Thomas Widdicombe (1865 – 24 January 1936), who wrote under the name T. W. Connor, was an English writer of popular songs and monologues for

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Bri ...

performers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was born in

Hoxton Hoxton is an area in the London Borough of Hackney, England. As a part of Shoreditch, it is often considered to be part of the East End – the historic core of wider East London. It was historically in the county of Middlesex until 1889. I ...

, in the

East End The East End of London, often referred to within the London area simply as the East End, is the historic core of wider East London, east of the Roman and medieval walls of the City of London and north of the River Thames. It does not have uni ...

of London. He married in 1885, and according to official records worked for most of his life as an administrative officer in the

Port of London The Port of London is that part of the River Thames in England lying between Teddington Lock and the defined boundary (since 1968, a line drawn from Foulness Point in Essex via Gunfleet Old Lighthouse to Warden Point in Kent) with the North Sea ...

. He also had a parallel career as a songwriter, and wrote lyrics and music for over 200 songs. One of his most successful early songs was "She Was One of the Early Birds", sung in 1895 by

George Beauchamp George Delmetia Beauchamp (; March 18, 1899 – March 30, 1941) was an American inventor of musical instruments. He is known for designing the first electrically amplified stringed instrument to be marketed commercially. He was also a foun ...

(1862–1900).Richard Anthony Baker, ''British Music Hall: an illustrated history'', Pen & Sword, 2014, , pp.153, 227 Connor also wrote "A Little Bit of Cucumber", recorded by

Harry Champion William Henry Crump (17 April 1865 – 14 January 1942), better known by the stage name Harry Champion, was an English music hall composer, singer and comedian, whose onstage persona appealed chiefly to the working class communities of Ea ...

in 1915 and later revived by Stanley Holloway; "I Had No Mother to Guide Me", performed by

George Formby Sr. George Formby (born James Lawler Booth; 4 October 1875 – 8 February 1921) was an English comedian and singer in musical theatre, known as one of the greatest music hall performers of the early 20th century. His comedy played upon Lanca ...

; and many successful songs by other performers including

Gus Elen Ernest Augustus Elen (22 July 1862 – 17 February 1940) was an English music hall singer and comedian. He achieved success from 1891, performing cockney songs including "Arf a Pint of Ale", "It's a Great Big Shame", "Down the Road" and "If It ...

, Tom Costello, and Harry Randall. Connor wrote many of the comic monologues performed by Billy Bennett in the years immediately after the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, such as "One of the Rank and Vile", "The Poor Hard-Working Man", "The Black Sheep", "Do As You'd Be Done By", and "The Scotch Express from Ireland". Monologues written by T. W. Connor, ''Monologues.co.uk''
Retrieved 19 January 2021 Connor died in

Hackney, London Hackney is a district in East London, England, forming around two-thirds of the area of the modern London Borough of Hackney, to which it gives its name. It is 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Charing Cross and includes part of the Queen E ...

, in 1936.

References

1865 births 1936 deaths English songwriters {{songwriter-stub