Memories On Parade

Radio Record, 3 June 1938, Page 41

Memories On Parade

THE BIG FIGHT He was playing at the time at Manchester in Vaughan Williams’s "Hugh the Drover,’ conducted by Sargent. Frederick Collier was the original in the part of "John the Butcher" in the work, During the piece he had to fight the tenor, ‘Hugh the Drover." It was i ticklish business, but they had both been well coached by a professional bare-fist Iinglish fighter. The first "Hugh the Drover’ was John Davis, who was good with his fists, but the fight always went off without anyone being hurt. The next tenor who took the part, however, was a Yorkshireman, Walter Widdop, who was excitable. The fight abvays trent three rounds. "The first round was quite all right," said Frederick Collier, "but in the second round I noticed his eyes beginning to bulge. To my horror, he cracked me on the nose and blood spurted ail oer. the place." ‘There was then terrific applause from the audience. "John the Butcher," said Frederick Collier, "was supposed to go down before ‘Hugh the Drover,’ but at this stage he threw ‘Hugh the Drover’ out of the ring." The audience cheered. But after that "John the Butcher" had to lie down to it, and the tenor had to get on with the singing. The critic, writing about the professional fight next night in the Free Trades Hall at Manchester, said he hail xeen a better fight at the opera the night before!