Digger Pugh by Sheila Smale Pugh Call This story was told to Sheila Smale Pugh, Digger's second wife, by Digger himself whilst they were married. Sheila is now 90 yrs old.
Sheila Smale Pugh with Johnny Pugh, and members of her family
Back Row L to R Carolynn Slaughter, daughter Jaquelyn "Jackie" Slaughter, Johnny Pugh & Sheila Smale Pugh Call. Front Row L to R Kristine Slaughter and Johnny Slaughter
John Wallace Pugh "Digger" was born 1902 to John and Ellen Pugh at Northampton, Norhants, England, the oldest of 7 children. His father made handmade leather gentleman’s riding boots, as was the custom then, John started work early. His parents sent him at age 10 to Wellingborough, Northants to his Uncle Jack Allen to learn the leather shoe trade. When he was 12, he came back to Northampton and worked for Barret's. When he was 14, the roller skating rink burnt down, and he and some other boys climbed over the wall and helped themselves to skates. Well there was trouble and the police came to the house. His father was so mad that he gave him a hard beating and locked him in the cellar. During the night, he climbed out through the coal chute and ran away to London. Some women found him starving down by the docks and they took him home, cleaned him up, and fed him. One of the women had a friend who was a sea captain on a ship that went to Australia. They got him a job as a cabin boy, but when he got to Australia, he jumped ship and bummed around. An old man got hold of him, and dressed him up as a jockey and had him selling racing tickets. He always loved boxing and boxed whenever he could get a chance. Eventually he joined Culleno's Circus and worked in the boxing show and became very good.
When World War I came, he wanted to join the forces and support his country, but he was under-age. And I don't know how he did it, but he either borrowed or got another Pugh's birth certificate under William Peter Bolton Pugh born in Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia. He joined the Australian Air Force and became a flight lieutenant and was stationed in Mesapotania on the Durpratis Rier (now Iraq). After the war, he went back to Australia and went back to Colleno's circus. While here he met a young girl named Hilda Curr and they got married. He saved his money and went to Crossroads Liverpool, New South Wales and opened a small garage and gas station. A little boy was born, John Wallace Pugh. But they had bad luck. A big gas company opened a station just down the road and they went broke and owed a lot of money. They got a chance to go to a big sheep ranch in the outback, him as a diesel engineer and her as a cook. They did not want to take the baby as the living was rough, so they left him with friends. But after they had earned enough to pay their debts and came back to Crossroads to get their son, the people had moved and they never did find them and their son.
Digger went back to boxing and got an offer to go to India to Calerkas Circus (ran by Jenkins family) to box. Digger had a passport as William Peter Bolton Pugh so he left it that way and said he was from Australia. But in World War II when they checked everyone, he had to go back to John Wallace Pugh. From India, they went to England and he boxed at many places. He boxed Pancho Villa to a draw at the Royal Albert Hall in London. He was also into dirt track motorcycle racing.
1920, Heather Pugh was born at Southampton England, April 18, 1928. 1931-32, Digger's and Hilda's marriage went bad and they divorced.
In 1933, he met Sheila Smale (stage name "Sally de Hagen") in London. She was a ballerina and acrobatic dancer. They got married in Ireland. He was in the radio advertising business then. That summer they went with the daily mail newspaper community singing concert tour with Arthur Cager. That winter, Digger bought a trampoline and had Arthur Hanlon, an old circus performer teach Sheila the trampoline. Sheila was 21 when she married Digger.
1934, Digger trained the Australian Life Saving Group (all men) and with Sheila and the trampoline, took it on tour for the Daily Sketch Newspaper. He had also been training two English and Sheila in a roller skating act.
In Oct, he took them to Australia with Sheila and Heather to Perry Bros. Circus. We traveled all over Australia.
1935, The boys ran away to a circus in S. Africa so Digger and Sheila went to Sydney and got an Australian boy called Johnny Mahrony, a very good acrobat. We worked at Cracknell’s Circus around Sydney and then went to Hong Kong, Saigon, Singapore, Columbo Ceylon, working at hotels and then to England. We performed at Yarmouth Circus, pantomimed in Devon John Duffy Circus Ireland and Vaudeville in England.
We went back to Australia for Frank Neil’s Tivoli Theatre. We worked Melbourne and Sydney. 1936, Digger got an offer to take a show to Japan. Johnny Mahrony did not want to go so we took Dorothy Kinna, Betty Grant, Marie Marshall and Austin Marriot all from Melbourne. Marie and Austin did a dancing act. Beryl Howlett, Marie Johnson from Sydney, Sheila Pugh and Digger Pugh. They called it the London Revue. We did trampoline, skating, acrobatic, singing, ballet and a dancing act. Marie Johnson did a Shirley Temple song. We went to Japan and Korea and Valadivostock in Southern Russia. Then we went to Shanghai and worked 5 Nite Club for one night, then Manilla, Singapore, Kula Lumpa, Ipoh, Penang, Columbo Ceylon, Taj Mahal Hotel Bombay. Marie Johnson had to go back to Australia from Bombay so Vivian (Pip) Norrish came from Melbourne.
1937, We then went to London and played the Waverly Circus in Edinburgh, Christmas 1937.
1938, John Wallace Pugh was born June 18, 1938 at Kennington London. We then were with Tom Moss Wigan. Johnny then made his first stage appearance at 2 months in a sketch.
1939, We went with Tom Arnold's summer show at the Opera House Blackpool. When World War II was declared, the Australian girls had to go home.
1940, On Jan. 1, we left England and went to Italy to the Great Cheflo's Magic Show where we played Milan & Genoa. Then we went to Columbo Ceylon, GalleFace Hotel, Grand Oriental Hotel, then to India Connemara Hotel Madras, Calcutta. Saturday Club, Grand Hotel, Grand Oriental Theatre, Singapore Raffles Hotel, Great World Amusement Park, Kula Lumpar, Ioh, Penang, Hotels then back to Australia. Tivoli Theatres, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, New Zealand.
1941, We went to E.K. Fernandez Circus in Honolulu Hawaii. Dot Kinna, Betty Grand, Vivian Norrish wanted to stay in Australia. So we got two Sydney girls: Joan and Peggy. Beryl Howlett stayed with us. Then to Seattle, Vancouver Canada, Montreal.
1942, In spring, Digger, Sheila, Heather, Johnny went to Cole Bros. Circus for the season in U.S.A. , then Vaudeville in New York. They then asked for a British act to come home to entertain the troops so Digger volunteered and we all went to England in a ship convoy. We joined the E.N.S.A. We had to leave Johnny with relations in Northampton. Then Sheila got pregnant and had to leave.
1943, Peter Stanley Pugh was born Nov. 20, 1943 in Northampton, England.
1944, Digger and the girls were released from E.N.S.A. and worked London Hippodrome, then Prince of Wales Theatre.
1945, Digger bought the house at 13 Alexandra Gardens in Hounslow. Carol Mary Pugh was born there Dec. 26, 1945. Digger and Beryl Howlett rejoined E.N.S.A. for 2 months. .
1946 - Digger girls at London Palladium and Billy Smarts Circus. Digger went to New York and Boston booking acts. Margaret Smith joined.
1948 - Cole Bros Circus. Sheila Pugh was the "Ballet Mistress" and Heather Pugh the head girl.
1949- Mills Bros Circus. Sheila Pugh in charge.
1950 - Mills Bros Circus
1951 - Pollack Shrine Circus. Sheila Smale Pugh and 5 girls.
Mills Bros Circus. Digger Pugh, Sheila McMahon and 12 girls.
1952 - Mills Bros Circus. Heather Pugh and husband and girls. Sheila Pugh & Johnny and Carol.
1952- Digger and Sheila Smale Pugh separated. Johnny going with Digger to England. Sheila, Peter and Carol staying in America. Digger went to Harringay Circus with Sheila McMahon.
1952 - Margaret Smith, Evelyn Kent, Gladys Rimmer, Sylvia, Brenda left Digger Pugh and went to Ringling Bros on their own.
1953 - Jack Mills went to London and booked his own girls, leaving Digger out.
1954 - Digger and Sheila Smale Pugh were divorced. Digger Pugh married Sheila McMahon in Middx, England.
Sheila Smale Pugh left show business and later married Charles Sharpton. He died March 3, 1979. She married Ben Call April 23, 1982 and he died April 25, 2000. She is now 90 and has lived in Idaho, U.S.A. for 43 years. Digger has many decendants in U.S.A. including 3 children, 10 grand-children, 9 great grand-children. He would have been 100 years old next August.
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