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General => The Common Room => Topic started by: Coomera on Thursday 07 April 11 07:30 BST (UK)
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Does anyone with a few miles on the clock remember Bob Mallin? He was a Cowboy aka Country and Western singer from the thirties onwards, singing with Henry Hall and later on the BBC radio show "Riders Of the Range". We have a CD of him which tells us that he was born Robert Hughes in Birmingham in 1914 (will have to wait for the '21 census for more info) and was living in San Diego, California in 1999. He took his mother's maiden name for his stage name - so we believe, and think she may have been my grandmother's sister. We have searched UK and US records under both names but have so far drawn a blank.
Does anyone know more about him? dee.
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Hi
There doesn't seem to be any Hughes birth registrations in the civil registration index between 1911 and 1920 with a mother's maiden name of Mallin in England and Wales.
Have you found his parents' marriage?
There is one Robert birth with a mother's maiden name of Mallin circa 1914 in the Birmingham area but with a different surname.
Births Dec 1913
Roberts Robert H Mallin Kings N 6d 287
This website seems to indicate Bob Mallin died in 2008
http://www.jabw.demon.co.uk/yearb.htm
The source is this publication
http://www.memorylane.org.uk/our_latest_edition.htm
Regards
Valda
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Valda, thanks for that. The info that we have is only anecdotal and may not be accurate. The name and birth date were given on the sleeve of the CD, put out by the British Archive of Country Music. On the Mallin side of our family there was a Show Biz connection, called "The Fortescue Players" who toured theatres such as the Dudley Hippodrome and Birmingham Theatre. The prinicipals were known as Rich & Galvin and they appeared in at least one film. The anecdotal advice was that Rich and Galvin had two children, a daughter who was a pianist with Sadlers Wells Opera and a son, who called himself Bob Mallin.
Really we know so little about his birth, his parent's marriage or whatever that it is hard to progress. The search continues. dee.
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Valda, The film mentioned in the previous reply was called:"Money Talks" (1932) and Rich & Galvin played characters called "Dough and Wal Nut" dee.
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Hi
Weren't Rich and Galvin two male dancers? They were certainly dancing up until circa 1934 from the early 1920s.
Regards
Valda
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Thanks Valda. You confirm what we suspected, that Rich & Galvin were two males - the info we had came from an elderly relative. Anyway, it is possible that one or other of them could have been Bob Mallin's father. It looks as though we had better investigate Rich & Galvin some more, unless you know anything about them?
My grandmother was a Mallin, in the Midlands, and we have chapter and verse on them going right back but come to a dead end in 1911. thanks, dee.
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Hi
If you have researched the Mallins you presumably know who your grandmother's sister or sisters were and since the surname is reasonably unusual found any potential marriages?
Regards
Valda
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Hi Valda, well, grandma had just one sister (and a brother in the navy who does not seem to have married). The sister was Emma Mallin (no second 1st name) who we have from birth in 1876 at West Bromwich to the 1901 census, when she is in service at Handsworth, Staffs aged 25. She is not in the 1911 census and we can trace no marriage or death at any time. She has an aunt of the same name and birth date, which can be confusing, but we have the aunt's history right through.
Of course, Victorian families were very large and Bob's mother could be a cousin or such, and we have no reliable info as to why Bob took a stage name or who he got it from. regards dee.
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Hi
This marriage
Marriages Mar 1904
Brown George Jesse R Birmingham 6d 190
JONES James Birmingham 6d 190
Malin Emma Birmingham 6d 190
Ohlson Ada Caroline Birmingham 6d 190
Regards
Valda
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Hi Valda, thanks. We had tried Mallin & Mallen but not Malin. Some sites will give all the variations and some just what you type in. With four different spellings it can be difficult!
We have tried the 1911 census but with such common names we were chewing up credits a a great rate without finding her so far.
Anyway, she is not Hughes so we are no further forward. Will continue with Rich and Galvin's research in the meantime. Found a lovely photo of the Fortescue Players but no names attached.
Will let you know how we progress. dee.
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Don't know if this will be of any help but there used to be a lovely young lady by the name of Joanne Malin (Mallin?) on ITV's Central News which is broadcast from Birmingham. Joanne left to play in local pantomimes, but does on the odd occasion appear back on the news programme.
Cuthie
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cuthie, thanks for that, will see what we can find out about her. dee.