Water Rat Number: 759 Initiated into the Order: 22 November 1987 Proposer: Johnnie Riscoe Seconder: Jerry Stevens
Frank Carson was a much-loved Northern Irish comedian and entertainer whose energetic delivery, rapid-fire jokes and unmistakable Belfast accent made him one of the most recognisable personalities in British light entertainment.
Born Hugh Francis Carson in Belfast on 6 November 1926, he grew up in the city’s St Patrick’s district, an area then widely known as “Little Italy”. His family had Italian roots, with his grandmother coming from Sicily, and as a boy he sang in the choir at St Patrick’s Church in Donegall Street. After leaving school at 14, he worked first as an apprentice electrician and later as a plasterer.
At the age of 18, Frank volunteered for the airborne forces and trained as a paratrooper at RAF Ringway. He served with the 3rd Parachute Battalion in Palestine and was involved in clearing the aftermath of the King David Hotel bombing in Jerusalem. During his service, he completed around 40 parachute jumps.
Frank began performing in pubs and clubs while continuing to work in the building trade. He became a familiar entertainer on Northern Irish television before moving to England during the 1960s. Appearances on The Good Old Days brought him to a wider audience, but his major breakthrough came when he won the television talent show Opportunity Knocks.
His success led to a regular place on the hugely popular television series The Comedians. The programme’s quick-fire format was perfectly suited to Frank’s seemingly endless supply of jokes, and he quickly became one of its best-known stars. His catchphrases, “It’s a cracker!” and “It’s the way I tell ’em!”, became firmly established in British popular culture.
Frank also appeared on The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club and became a popular regular on the anarchic children’s programme Tiswas. He continued to perform in clubs, theatres, summer seasons, pantomimes and cabaret engagements throughout Britain and overseas.
Even after undergoing heart surgery in 1976 and being advised to retire, Frank returned to work and continued entertaining audiences for many more years. He also appeared in the Royal Variety Performances of 1986 and 1993, sharing the bill with many of the greatest names in British and international entertainment.
Away from the stage, Frank was deeply committed to charitable work. He gave his time and support to hospitals, hospices, children’s causes and community projects in Britain and Ireland. Among the many organisations he supported were the Royal Liverpool Children’s Hospital and the integrated education campaign in Northern Ireland.
Frank was always willing to use his fame to raise money, support new ideas or help open doors for worthy causes. His generosity and commitment to helping others became as important a part of his life as his work in entertainment.
In recognition of his extensive charitable service, Pope John Paul II appointed Frank a Knight of the Order of St Gregory the Great in 1987. It was an honour of which he remained immensely proud and reflected the generous and compassionate man behind the larger-than-life comedy persona.
Frank was initiated into the Grand Order of Water Rats on 22 November 1987 as Water Rat Number 759. He was proposed by Johnnie Riscoe and seconded by Jerry Stevens, joining the Order during one of the most successful periods of his long entertainment career.
Frank Carson died at his home in Blackpool on 22 February 2012, aged 85. He was survived by his wife, Ruth, their children Majella, Tony and Aidan, and their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
His funeral was held at St Patrick’s Church in Belfast, where he had once been a choirboy and where he and Ruth had married more than 60 years earlier.
Frank is remembered as an irrepressible entertainer, a generous charity worker and a proud Water Rat. His warmth, enthusiasm and extraordinary ability to produce a joke for every occasion ensured that, with Frank, it truly was “the way he told ’em.”
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