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Original Text (Annotation: WAW049624 / 1436393)
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Appearing at The Pavilion: The artiste who donned drag and lived and worked as a female was Ronald Victor Kimberley, (1918-1993) AKA Bobbie Kimber, who made his debut as a ventriloquist in 1935. He first appeared in drag act during a concert party season at Weston Super Mare in 1937 with his dummy Augustus Peabody and in London for the first time as a woman ventriloquist at the Prince of Wales Theatre in 1939. After army service he grew his hair long and few knew he was a man. He appeared as an Ugly Sister in Cinderella at The Adelphi Theatre in 1945.
Bobbie Kimber was very successful, he did a number of seasons in London's main theatres. He was the first femme mimic to appear on the Royal Variety Show in 1947. He appeared on TV and was heard on radio. He was married and a father. The real surprise was not revealed unto 1952. He said: “I fooled many people including Hannen Swaffer, who wrote me up as a woman on many occasions and snubbed me when we finally met whilst I was on the bill at the London Palladium with Danny Kaye. James Agate also made the same mistake.”
He came out of retirement for the B.M.H.S Cavalcade of Drag, or Nights of Gladness in April 1969.
Kimber had married and had a daughter. He was an accomplished miniature painter. '
