Magic at War

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...

In Part Two of this blog about magician Danny Varney and the Hackney Empire, read about air-raids at the Empire and Varney’s encounters with Hitler’s V-weapons.  Danny Varney (Source: www.arthurlloyd.co.uk) Air-raids   Living in London, Danny Varney faced the dangers of German air-raids, even after the major period of bombings, known as the Blitz, ended. In 1943, he was watching a tightrope act on stage at the Hackney Empire. “The alert had sounded, but I didn't see anybody pay it any attention. Nobody left their seat. Ack Ack  [anti-aircraft]  guns were heard cracking away in the distance, but nobody bothered, we all took the chance somebody else would cop it. The performer was doing a difficult part of his routine and nearly fallen a couple of times - but always recovered - of course to build up tension. Then literally all hell broke loose! It seemed as if every gun in London had opened up on the Jerry  [German]  plane right overhead. It was a deafen...