Dates

• Existence: 1881 - 1944

Biography

Harry Cameron (1881-1944) aka The Great Carmo, was a multifaceted performer, magician and circus proprietor.

Harry was born in Melbourne, Australia on 8 November 1881, to Scottish emigrant parents. He developed a love for show business at a young age and started to develop his own act in juggling, balance and strongman routines.

After leaving school at fourteen, Harry took on various jobs while also practicing as a performer. His first full time job as a performer was a year long contract travelling with a Minstrel show. He later worked with Rowley’s Waxworks and Varieties and Ashton’s Circus. Eventually, he developed an act that combined juggling, feats of strength, quick-changes and impressions.

In 1903 Harry married his stage assistant, Nellie Lloyd, and they formed The Carmos. In 1907 they travelled to England with Professor George Heller’s show, where they settled down. They travelled a successful act around the English, French and American music hall and variety scene. Harry soon started to add magic tricks to his act and in 1911 he produced Carmo, The Master Phantasist act, a mixture of magic, equilibriums, juggling, acrobatics, tableaux and other features.

Nellie and Harry who had been separated since 1911, divorced in 1913 and Harry remarried performer Rose Pemberton aka Alma May. Harry continued developing his magic show, which included a menagerie of animals including a tiger, an elephant, a leopard, horses, snakes and a lion, while Alma took care of the business and the finances. By this time Harry was travelling his own show and troupe of performers as The Great Carmo.

In 1927 after Alma’s death, Harry set up his own travelling circus, which opened at Balmoral Gardens in Belfast the following year and at Olympia next to Bertram Mills during that season. Bertram Mills and Carmo’s Circus worked in partnership after that to launch Bertram Mills’ travelling circus together, which they did under The Great Camo’s Circus in 1929. Harry stopped traveling his circus the following year and retuned to his magic show but returned to the circus that winter with Carmo’s Colossal Circus.

In 1935, Harry started travelling a sideshow around the British fairgrounds with Tom Norman, while still travelling the now declining variety scene. In 1936 he created the Stott-Carmo Circus, but this venture was short lived as he finally abandoned his circus dreams in 1937. In 1938, Carmo had a small show at the Glasgow Empire Exhibition and the following year he returned to the fairground with Pat Collins.

During the Second World War Carmo and his partner Rita joined ENSA and entertained the forces with a magic revue titled Hey Preston.

In 1943 Harry married Rita Rogers, who by them had been part of his troupe and his companion for many years. Harry died on 1 August 1944.

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