BERKSHIRE'S GREATEST SHOWMAN: BILLY SMART

The thrills and spills of the sawdust ring may have changed but the spirit of circus lives on throughout the world. In Britain there is one name that still stands head and shoulders above all others in the world of the Big Top – Billy Smart, whose career began in Berkshire and he left a legacy here

- Bernard Bale

Billy Smart’s Circus still takes to the roads of Britain for special occasions, a tribute to the man whose name lives on in the wonderful world of circus, more than half a century after his death. When Billy was born – one of 23 children – in 1894, Lord George Sanger was the greatest showman of the day, a man who was himself from Berkshire, having been born in Newbury.

The Smart family used to attend fairs in and around London. By the time he was 15, Billy was operating one of his father’s roundabouts, taking it over at a fair in Slough and thus, his love affair with Berkshire began. He married Nelly in 1925 and they went on to have 10 children of their own.

During those early days though, Billy found life to be a financial rollercoaster ride. He was helped out by a showman friend who was also to make an indelible mark in the world of entertainment – Billy Butlin.

He turned the corner eventually and Billy Smart became the operator of the biggest travelling fairground in Britain. In 1939 his fair was at Olympia for the Christmas season in support of Bertram Mills Circus. It was a success and a seed was planted.

When World War Two ended, sport and entertainment boomed and Billy timed his move into circus with perfection. He bought a second-hand Big Top, gathered some quality acts together and took Billy Smart’s Circus on the road.