Norman Wisdom

Norman Wisdom, the famous comedian, was a trumpeter in the 10th Hussars. He joined the regiment c1930 at the age of 15. The 10th sailed to India after after a posting to Cairo, arriving in Meerut in 1930. The regiment was still on horses at that time so Norman had to be proficient at riding as well as drum, trumpet and bugle. He played in the band and learned to play the clarinet as well. The 10th moved to Lucknow in 1932 and Norman was involved with sport. He became the flyweight boxing champion of the British Army in India. In 1934 he came 7th in the inter-regimental cross country run.
Norman Joseph Wisdom was born in London on 4 Feb 1915, one of two brothers to Fred and Maud Wisdom of Maida Vale, London. They were very poor and Fred Wisdom was violent to the rest of the family. For a period Norman was in a Children’s Home in Deal, Kent, but he ran away at the age of 11. He joined the Merchant Navy before joining the army. After service with the 10th Hussars, at the outbreak of WW2 he worked in the communications centre in a bunker in London. He met Winston Churchill several times. Later he joined the Royal Corps of Signals. While in the army he discovered that he was able to reduce an audience to hysterics by acting the clown. He was urged to go professional by Rex Harrison, by which time he was 31 years old.
His first film was Trouble in Store in 1953 and he went on to make successful films throughout the 50s and up until 1966 playing a clumsy, incompetent but loveable character. In The Square Peg (1959) his character has to undergo army training. His musical talents helped him to write and perform songs such as ‘Don’t Laugh at me ‘cause I’m a Fool’. He was offered TV work, most notably the Frank Spencer role in Some Mothers do ‘Ave ‘Em but turned it down because he didn’t think it was funny. He appeared in many of the Royal Command Performances, and in 2000 was awarded a knighthood. After receiving the award he walked away and did his fake trip-up routine which amused Her Majesty.
Norman Wisdom achieved fame in Albania where his films were the only Western films permitted in Enver Hoxha’s communist regime. His working class character ultimately triumphing over capitalist and aristocratic oppressors appealed to Eastern Bloc ideology. He was married twice, first in 1941 to Doreen Brett who had a son but this was from her affair with another man. They split up in 1946 and he married Freda Isobel Simpson in 1947. This lasted until 1969 after they had a son and daughter. Norman lived for many years in the Isle of Man. Although his film character was shy and likeable, in real life he had a bad reputation for bullying support actors and molesting females. Fenella Fielding said he was “not a very nice man.” Six months prior to his death he had a series of strokes and finally died on 4 Oct 2010 on the isle of Man.

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