Magic at War

Robert Harbin was o ne of the most influential magicians of the Twentieth Century. Not only was he a superb performer, he was an inventive genius, and one of the most prodigious inventors of magical effects. During World War Two, he was tasked with bringing entertainment to thousands of war-weary troops in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Robert Harbin - a master magician (Source: whirligig-tv.co.uk) The Boy Magician from Sunny South Africa   Robert Harbin (Edward ‘Ned’ Richard Charles Williams) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in early 1909.     He first got interested in magic after an ex-serviceman appeared at his school with a magic show, which Harbin later described as   “rather poor.”  But, with his interest sparked, young Ned started learning magic. After watching British magician Clive Maskelyne perform in Durban,   he travelled to England in 1928 – aged 19 –   “to try his luck in the ‘old country’”.   ...

The second of four blogs telling the incredible wartime experiences of Fergus Anckorn, an amateur magician who used magic to survive captivity and slavery as a POW in the Far East during World War Two. Captured and recovery   On 13 February 1942, during the Battle for Singapore, a Japanese attack injured magician-soldier Fergus Anckorn. The British garrison surrendered two days later, causing Anckorn to become a prisoner-of-war (POW).     Anckorn spent his first three months as a POW as a patient in the RAF Hospital at Changi in eastern Singapore. The medical facility was next to Kitchener Barracks, Roberts Barracks, and Selarang Barracks. The British built the military base at Changi to accommodate forces defending the island. After the Fall of Singapore, the Japanese turned the Changi complex into a POW camp.   Fergus Anckorn performing a card fan display (pre-war) (Source: Fergus Anckorn) While recuperating, Anckorn learned to compensate for his shattered left kne...

The first of four blogs telling the incredible wartime experiences of Fergus Anckorn, an amateur magician who used magic to survive captivity and slavery as a POW in the Far East during World War Two. Learning magic Born in late 1918, at the close of World War One, Fergus Anckorn started learning magic from an early age. He performed his first paid show aged seven. As a teenager, he befriended magician Major Lionel Branson, a major in the Indian Army who lived nearby. When Branson became vice-president of The Magic Circle (a British-based magic society), he encouraged Anckorn to join, which he did in 1937. At age 18, Anckorn became the youngest member of The Magic Circle (and years later became its oldest practising member). Becoming a magician-soldier When war was declared in 1939, the authorities conscripted 21-year-old Anckorn into the British Army. After completing recruit and specialist training, he was assigned to the 118th Field Regiment Royal Artillery. The 118th was tasked wit...