Fred V. Merrick(1899-1983)

Fred V. Merrick was born in Fulham, London, England, the younger son of William Clarence Folkard, an inspecting engineer and Sarah Anna Seward Folkard (formerly Pearce). Like his older brother Maurice Elvey (William Seward Folkard) he was stage struck at an early age and for a time was a very junior member of the Bing Boys, playing the part of The MP in the Bing Boys are Here in 1917 when he was 18 years old. Whilst his career in films was mainly with Maurice Elvey, he also worked Henry Edwards, Robert Milton, George A Cooper, Redd Davis and Leslie Hiscott. Julius Hagen produced a number of the films on which he worked. He also played cameo roles in a number of the films he worked on including High Treason and the Man in the Mirror. From the late 1930's until the end of World War Two he concentrated on British Music Hall working in many well known theatres throughout the UK. As well as a comic double act with Jim Jessiman, he also had his own comedy and magic routines. For a time he worked with Owen McGivney the (at the time) world's fastest quick change artist. He appeared on the same bill as such famous names as Billy Bennett, Sandy Powell, Hylda Baker, Wilson, Kepple and Betty and others. He continued entertaining people with his comic routines and magic tricks until his late 70s, when his health began to fail. He was married once to Frances Louise Stevens on 5th September 1922, but after that failed he lived until her death with Eileen Hamilton by whom he had two children - Valerie Anne and Martin Frederick Seward Folkard.