Remembering Felixstowe theatre manager Wallace Croft

The reason for that is that some of the biggest names of the day would be drawn to Felixstowe thanks to the vision of one man, Wallace Croft.

Wallace was born in Lowestoft to James and Marjorie on August 13, 1933. Wallace, who was always known as Wally, was the elder of two boys, with his younger brother Rob completing the family of four.

Wallace spent almost his whole childhood in Suffolk, apart from the war years when he was evacuated to Herefordshire.

Wally studied hard and attended grammar school in Herefordshire, completing his studies back in Suffolk after the war ended.

He had a keen interest in history, and would have loved to study the subject at university.

However, in those days you needed a language to be accepted into higher education, and as he had not passed French, university was out of the question.

Instead, Wally discovered something else that would come to shape his whole life – the theatre.

Wallace spent his whole working life in the theatre, earning him the nickname of 'Mr Entertainment'. (Image: Wendy Croft)

Having left school at 16, Wally worked a few temporary jobs before finding a position at the Sparrows Nest in Lowestoft, soon becoming the theatre’s deputy assistant.

In a nutshell, his task was to make sure the show ran smoothly every night, ensuring that everyone had exactly what they needed, from the leading lady down to the ticket office to the boys and girls selling ice creams during the interval. It was always his attitude that everyone was equally important, and he treated everyone who worked for him with great respect, winning their loyalty in turn.

Wally took his job seriously, and soon made a name for himself, for he was offered the position of entertainment officer in Felixstowe in 1962.

By this time, Wally had married his first wife, Pat, who he had met at school. They moved the 60 miles south with their eldest daughter, Jackie, with their younger daughter, Wendy, arriving the following year.

It was in Felixstowe that Wally earned the title of Mr Entertainment. He was in charge of the Spa Pavilion and the Pier Pavilion, the site of which is now occupied by Felixstowe Leisure Centre.

From our archives: Footballer-turned comedian Charlie Williams and Wally Croft at the Spa Pavilion, August 1983. (Image: Archant Archive)

Wally was determined to put Felixstowe on the map, making both theatres thriving, vibrant venues which stars would want to book and local people would want to visit. At this time, there was also a daily ferry from Holland and Belgium. Wally visited both places, trying to promote tourism to Felixstowe.

He also set about securing some of the biggest names of the day.

Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson, Jimmy Tarbuck, and Ken Dodd and were just a few stars who Wally booked to come to Felixstowe. He even booked a young Lenny Henry, who was just starting out on his comedy career.

Morecambe and Wise, though, “remained the ones that got away”, much to Wally’s chagrin.

While it was undoubtedly stressful at times, the theatre life was also tremendous fun, said Wally’s younger daughter, Wendy.

“I spent my whole childhood there, whether it was picking up the ice cream cartons or being six years old and Dad saying, you need to laugh loudly because there aren’t so many people here tonight!” Wendy remembered.

On one memorable night, the crew were on strike, and so Wally tasked his two daughters with manning the spotlight for that night’s performance, much to their delight.

Wally and Hilary down at Felixstowe seafront. In his later years, Wally loved to watch the boats through his telescope. (Image: Wendy Croft) Wally Croft, right, and his wife Hilary, left. Between them, a tourism officer Wally met during his travels in Belgium. (Image: Wendy Croft) Wally was known for his great sense of humour. (Image: Wendy Croft)

By this time, Wally and Pat had separated and he had married Hilary, becoming a stepfather to her two children, Lindsey and Andrew.

Wally and Hilary enjoyed many happy years together and would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year.

Like Wally's daughters, Hilary could often be found at the Spa Pavilion, spending time with Wally and helping him make sure that the show ran without a hiccup every night.

After Wally took early retirement in 1987, the couple had time to enjoy travelling together, spending weeks at a time in the south of France and Fuerteventura. Wally also taught tourism at colleges around Suffolk for a few years.

However, he was never happier than at home in their apartment overlooking Hamilton Gardens, where they could see the sea from every window, with Wally watching the boats through his telescope.

Wally died at the age of 90 on August 2, with his family around him. He is survived by Hilary, their children, three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Wally's funeral will be held at Seven Hills Crematorium on Wednesday, August 28 at 12.45pm.

If you remember Wally Croft and would like to leave a tribute or make a donation in his memory to the RNLI, visit: www.wallacecroft.muchloved.com