Gumshield To Greasepaint
by
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“Gum-shield to Greasepaint”
This is the story of Rocky Mason - a man who fought his way through adversity in a life that took him via the boxing ring to that of a successful career in entertainments -as a performer, a major figure in the Butlins Holiday Camp Empire and a friend of the stars.
Gum-shield to Greasepaint takes the reader through Rocky’s journey from his childhood wartime experiences, cowering in the air raid shelters to surviving the evacuation boy’s camps, battling against bully’s and illiteracy.
His tough childhood led to a successful amateur boxing career where he accumulated 69 straight wins in 87 bouts losing only eight.
During his National Service in the RAF, he became a PTI and boxed for Bomber Command.
He had a number of bouts at the National Sporting Club in the presence of the president, Colonel Basil Brown, also a director of the Butlin Holiday Camp Empire.
After demob, and unable to settle, he spent two years living rough and hitch hiking on the continent,
Then Rocky’s life was to change forever, when on returning to the UK, he was offered a job as Redcoat boxing instructor at Butlins and was reunited with the former president of the National Sporting Club, Colonel Basil Brown who was now the Director of Entertainment.
With the Colonel as his mentor, his career took off. Within two years he became Chief Redcoat, Compere/Entertainer; had his own late night show, covered Butlin TV presentations for seven years and performing in the top line shows.
Rocky’s career journey rolled on to that of entertainments manager and later received the title “Leisure and Amenities Controller” running every leisure amenity and activity on the largest holiday camp in the world.
In this position he became close friends with Mr. Robert Butlin, and the great Sir Billy himself and was proud to honor the family by serving as an usher, on Sir Billy’s sad demise, at his Memorial Service at St Martins-in-the Field.
At the same time Rocky became a personal friend of almost every major showbiz star in the country, many of whom have contributed to this book also within these pages are personal anecdotes, jokes and amusing stories of wonderful times spent with these remarkable people.
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