Charles Godfrey

Charles Godfrey (born Paul Lacey, 26 April 1854 – May 1900), was an English music hall entertainer, described by Henry Chance Newton as "one of the most phenomenally successful artistes ever seen in the British music halls".

Biography Born in Southwark, he was a waiter at the Surrey Theatre before becoming a stage actor in melodramas. Chance Newton said that "Godfrey's vigorous acting of the neglected old soldier... raised vast audiences to an almost incredible pitch of enthusiasm...". Historian Jeffrey Richards says that "the appeal of the sketch was the classic combination of melodrama, sentimentality and patriotism." Godfrey continued to perform the sketch to audiences around the country through the 1880s. Somewhat in contrast was his patriotic 1893 monologue "Fighting with the Seventh Royal Fusiliers", written by Le Brunn with words by Wal Pink recounting an incident supposed to have happened at the Battle of Inkerman. According to General Sir Ian Hamilton, the song generated "an overwhelming rush of recruits" such that "recruiting for the regiment had to be closed for a year." while undertaking a tour of theatres in the Birmingham area. His wife had predeceased him, dying in Melbourne, Australia, when he was touring there.