My Mum and Dad's wedding picture

James Stockley Married Marjorie Suzanne Phyllis Chipperfield, on 15th December 1945, at Blaby, Leicestershire. The witnesses were Don Ross the stage circus producer and Maureen Van Der Gray.

1947 and the first lot of elephants have just arrived from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), my Mum getting a bit theatrical there !

1949 White two pole canvas tent by Penrose of Truro. 150ft round x 60ft high with a 50ft centre.

Okay, so this is me (aged about 3yrs) with my nany Alice Stubbs. Her husband, Bill Stubbs, was my Mum's head groom for many years. We are in the 'Big Wagon' and it looks like we are either early for a party or none of you buggers have turned up!

Me and my two cousins, brothers John and Tommy Chipperfield (brothers to Charles, Sophie and Doris Chipperfield) ......... how did they dress kids in them days! Enough to scar you for life !

The Big Show

build up

raising the necks

The interior with the chariot-racing track

Chipperfields and Mills booking offices stood side by side, Manchester 1952

Parade 1955

My Uncle, John L Chipperfield

Uncle John L Chipperfield with the palamino horses

My Mum and Dad on the steps of their wagon. I'm sitting on the other steps playing with my cousin John Chipperfield (son of John L Chipperfield) so this would be about 1957

Clonmel railway station, Co.Tipperary 1956 - the 12 Chipperfield elephants leave the station with Doreen Duggan leading Mary elephant. John L Chipperfield is mid-way down the line and Dick Chipperfield bringing up the rear. The show went to Ireland with 15 elephants and sold Jimmy, Blackie and Monica (two males and a female) to Fossett's Circus. Later, eight of these twelve would go with Hugo Schmidt to Ringlings in America.

Wenzel Kossmayer, Elefanten Trainer in den 50iger Jahren.

Me working with the 'Big three' elephants ........ they had been doing this routine so long that they worked you .......... and they took no prisoners or suffered fools !

"Towards the end of the 19th century European circus saw the gradual decline of wild animal acts being presented inside "beastwagons" (mobile caged containers, now used on circuses just as sleeping quarters) in favour of the new caged arena style acts. However, there would be one last hurrah for these types of act, an invention that came out of the early part of the 20th century, known as the “bouncer wagon act” (aka the “bouncing lions”). Above there is a picture of a beastwagon that would eventually be used for this purpose. The act pictured is the sometimes confused “Posing Act” which is the original type of trained wild animal act presented in the beastwagons. My grandfather, Dick Chipperfield Snr., stands on the outside whilst Carol Caldwell presents the act inside. The act was presented on Chipperfield’s Christmas Circus in Bingley Hall circ.1961/62 and was televised and shown on Christmas Day."

As usual, unmentioned but always ready to go in and get someone out, Uncle John L Chipperfield mans the door ........... there's probably nobody else you would rather have had to come and get you, God forbid.

Louise leading elephant "Mary" in rome on the set of 'Cleopatra'

 Hubert Lockewood " Little Hubert" und Marjorie Stockley (nee Chipperfield).

sheila duggan.

My Grandmother Maude Chipperfield (nee Seaton) with her son (my Uncle) Jimmy Chipperfield

Uncle John with his mother, Maude Chipperfield

1964 before we left England to go to South Africa

Cape Town December 1964, before the blowdown

Cape Town, December 1964 at night.

after the blowdown, Cape Town December 1964

open air shows in Cape Town in December 1964. The show opened 12 December, blew down a week later and moved inland to Goodwood on Christmas day 1964

My Dad coupling up our wagon onto the back of a Mack the first year here in South Africa 1965

Uncle John with the 3 of the little elephants that arrived in 1973

1976 I think? No sure who that is on the elephants. I think that's my sister Carol Stockley on top of Mary elephant with Dorette Enos or Carol Freeman?