WILL FYFFE

According to contemporary newsreels, Will Fyffe’s funeral at Glasgow’s St Mary’s Cathedral in December 1947, attracted huge crowds “from all walks of life, from personal friends and stage colleagues” to “the common old working chaps of whom he sang.” In one sense, this was ironic: Fyffe was no Glaswegian.

Born in Dundee in 1885, by his death he lived in Mayfield, a respectable southern suburb of Edinburgh, and was the major shareholder of the Marine Hotel in St Andrews.

Yet, equally, it was absolutely right: not only had Fyffe established his career in the city’s “toughest” theatres, he’d given Glaswegians around the world their own anthem.

Although often referred to as a “comedian” and “music hall star”, Fyffe’s background was as an actor. Born into show business, his childhood was spent touring with his father’s portable theatre, travelling around Scotland and further afield.

As a result, his theatrical education was in everything from Shakespeare to popular melodrama and pantomime – which undoubtedly helped give depth and nuance to the comedic character sketches with which he made his name.

Later in life, he also insisted that his “comic studies” quite deliberately avoided “anything suggestive or objectionable.”

He was awarded a CBE in 1942, not for his songwriting, but for his charity work and tireless support of British Forces during the Second World War with his spirit-raising entertainment.

Fyffe enjoyed genuine success in three different media – stage, radio, and film. According to The Scotsman, on reporting his death, Fyffe’s 55 years as a public entertainer began at 4s 11d a week, and rose to £350.