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WILKIE BARD & THE MUSICAL NIGHT WATCHMAN

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                    Comedian Wilkie Bard as Widow Twanky in Aladdin, c.1906. WILKIE BARD & THE MUSICAL NIGHT WATCHMAN Report by Don Hale The poor old Night Watchmen in the late 1800's often came in for some stick from a variety of sources. And in particular, he was also the butt of many jokes and songs in the ever-popular music hall.  The famous Victorian entertainer Wilkie Bard, who originally hailed from Manchester, was noted for singing a popular monologue about the unfortunate   Manchester Watchman , and for using their exploits as part of his famous music hall act. Heralded as probably one of the great all-time music hall stage performers of his day, Wilkie Bard, was born in Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Manchester in 1874. He was actually christened William August Smith - the August being a popular German name at that time. He was a popular Lancashire singer and comedian who told and sang the stories of the day in an amusing style.  On stage, he was noted for his unusually high for