PAT COLLINS 'KING OF SHOWMEN'

Pat Collins was the son of John Collins and Norah Collins nee (Mc'Dermott) of Ireland.
He was born at Boughton Heath, Chester in 1859 and was one of five children.
Pat was educated at St Werburgh's School and it seemed that Pat did very well in the time that he was there. Family life often made Pat miss school as his presence was often needed elsewhere.
It is told that Pat's mother was a great influence to Pat's learning...

The time came when Pat was at the the age of ten, when education did finally take a back seat and at this age Pat started travelling fairs with his family as they acquired a steam yacht to line up of just one roundabout.
The yacht was capable of carrying twenty people and the rides were pulled from fair to fair around the Cheshire, Lancashire and Shropshire areas by ponies.
It is reported that Pat bought a roundabout off his father for 80 pounds, although this is not well documented...

At the age of 22 Pat Collins married Flora McDonald Ross on the 20th July 1880 in Liverpool at St Peter's church. Flora was 21 years old and came from Wrexham. Flora and her family were not connected to fairground life but she quickly learned the trade and was able to help Pat with the business.

In the early 1880's the Collins family along with the partners decided to part ways, each of the family locating themselves at key points in and around the Midlands area.

Pat and Flora made their way to Walsall in 1882, while still only in there second year of wedlock they pulled onto Shaws Leasow in the Birchills area of town, owning a juvenile ride and a pony to pull it around town. Walsall this year was claimed to be Pat's new home...

As Pat's empire started to grow so did his family and in 1886 on the 7th March Pat gained a son he was named "Patrick Ross Collins" and was later known as "Young Pat" .
The same year Pat bought a set of three gallopers from Savages of Kings Lynn.
From 1887 to the 1900's Pat built up quite a condsiderable fair and it is said that in the late 1890's Pat made the change to electricity to power and light his rides some people say if Pat wasn't the first to use electric power then he was one of the first few to start the new trend as we know today.

As rides got larger so did the weight of these mighty machines, so the occasion came for a steam locomotive. Pat named it "The Emperor" and others followed, having such transport and using electric for power. This showed how well Pat was doing in the art of putting a good gaff (fair) on and taking into account that Pat was only still a tenant and not a lessee.

In 1892 Pat was able to run four seperate gaffs and then able to call himself a lessee.
By the 1900's Pat had enough tackle (equipment) to split up into individual fairs or (runs) over the next few years the empire got bigger and stronger with Pat overlooking the whole business.

As the fairs went from strength to strength Pat found himself battling for a seat on the local council and after numerous failures, on the 29th April 1918 Pat was elected councillor of the Birchills ward.
During this time Pat was named tenant of Lime Tree House Bloxwich, but was not able to own it until 1926 and was still using Shaw St as the depot until the transfer was completed in 1933.

The year 1922 saw Pat's political venture into parliment as MP for Walsall, this went on for two years and throughout the rest of the 20's Pat comitted himself to the political cause.

The 1930's was a busy time for the Collins family with the fair peaking at its best ever, due to good tenants and managers overlooked by Pat.

In the November of 1930, Pat found himself giving his grandaughter Margaret Collins away to marry Elias Harris son of tenants Elias and Emellia Harris of the southern counties and the connection began between the two great families, although sadly Margaret died in 1934.
That wasn't the only death, the year before Mrs Flora Collins died at Limetree House and a sad time hung over the family as she was missed by ALL the fair community and members of the council.

Pat was now in his late 70's, but at the young age of 75 Pat went down the aisle again to marry Clara Collins who was adopted from a young age to the Collins family along with her brother. The wedding took place on the 22nd Jan 1935.

In 1938 alderman Pat Collins was to become mayor of Walsall, already serving 18yrs as councillor and MP, he became mayor on 9th November and on the 7th November 1939 Pat was given the freedom of Walsall which was a great honour for Pat and his love of Walsall town.

Coming to the end of this story Pat Collins and his family achieved many things that I couldn't fit onto this page.
I'll finish by saying Pat Collins died at the tender age of 84 in the arms of his beloved wife Clara on the 9th December 1943 his last words to Clara were " Keep the flag flying" , as he would have wanted all the equipment to remain in pristine condition and the well presented fairs to continue.

When Clara died on the 7th September 1962 the same words were spoken to the managers.

Pat Collins Funfairs went on under the control of the family until 1983 when Mr Anthony D Harris son of Elias Harris took over full control at Rowley Regis in the Midlands. The take over comprised of a set of dogdems, a run of fairs and the name " PAT COLLINS FUNFAIRS".

The funfair today is a grand example of what Pat would have been proud of with well maintained eqiupment and transport showing Anthony Harris' flare and grandeur as a great showman.............

Compiled by Rob Saxon
Site Owner