The Dumbells | genealogyhistory

The Dumbells

Richard William Morris (Oct. 30, 1896 - ) was born in Harbor Grace, Nfld. before moving to Oxford and then Pugwash Junction where he grew up. In later years he moved to Upper Middleboro while working in Amherst. He enlisted and was a combat infantryman in the 26th Battalion; he survived heavy fighting in Courcelette and Ypres.

Ross Hamilton (May 28, 1889 – Sept. 29, 1965) was born in Pugwash, the son of James Edward Hamilton and Bertha Cassidy. He grew up with his brother Hedley and sisters Margaret and Jean. He and William Morris were boyhood friends and school mates. By the time he enlisted for World War One, he was living in Montreal working as a clerk. He was recruited by the No. 9 Field Ambulance as a driver and held the rank of private on the battlefields of France.

Captain Merton Wesley Plunkett (Dec. 20, 1888 - 1966) was leading sing songs among the soldiers on the front when he heard Hamilton and recognized his talent. He asked that he be allowed to join him in a soon-to-be-formed company called The Dumbells. The group was named after the 3rd Canadian Division’s Insignia of crossed dumbbells. There were 8 original members, all pulled out of the battlefield.

The first show in August 1917 proved their worth. Starting on a makeshift stage of packing boxes, the soldier audience was not particularly looking forward to the show and actually threw things at the stage – until Ross Hamilton, who was in the role of a female impersonator called Marjorie, came on to sing in a falsetto soprano voice and won them over.

Although the entertainers were expected to return to active duty, they were considered vital to the morale of the Canadian troops and so became full-time. They were huge hits, writing humorous skits on everyday events in the soldiers' lives, poking fun at military discipline and the hardships of trench warfare. The orderly room, sick parade, muddy trenches, and the Commanding Officer's headquarters - no subject was immune from the Dumbells' saucy interpretation.

The Dumbells performed wherever the troops were. This meant they were constantly on the move across France, wherever Canadian forces were fighting, including the front lines and trenches. Among the properties and equipment they transported with them was their battered upright piano. Several strong soldiers would be assigned to tote the piano to the stage. The troupe members did everything from building a temporary stage, to unpacking and hanging the curtains (curtains of burlap), making costumes, and installing makeshift footlights.

In Aug. 1917, they played Vimy. On one occasion, a live German artillery shell rocketed across their stage, but fortunately did not explode. The sound of gunfire nearby was commonplace. Often, especially at the front, they performed under a marquee tent. And, when the fighting got tough, they doubled as stretcher bearers.

In 1918, they played a four-week engagement at the Coliseum in London. They also played for King Albert of Belgium.

They returned to Canada in 1919 and continued touring to packed houses. They played the Ambassador Theater in New York and became the first Canadian Broadway hit. The Barrymores and the Gish sisters, Mary Pickford, DW Griffith and Theda Bara all came backstage to congratulate them. In 1932, they disbanded.

On July 1, 1957, some of the cast played Pugwash. Ross Hamilton, Allen Murray, and Pat Rafferty came with others. Allen and Ross in a cabin at the back of the Pineo Wilson house and Pat Rafferty and the rest of the cast stayed on the Gulf in a house owned by Murray Smith.

Ross Hamilton retired to a cabin near Pleasant Valley, Colchester County after serving in the second world war. He is buried in Tatamagouche. Billy returned to Pugwash to retire after living all over Canada. At age 82, Billy Morris joined the Masons in Pugwash and sang in the St. Matthews United Church Choir. He lived out his old age in the Minto Hotel and then the East Cumberland Lodge entertaining visitors with stories of the Dumbells.