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Author Topic: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings  (Read 1608 times)

Offline RagdollFan

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Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« on: Monday 16 September 24 09:02 BST (UK) »
This is my first post on the forum, hope it is on the right board!

I’m looking for information on two Vaudeville artists, Peggy Adair and Bill or Will Hastings. They were both active in the 20s and 30s in the UK, and I know they also went to Australia and New Zealand. I am Australian, and I believe Peggy was related to me, and I have a photo of both Peggy and Bill with my grandparents. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to trace a link, and I’m also unsure if Peggy Adair was a stage name or not.

If anyone has any information, I would be immensely grateful! Thank you!

Offline maddys52

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 04:29 BST (UK) »
Hello RagdollFan and welcome to RootsChat.

Many mentions of the couple on trove (Australian newspapers)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/

And paperspast (New Zealand newspapers)
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/

From a review of a performance at the Palace Theatre in Bath in 1928:
"Will Hastings and Peggy Adair hail from Australia. They are a very amusing couple and combine their humour with plenty of nice singing and dancing by the charming little lady partner, whilst the male member of the act plays several instuments in a capable manner, with which there is plenty of comedy."
Saturday,  Dec. 29, 1928
Publication: Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette

Interesting that Australian papers say Peggy ADAIR was English, but English papers say she was Australian.  :-\

Offline Neale1961

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 05:03 BST (UK) »
And yet, in this newspaper Mr Will Hastings and MISS Peggy Adair were ENGLISH comedians.

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19260630.2.37?items_per_page=10&page=2&query=Peggy+adair&snippet=true

Australian newspapers were calling them an English comedy duo.


How do you think they are related to you? What were your grandparents names and where did they come from?

In the British press, they were called “Australia’s comedy duo”.
Milligan - Jardine – Glencross – Dinwoodie - Brown: (Dumfriesshire & Kirkcudbrightshire)
Clark – Faulds – Cuthbertson – Bryson – Wilson: (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire)
Neale – Cater – Kinder - Harrison: (Warwickshire & Queensland)
Roberts - Spry: (Cornwall, Middlesex & Queensland)
Munster: (Schleswig-Holstein & Queensland) and Plate: (Braunschweig, Neubruck & Queensland & New York)

Offline maddys52

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 05:11 BST (UK) »
I wonder what this means "formerly King's trumpeter" ?
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/128134678

Modified to add:
Will Hastings (Kings Trumpeter at Coronation Ceremony)
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/113380148

George V had his coronation in 1911, and Will HASTINGS played trumpet at the coronation?

Offline Neale1961

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 05:14 BST (UK) »
A bit about Will Hastings here
https://ozvta.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/variety-performers-in-radio-list-1112017.pdf

He seems to have been around and working as an entertainer, before teaming up with Adair in about 1925.
Milligan - Jardine – Glencross – Dinwoodie - Brown: (Dumfriesshire & Kirkcudbrightshire)
Clark – Faulds – Cuthbertson – Bryson – Wilson: (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire)
Neale – Cater – Kinder - Harrison: (Warwickshire & Queensland)
Roberts - Spry: (Cornwall, Middlesex & Queensland)
Munster: (Schleswig-Holstein & Queensland) and Plate: (Braunschweig, Neubruck & Queensland & New York)

Offline Neale1961

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 05:28 BST (UK) »
Here is a site about the Gallipoli Strollers with multiple mentions of Will Hastings
https://ozvta.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Gallipoli-Strollers-1-442012.pdf
Milligan - Jardine – Glencross – Dinwoodie - Brown: (Dumfriesshire & Kirkcudbrightshire)
Clark – Faulds – Cuthbertson – Bryson – Wilson: (Ayrshire & Renfrewshire)
Neale – Cater – Kinder - Harrison: (Warwickshire & Queensland)
Roberts - Spry: (Cornwall, Middlesex & Queensland)
Munster: (Schleswig-Holstein & Queensland) and Plate: (Braunschweig, Neubruck & Queensland & New York)

Offline maddys52

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 10:26 BST (UK) »
Another article says Will HASTINGS was in the Royal Navy:
https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/144336574 (3rd column, middle)

Haven't had any luck finding service records. Also looking to see if he is in the English 1911 census, but again, no luck so far.

Offline scotmum

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 12:00 BST (UK) »
She may have been the same Peggy Adair with an advertisement in The Stage of 11/3/1948, look for Amateur Artists for Adair Repertory Players and giving an address of 25 Maida Avenue, W2.
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Offline scotmum

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Re: Vaudeville artists Peggy Adair and Bill/Wil Hastings
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 17 September 24 12:16 BST (UK) »
Thinking outside the box and as a long shot, did your grandparents connect with the Hyland surname at all?
"As we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns—the ones we don’t know we don’t know."  - Donald Rumsfeld

"Trees without roots fall over!"
 
""People who never look backward to their ancestors will never look forward to posterity." - Edmund Burke

Don't just wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.
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