins Ltd, for a second camp at Dovercourt
Dovercourt
For the neighbourhood in Toronto see Dovercourt-Wallace Emerson-JunctionDovercourt is a small seaside town in Essex, England. It is older than its smaller but better-known neighbour, the port of Harwich, and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086...
, in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. In the winter of 1938, the camp at Dovercourt was requisitioned by the government for housing children evacuated from Germany by the Kindertransport
Kindertransport
Kindertransport is the name given to the rescue mission that took place nine months prior to the outbreak of the Second World War. The United Kingdom took in nearly 10,000 predominantly Jewish children from Nazi Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Poland and the Free City of Danzig...
programme. Writers and speakers discussing that programme, such as Anthony Grenville and Ela Kaczmarska, claim that the camp had been constructed by Butlin and operated as a Butlin's camp for the 1937–1938 season, Kaczmarska also suggests that it had closed in the summer of 1938 (the same time the Clacton camp opened.) Recollections of the refugees suggest that by December, 1938 the camp was being run by Harry Warner, whose company Butlin was on the board of.Butler, Russell 2010, p. 38. At around the same time Butlin's advertised Dovercourt as "associated with Butlin's" and into the early 1940s Butlin was putting on rail packages with LNER to the Dovercourt camp.
In 1936 Butlin had proposed a new holiday camp at Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea
Clacton-on-Sea is the largest town on the Tendring peninsula, in Essex, England and was founded in 1871. It is a seaside resort that attracted many tourists in the summer months between the 1950s and 1970s, but which like many other British sea-side resorts went into decline as a holiday...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. Both the council and the Local Association of Hotels and Boarding House Keepers were against it. Butlin (at his own expense) took the members of the council, to Skegness to see how the town there appreciated their holiday camp. They were soon won over, as the local traders had seen an initial dip followed by a rise as campers visited the town and the seasonal workers came to spend their pay. Once approved by the council, construction began and the camp opened in 1938.
On 30 January 1937, Butlin turned his business into a limited company "Butlin's Ltd". Butlin took the decision to form the company as a means to raise finance for his new camps. On 8 February 1937 the company published its prospectus ahead of a public sale of shares. When the shares became available, they sold out entirely in five minutes.Dacre 1982, p. 119.
World War II years
With the outbreak of World War II, both Clacton and Skegness camps were requisitioned by the War OfficeWar Office
The War Office was a department of the British Government, responsible for the administration of the British Army between the 17th century and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Defence...
for use as training camps. The ministry needed further camps, and contracted Butlin to build them. Butlin agreed, on condition he could purchase the sites after the war was over, to use as holiday camps. The ministry agreed, and Filey
Filey
Filey is a small town and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It forms part of the borough of Scarborough and is located between Scarborough and Bridlington on the North Sea coast. Although it started out as a fishing village, it has a large beach and is a popular tourist resort...
(1945), Pwllheli and Ayr
Heads of Ayr (Holiday Camp)
The Heads of Ayr Holiday Camp is a holiday camp located near Ayr in South Ayrshire, Scotland. It is currently run by Haven Holidays. When originally opened in 1946, it was named Butlins Ayr, but in 1987 was renamed Wonderwest World...
(both in 1947), opened after the war. As Butlin was dealing with other sites, he asked his business competitor Harry Warner to complete the construction of Filey.Dacre 1982, p. 131. Butlin had purchased his first hotel in 1939, the Thatched Barn
Thatched Barn
The Thatched Barn was a two-storey mock-Tudor hotel built in the 1930s on the Barnet by-pass in Borehamwood, that was bought by holiday camp founder, Billy Butlin, before being requisitioned as Station XV by the Special Operations Executive in World War Two, and used to train spies...
in Borehamwood
Borehamwood
-Film industry:Since the 1920s, the town has been home to several film studios and many shots of its streets are included in final cuts of 20th century British films. This earned it the nickname of the "British Hollywood"...
, Hertfordshire. Like his camps, it was requisitioned (this time by the SOE
Special Operations Executive
The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...
) before he could develop it.
During the War Years, Skegness became HMS Royal Arthur
HMS Royal Arthur (shore establishment)
HMS Royal Arthur was a shore establishment of the Royal Navy, initially at Ingoldmells near Skegness, and later at Corsham, Wiltshire.-Skegness:...
a training establishment for Petty Officers, Pwllheli became HMS Glendower, and Ayr became HMS Scotia both Royal Navy shore establishments, Filey became RAF Hunmanby Moor and Clacton was originally planned to be used as a POW camp, but instead was used as a training site for the Pioneer Corps.Dacre 1982, p. 133. Butlin was recruited by the Ministry of Supply
Ministry of Supply
The Ministry of Supply was a department of the UK Government formed in 1939 to co-ordinate the supply of equipment to all three British armed forces, headed by the Minister of Supply. There was, however, a separate ministry responsible for aircraft production and the Admiralty retained...
and asked to look at the causes of low morale amongst the worker in Britain's munition factories. His first stop was at the Royal Ordnance Factory, Chorley
ROF Chorley
ROF Chorley was a UK government-owned, munitions filling, Royal Ordnance Factory . It was planned as a Permanent Royal Ordnance Factory with the intention that it, unlike some other similar facilities, would remain open for production after the end of World War II; and, together with ROF Bridgend...
, where he found that the camouflaged huts and barbed wire fences used to house workers gave them the feeling of being interned. Using his experiences of holiday camps, Butlin was able to devise activities and systems to boost morale, leading to his appointment as Director General of Hostels.Rowbotham 1997, p. 237.Scott 2001, p. 7. In this position, Butlin introduced games and entertainment similar to his holiday camps in the hostels, including: whist drives; amateur dramatics; theatrical productions; and cinema. In 1943 he encouraged workers to continue taking their holiday entitlement but to do so at home, arranging various travelling fairs to visit towns on their "holiday week".Barton 2005, p. 184. Butlin's appointment to this role gave cause for concern in some quarters, with questions being asked of the under-secretary Harold Macmillan
Harold Macmillan
Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC was Conservative Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 10 January 1957 to 18 October 1963....
about the nature of his involvement. However the appointment was a voluntary one with no salary or expenses and made after consideration of other suitable candidates.
Late in the war, as Europe was being liberated, Butlin was approached by General Montgomery, who asked him to help set up leave
Leave (military)
In military, leave is a permission to be away from one's unit, either for a specified or unspecified period of time.The term AWOL, standing for absent without leave, is a term for desertion used in armed forces of many English speaking countries....
centres for the 21st Army Group. Starting in Brussels, the "21 Club" concept quickly expanded through western Europe, providing entertainment and relaxation for servicemen and women.Dacre 1982, p. 148-149.
In 1944, Butlin was awarded the MBE for his wartime service to the Ministry of Supply.
Post war expansion
After the war, most holiday camps in Britain had been damaged by troop occupation; the situation was so bad that questions were raised in parliament.Cormack 1998, p. 96. Other than Clacton, the Butlins camps were relatively unscathed, and even Clacton, which had been damaged by troop occupation, re-opened in early 1946. In the post war boom Butlin saw opportunities in foreign shores. He opened camps at MosneyMosney
Mosney Accommodation Centre, formerly Butlin's Mosney, and Mosney Holiday Centre; in County Meath, Ireland, is situated approximately from Dublin. It is probably best known as the site of a Butlin's holiday camp in the second half of the 20th century and as the site for the National Finals of the...
, in the soon to be Republic of Ireland, in 1948 and on Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama
Grand Bahama is one of the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, and the closest major island to the United States, lying off the state of Florida. Grand Bahama is the fifth largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays...
, in 1949.
In most ways Mosney was identical to the existing successful camps, but in Ireland this was something seen to be feared, rather than embraced. A number of complaints appeared in the Catholic Standard, warning that holiday camps were an English idea that was not desirable in Catholic Ireland. Like the other camps, Mosney was designed to have a church and reassurances were given that it would be a Catholic chapel with a resident priest. Reassurances were also given that Irish nationals would have priority over British tourists in booking holidays. In July 1948 the camp was finally opened by William Norton
William Norton
William Norton was an Irish Labour Party politician, and leader of the party from 1932 to 1960.Norton was born in Dublin in 1900. He joined the postal service in 1916. By 1920 he was a prominent member in the trade union movement in Ireland. From 1924 to 1948 he served as secretary of the Post...
the Minister for Social Welfare
Minister for Social and Family Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Social Protection is the senior minister at the Department of Social Protection in the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Social Protection is Joan Burton, TD.-Overview:...
, and it operated successfully as a Butlin's camp until the early 1980s.
A more ambitious plan by Butlin was thought up on a trip to the Bahamas in 1946. Seeing potential for a camp in warmer climes, he formed a company under the chairmanship of Sir Bede Edmund Hugh Clifford and bought land in Grand Bahama. Butlin also purchased the Princess hotel
The Fairmont Hamilton Princess
The Fairmont Hamilton Princess is one of the grandest and most famous hotels in Hamilton, Bermuda. It also happens to be the oldest hotel in the Fairmont chains. One of the largest in Bermuda it has over 400 rooms...
in Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and the Fort Montagu beach hotel in Nassau
Nassau, Bahamas
Nassau is the capital, largest city, and commercial centre of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. The city has a population of 248,948 , 70 percent of the entire population of The Bahamas...
. The camp was intended to be complete and open on New Years Day of 1950. After an investment of US$5 million (2011:£) the camp opened, still only partially complete in the winter of 1949. To celebrate its opening, Butlin ran a mystery flight, where guests, who had paid $129 (2011:£) each, were taken on a flight to the resort without being informed in advance.
However Butlin did not remain celebrating for long; he required a further $2.25 million (2011:£) to complete the camp, and to make matters worse American tourists were not used to the holiday camp mentality so the venture held little interest. In an attempt to save the camp, Butlin sold the Hotel leases to an American firm. By November 1950, the subsidiary company handling the Caribbean resort was ordered to be wound up by a court. Butlin admitted defeat and focused his efforts back in Europe. In the late 1940s Butlin had successfully opened hotels outside the Skegness and Ayr camps, so he now saw his opportunity to expand into this market. Butlin began acquiring hotels in Saltdean
Saltdean
Saltdean is a residential district located on the chalk cliffs of the south coast of England in East Sussex, United Kingdom. It is situated on the eastern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove, with part outside the city boundary in Lewes district...
, Blackpool
Grand Metropole Hotel
The Grand Metropole Hotel is a large hotel in Blackpool, England, the only hotel to sit directly on the shoreline. One of the two oldest hotels in Blackpool, work originally began in 1776 on what was then named Bailey’s Hotel it opened in 1785 and is now owned by Britannia Hotels.-History:In 1776,...
and several in Cliftonville
Cliftonville
Cliftonville is a coastal area of the town of Margate, situated to the east of the main town, in the Thanet district of Kent, South East England, United Kingdom. It also contains the area known as Palm Bay....
.Cormack 1998, p. 96.
Further camps
In the 1960s Butlin began to create a series of new camps at Bognor RegisBognor Regis
Bognor Regis is a seaside resort town and civil parish in the Arun district of West Sussex, on the south coast of England. It is south-south-west of London, west of Brighton, and south-east of the city of Chichester. Other nearby towns include Littlehampton east-north-east and Selsey to the...
(opened 1960), Minehead (1962) and Barry Island (1966).Dacre 1982, p. 203-206. Barry Island remained part of the Butlin's empire until the 1980s, while Bognor and Minehead remain part of the company today.
On 2 July 1960 Butlin planned to open his holiday camp at Bognor, but because of flooding it was not ready on its opening date. Butlin offered his patrons the chance to be re-sited at Clacton or to stay and help complete the camp's construction. A number opted to stay and help, and received a free bottle of champagne as a reward. Once opened, the camp quickly became popular, accommodating around 5,000 campers and another 5,000 day visitors.
In the winter of 1961, Butlin began work on his camp in Minehead. The site opened to the public on 26 May 1962 having cost £2 million to construct. Over the next decade several attractions were added to the site; a miniature railway was added in 1964, chairlifts in 1965, and a monorail in 1967.
Butlin's inspiration for his holiday empire had come from a holiday to Barry Island in his twenties, when he had been locked out of his B&B
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
all day by his landlady.Dacre 1982, p. 30-31. He finally decided to build the last and smallest of the camps there in 1965. Butlin took out a 99-year lease on the headland at Nell's Point, Barry Island, in 1966. Building work began there in the winter and the gates opened to campers on 18 June 1966. Butlin retired in 1969 and the Barry Island camp was the last opening under his management.
Later life
Growing up, Butlin had lived with his aunt Jessie in the Swan Pub in Coaley,Dacre 1982, p. 287. in his later life he was able to purchase desirable property for himself; for many years living on The Bishops Avenue. His house there was Dane Court in HampsteadHampstead
Hampstead is an area of London, England, north-west of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Camden in Inner London, it is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations and for Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland...
, which he purchased in 1947.Kynaston 2007, p. 218. Butlin sold Dane Court in 1951, and moved to a property in Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square
Grosvenor Square is a large garden square in the exclusive Mayfair district of London, England. It is the centrepiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of Westminster, and takes its name from their surname, "Grosvenor".-History:...
. He remained in this property through the 1950s and 1960s.
Butlin retired in 1969, handing over running the company to his son Bobby. However, a hostile takeover bid by Phonographic Equipment in November 1969 made him decide to come out of retirement; in the capacity of "consultant". With his father's help Bobby saw off the takeover, and Butlin returned to his retirement.
In 1972, the Rank Organisation
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
launched a friendly takeover for £43 million (2011:£), which both Butlin and his son agreed to accept.
Butlin's retirement was forced by circumstance. His accountant arranged a meeting at which he informed Butlin that the total rate of income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
and surtax
Surtax
A surtax may be a tax levied upon a tax, or a tax levied upon income.-United Kingdom:In 1929, Supertax was renamed Sur-tax...
that Butlin was due to pay for the coming year was 115% of his income.Dacre 1982, p. 258. Butlin took the decision to move from his London home to become a permanent resident in Blair Adam House, St. John, on the island of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. This move was financially beneficial since Jersey had a fixed 20% rate of income tax. He remained a resident of Jersey up until his death on 12 June 1980, aged 80. He is buried in the parish of St John and his grave is shaped to represent a double bed.Pearson 2008, p. 124.
Butlin actively engaged in charity work through the Grand Order of Water Rats
Grand Order of Water Rats
The Grand Order of Water Rats is an entertainment industry charity, and brotherhood, based in London. The Water Rats were founded in 1889 by comedian Joe Elvin. The first King Rat, as the head of the charity is termed, was music hall singer Harry Freeman. Comedian Dan Leno joined in 1890 and was...
and through the Variety Club. In 1963, he set up the Bill Butlin charitable trust, and in 1966 donated £100,000 (2011:£) to set up a trust to help in cases where police officers were incapacitated or fatally injured while on active duty. With public support the fund grew firstly to £250,000 and eventually to over £1 million. In return he received many honours, from having a Hybrid Tea Rose name after him, to his knighthood in 1964. In being knighted, Butlin was following in the footsteps of his great uncle Sir Henry Trentham Butlin, an eminent surgeon. In 1960, Butlin was awarded the Carl Alan award
Carl Alan Awards
The Carl Alan Awards is an awards event held annually in the United Kingdom and honouring people who have made a significant contribution to the dance and theatre industry, such as teachers, performers and choreographers...
for his services to dance.
Personal life
Butlin remained close to his mother, both in following her to Canada and in arranging for her to come home after the death of his stepfather. She died in 1934 and never saw his first holiday camp,Dacre 1982, p. 100. By contrast, Butlin makes no mention in his biography of his father after returning from Canada. Public records from South Africa show that his father remained in Cape Town for the rest of his life, dying in 1954.In the 1920s while staying in Tiverton in Devon, and working with Marshall Hill Butlin met Doris "Dolly" Mabel Cheriton (born 1898) whose family owned the local fish and chip shop and the couple were married in 1927. However by the early 1930s the marriage broke up and they separated. Soon after, Butlin met and fell in love with Norah Faith Cheriton (Dolly's niece, born 1914). Dolly refused to grant Butlin a divorce; it was not until Dolly's death in 1958 that he and Norah were free to marry. The second marriage lasted only a few months, as Butlin had already fallen in love with Shelia Edwina Devine. This time it was Norah who refused to grant divorce. In 1975, with divorce law having changed, Butlin was able to divorce Norah and marry Sheila with whom he remained with until his death.Scott 2001, p. 6-8.
Butlin had several children from his three marriages: Shirley (Born 1931 to Dolly), Robert (Born to Nora in 1934 as Robert F. Reeves), Cherie (also known as Cherry) (Born to Nora in 1939), Sandra (Born 1941), William Jr (also known as Billy) (Born 1960 to Sheila), and Jacquie (Born to Sheila). Bertha Hill's Obituary records "William, Dolly and baby Shirley" and on Shirley's fifth birthday the local Skegness newspaper noted that she invited many of her friends to her father's holiday camp for her party. However, little reference is made to her after this time, and her name is not listed on her father's grave with her still-living siblings. Sandra died in 1976 at the age of 34 (The same year Butlin's second wife Norah died.) William Jr died of cancer in 2003. Robert took over from his father running the company from 1968 to 1984 and died of lung cancer on 31 December 2008. Jacquie lives on Jersey, where she runs a clothes shop. Jacquie's daughter, Laura Emily, was the subject of a court case in the Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
The Cayman Islands is a British Overseas Territory and overseas territory of the European Union located in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, and Little Cayman, located south of Cuba and northwest of Jamaica...
in 1992, to establish whether she could be a beneficiary of her grandfather's estate. Cherie is an Actress.
Media references
Butlin is listed as a member of the eclectic (and fictional) "orchestra" in The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah BandBonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band are a band created by a group of British art-school denizens of the 1960s...
's recording, The Intro and the Outro
The Intro and the Outro
The Intro and The Outro is a recording by The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. It appears on their debut album, Gorilla . It is not so much a song as a comic monologue, in which the speaker introduces the musicians who ostensibly appear on the recording, and the track fades out before the emcee completes...
, where he is credited with playing the spoons
Spoon (musical instrument)
Spoons can be played as a makeshift percussion instrument, or more specifically, an idiophone related to the castanets. "Playing the spoons" originated in Ireland as "playing the bones," in which the convex sides of a pair of sheep rib bones were rattled in the same way.- Techniques :# A pair of...
.