Sir Walter Gibbons,

KBE KBE may refer to: * Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters * Knowledge-based engineering Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...

(14 May 1871 – 22 October 1933) was an English theatre proprietor who owned a number of

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 ...

s at the beginning of the twentieth century. Along with Oswald Stoll, he led the employers' side in the

Music Hall Strike of 1907 The Music Hall Strike of 1907 was a theatrical dispute which took place between music hall employees, stage artistes and London theatre proprietors. The catalyst for the strikes were the employees' lack of pay, the scrapping of perks, and an inc ...

, which was settled broadly in favour of the artists, musicians and

stage hand A stagehand is a person who works backstage or behind the scenes in theatres, film, television, or location performance. Their work include setting up the scenery, lights, sound, props, rigging, and special effects for a production. General St ...

s who were demanding better wages and conditions.

Life

Born in

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunian ...

, he worked in a local nail factory and in an accountant's office, before joining the Calder O'Berne Opera Company, and then working as a

singer. After moving to London, he acquired an Urban Bioscope projector and, in 1898, launched the Anglo-American Bio-Tableaux, a variety film show that initially concentrated on news subjects. In 1900 he produced the Phono-Bio-Tableaux, a series of films synchronized to phonograph cylinders that presented famous music hall artists such as

Vesta Tilley Matilda Alice Powles, Lady de Frece (13May 186416September 1952) was an English music hall performer. She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became one of the best-known male impersonators of her era. Her career lasted from 1869 until 192 ...

Lil Hawthorne Lil Hawthorne (4 July 1877 – 22 March 1926) was an American-born British stage beauty, music hall performer and pantomime Principal Boy. In 1910, Hawthorne was involved in bringing Dr. Crippen to justice for the murder of his wife, Cora Hen ...

, Alec Hurley and G. H. Chirgwin. The Lil Hawthorne film survives. Gibbons experimented with artificial lighting and, in 1901, was reported to have a London studio and plant capable of processing and dispatching a film in sixty-five minutes. He is also reported to have sent cameramen out to film the later stages of the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, including C. Rider Noble. On the death of his father-in-law, G. Adney Payne, he succeeded to the directorship of the London Syndicate Halls. From 1903, he greatly increased his holdings by buying suburban and provincial halls and turning them into variety theatres. He also attempted to corner the market in leading performers by offering them increased salaries, but tough contracts."Death of Sir Walter Gibbons", ''The Stage'', 26 October 1933 He opened the London Palladium as a flagship of his music hall empire in 1910, by which time he owned some 40 music halls, half of them in London. Gibbons severed his connection with the Palladium in 1912. During 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 ...

, he was active in the

Royal Army Service Corps The Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) was a corps of the British Army responsible for land, coastal and lake transport, air despatch, barracks administration, the Army Fire Service, staffing headquarters' units, supply of food, water, fuel and dom ...

as a Lieutenant-Colonel, and later organised food and emergency supplies during strikes affecting the railway system. He was knighted for public services in the 1920 New Year Honours List. In 1928, he returned as managing director of the General Theatres Corporation which initiated a programme of cine-variety at the theatre. Within a few months, a boardroom wrangle led to his resignation. His considerable fortune was dissipated on other theatrical projects, leading to bankruptcy shortly before his death in London in 1933, aged 62. He was married twice: to Nellie Payne, who died in 1911, and then to Doris Lee; they were later divorced.

References

1871 births 1933 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Royal Army Service Corps officers People from Wolverhampton {{UK-business-bio-stub