These are some memories of Coco and his wife Valentina who came to live next door to us in 1970.

In 1970 Coco’s youngest daughter Tamara, her husband Ali and their daughters, Susu, Mina and Zayna, moved into the bungalow next door to us. Ali and Tamara had a circus act with Moroccan Tumblers. A few months later I was working at my drawing board in the room which overlooked the bungalow, and  I was rather surprised to see a large caravan, typical to circuses, being moved into the garden. Both properties have large gardens. Within a matter of a couple of hours, the caravan was surrounded by pots of plants together with a patio table and chairs. It looked as if it had been there for years. The next day Tamara called to tell us that her mother and father had moved into the garden in their caravan. We were later introduced to Coco and Valentina, better known as Momma Coco. Tamara told us that they had been advised that they had to move from their site at Olympia Underground station as it was to be developed  Coco was unhappy about this as Olympia had been part of his life for many years with Bertram Mill’s Circus. However, Tamara convinced them to move to Woodnewton. This was the start of a friendship with Coco’s family which has lasted for many years.

During the time that Coco and Momma lived next door I would spend time away on work related projects, but I was always at home at the weekend. Some Saturdays Coco would ask me to drive him in his car to some pub for a drink and on other Saturdays he would invite me around for a drink. Obviously when we went out for a drink he would be dressed in his normal clothes. He would inevitably end up talking to people in the pub. As the conversations progressed I would say to the person or persons involved, “Do you know who this is?” On telling them that he was Coco the Clown, he would beam with delight.  On several occasions he would wind up buying virtually everyone in the pub a drink.

The Saturday evenings were somewhat different in that we would sit and talk. He would relate many stories of his life in the circus. One evening Coco got onto the subject of strikes and the disruption prevalent at the time. He had been naturalised as British of which he was fiercely proud. He considered the people causing the disruption did not know just how lucky they were to live in a country like Britain. He then went on to tell me how as a young man he had fought another guy in the street over a sack of rotten potatoes. I suddenly realised that I was talking with someone who had lived through the Russian revolution.

On another occasion he told me of his courting of Valentina (Momma Coco). He had seen this young woman a number of times but had never had the chance to speak with her. At that time he was with a circus performing at a local theatre. Circuses in Russia mainly performed in Theatres. He did a trapeze act and was busy practicing a routine which involved him hanging upside down with his legs gripping the trapeze side bars. Then with the swing of the trapeze at its highest point his legs would release and his feet catch the bar of the trapeze. You may have seen this performed at the circus or on TV. On learning one night that Valentina was in the audience he decided to do his new routine in the hope of impressing her. As he swung out high over the audience he let go with his legs as he had often practiced. At the top of the swing his feet caught the bar but as it swung back his one foot left the bar so that he was hanging by one leg. As he arrived over the orchestra pit his other foot came off the bar and he disappeared with a loud crash into the orchestra pit. He landed on top of the bass player smashing the double bass into bits. The bass player had broken Coco’s fall but sadly the bass player was taken to hospital with several broken bones.

He told me of many stories which are recorded in the books he has written. Getting married to Valentina after which he was forced to join the army and the subsequent smuggling of Valentina into the army as a cook. On joining Bertram Mill’s Circus and coming to England he was taken to a café where for the first 6 weeks he lived on Fish & Chips. On further visits they again served him Fish & Chips because did not speak any English. Finally he took the waitress and pointed to a plate of roast beef which someone was eating at another table, making it clear he wanted that.

Our two sons Carl and Philip thought it just great to have a circus troupe next door particularly when they practiced their routines. They became great pals with Coco and being sponsored by Esso for his work with The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) he gave them many items he had to distribute to children. Philip (or Dillon as he is known) still has many of these. He also has a large collection of memorabilia of Coco.

In the early 1970’s a number of people in the village were exploring the possibility of creating a playing field on part of the allotments. This was because the existing playing field had been sold for development, now Lindsey Close. A Playing Field Committee had been formed and had access to some money which had been raised at the end of WW2. Coco was keen to make a contribution and decided to ask Esso for a donation, which was successful. The area where the swings etc are located today was identified, permission obtained from Lord Brassey, equipment ordered from Wicksteed and the Playing Field Committee, with helpers, installed the equipment.

Over a number of years the playing field has expanded to what it is today. Then in 1988 a group came together to seek the possibility of building a village hall. The discussions revolved around the task of fund raising. By coincidence Helen Rowland the eldest daughter of Coco, who lived in Woodnewton, was visited by ‘Mr Woo the Clown’ from Clowns International for an interview. She mentioned that a group in the village were fund raising to build a village hall. He offered to ask members of Clowns International if they would help in view of the connection of Coco to the village. They enthusiastically agreed and so Clown Fest was created. Three Clown Fest events were eventually held; the first in 1990 followed by 1992. There was a third Clown Fest in 1994. Several other fund raising events were held, the most memorable of these being the Summer Show held at the Stahl Theatre in Oundle. Together with donations from various organisations including the local councils the amount raised enabled a village hall to be built that we can all be proud of and a tribute to the life of Coco the Clown. On completion of the building work, Norman Wisdom as Vice President of Clowns International, agreed to open the village hall on Saturday, 17^th  October 1992.

We perhaps look at the facility to show films in the village hall as something original in the village, but it is not. Coco wanting to repay some of the hospitality of the village arranged to have a film show in the Methodist Chapel, now The Pottery. Coco had all the necessary equipment and films and so invited everyone to the film show which was to be “The Robe.” The evening was a tremendous success, Momma distributing ice creams during the interval. Therefore Coco arranged for another film show, this time it was to be one of his favourites, the Marx Brothers. The film got underway and I was standing at the back with Coco by the projector. About 30 minutes into the film I happened to look over my shoulder and saw to my horror the film piling up on the floor. My initial reaction was to have a Mr Jones the Butcher moment of “Don’t Panic” but I tapped Coco on the shoulder and pointed to the film. After a short interval while Coco and I wound the film onto the take-up spool, the film continued much to the delight of the audience, who in the meantime had been catching up on the latest village gossip.

Finally I remember him going on tour with Robert Brothers Circus in 1974 and returning home unwell and having to be taken to Peterborough hospital where he later died. Even though I had only known him for just a short time I felt I had lost a good friend and neighbour. To him the important thing was that throughout his life and right to the very end he had entertained people and made them laugh.

There are three members of the family buried in the Churchyard; Coco, his wife Valentina, and Helen Rowlands, their eldest daughter.

Trevor Danks, 2018