George Christopher Tollerton (1899-1966)

George Christopher TOLLERTON was born at 66 Brewery Hill, Grantham in August 1899 to Henry and Emma Tollerton (nee Batty). He was baptised at St John’s Church on 27^th August 1899.

George’s Father Henry was an upholsterer, possibly working for John Hall and Son in Market Place. Like all his family he was a strong Liberal and supporter of the working class at that time.

The family lived in Grantham until George was about 9/10 years old and then moved to Bournemouth where Emma ran a Boarding House.

On the 12th March 1913 they emigrated to New Zealand, travelling by train to Glasgow to board the 13,400 Ton Steamship” Niagara”.

The family lived in various addresses in Auckland for the rest of their lives, Henry being an upholsterer and French polisher while Emma was known as a Magnetic Healer/Herbalist. Henry died in 1938 and Emma in 1941.

George went to school in Auckland and aged 14 years he took and passed the Public Service Entrance examination at the Auckland Examination Centre,  planning to become a “Teacher”.

In 1925 he married Lillian Maude Jones, a State Registered Nurse.

From his marriage up to 1942 George can only be found working as a commercial traveller. In December that year his name appears on the Ballot for possible Call Up and Overseas Service.

George would have been too old (43years) for any use in the Armed Services. He did travel to Fiji but that might have been on business or a holiday.

From 1942 onward we find George is working as a Radio Announcer cum Radio Artist and this is where his ventriloquist act must have gone public.

New Zealand Radio 2ZG had a Character called “Jerry Jaxson”, whom was created by George Tollerton.

George had a show called “George Tollerton’s Magic Show” and this must have done the Music Hall rounds and appeared at the Dunedin University and the Opera House in Wellington, NZ so was popular all over .Magic on the Radio is not all that appealing!

However the Radio did have Jerry and a show called “Chuckles with Jerry” which ran twice a week at 10pm from 1938 to 1946. As it was Radio nobody could see Jerry who was smartly dressed in Royal New Zealand Air Force uniform and operated by George’s hands.

Archie Andrews and Peter Brough were on the Radio in UK but later than George and Jerry!

Who knows perhaps Peter Brough got the idea from George?

During his time as a Magician and Ventriloquist George wrote a few books on the subjects and one he apparently copied  from an American Ventriloquists book but called it his own.  He also had a business in Auckland called the “Tollerton School of Ventriloquism” where his books were sold.

After his first wife Lillian died in 1962 he was remarried to a Vera Jean.

George died on 28^th February1966 and was cremated; his ashes being buried in the Purewa Cemetery, a long way from his home town of Grantham.

Based on research by Peter Reichelt