My name is Yuri. I was born into an established circus family.
The Gridneffs. Our family's story started
in the town of Blagoveshensk on the Amur River in Siberia.
This river formed the border with China.
My father Mischa was one of four brothers that started performing in a small circus
run by their father, Simon. He was a blacksmith and used to show
horses in his backyard.
As the boys grew up, they would display the acrobatic skills
and form human pyramids, alongside the horse show.
Little did they know this time, how these early performances
would set them off, not just into a career,
but into an ever-expanding circus family.
In the cold Siberian winters, the river Amur would freeze over.
The Gridneff boys would walk across the river to work in China
and travelled to distant Harbin, the city of Ice sculptures.
Sadly, Victor, one of the brothers died of cholera but Misha and my uncle's
Kenna and Dimitri were able to recruit a new brother, in the form of George.
He was apprentice to another act but had been ill-treated.
Misha contacted his mother and adopted him as the fourth brother.
It was on one of their trips to Harbin that they had an offer
to join Isakos Grand Russian Circus.
That circus toured the Far East including Japan, Philippines, India,
Singapore, Ceylon and Thailand.
On this show in China they met the Hermann Family-musical clowns from Russia.
There were two young sisters who the boys befriended.
One was Rosa and the other was Lydia.
They had left Russia with the Herman's in 1917,
when they were only toddlers. Born straight into a life on road.
Having survived the massive earthquake in Kyoto Japan in 1923
the girls were soon part of the act.
Rosa first met Mischa, her future husband in Harbin
when she was just 13 in 1928 and Misha was 28, and then again in Ceylon.
Once again, they went to different engagements
the Herman's to India, the Gridneffs to South Africa.
But love in the air for the two older brothers,
while they were in Ceylon, Dimitri met Bertha, a Russian Acrobat and married.
Later they had a son they called Igor who joined the act in 1946.
Bertha's inclusion meant that their act with Pagel's Circus
was now five handed. They toured with Pagels for five years
from 1931 to 1936. During this tour Kenya married Eva
a bareback rider from New Zealand.
An agent from the UK saw the Gridneff's act and booked them into,
The Tower Circus, Blackpool for Easter 1938.
They followed this with various variety dates
with Gracie Fields at the Hippodrome Brighton.
Max Wall at the Metropolitan Edgeware Road
and a performance at the London Palladium
with none other than George Formby and the two Leslie's.
Later in the year they travelled to the famous Winter Gardens in Berlin
and the Tivoli Copenhagen on their way home.
In the winter they were at the Royal Agricultural Hall Islington
for the 1938 Christmas show. My father Mischa had met Rosa again
and they were married. I was born two months after
they returned from Germany in December 1938.
1939 was last summer before World War two and was
spent at the Hippodrome Circus, Great Yarmouth.
The season was curtailed due to the threat of war
However, Blackpool Circus continued to operate throughout the war years,
as so many Airmen were billeted in the town.
As the ladder act had proved popular in 1938,
they returned for the 1940 season.
Although I was very young, I can recall that year's water finale.
It featured under water swimmers powering model battleships firing at each other.
This was to celebrate the victory over the German pocket battleship Graf Spee
which was scuttled in the river plate outside Monte Video Uruguay.
In 1941 they were booked again with their trapeze The Flying Devils.
For the 1944, Golden Jubilee season
they appeared again with The Amazing Gridneffs
and Jix Jax and Max with their comedy bar act.
This was a comedy acrobatic act where
the boys dressed up as schoolchildren, two boys and a girl.
1945 to 1949 was spent with Chipperfield Circus.
The first year it was called a Great Caucasian Circus
and was a joint venture with the Sandow family.
From 46 it was just the Chipperfields and the Griddneff families
providing the acts, with the clowning by
Fiery Jack and the Austins. After the season they joined a
show called 'All the Fun of the Fair'
starring a new upcoming comedian Norman Wisdom.
They toured for eight weeks as a pre London run
with the intention of opening at St Martin's Lane Theatre.
Unfortunately, the sponsor 'Slazenger' did not think
Norman was a big enough name for the London stage,
so they cancelled the show.
A very short time later, with the same material
he used in the show, he became a very big name.
1950 now and the Gridneffs were with Wilkies circus in New Brighton,
a wonderful show with numerous famous acts,
including the Fratellini Brothers and the Clarens from France.
In 1951 they spent their last ever engagement with Radio circus in France,
touring the country for 11 months mainly one-night stands,
maximum four in any one place.
This was a novel combination of circus and variety
the first half featured the Gruss Family Circus
with guest acts including the Gridneffs.
In the second half late in the evening,
a lorry was backed into the ring and developed into a stage.
This show was broadcast on Radio Luxembourg and
starred 'Zappy Max' a well-known celebrity.
He presented a talent show which was sponsored by Dop shampoo.
After this season, the Gridneffs retired
however, my parents and I worked on becoming The Three Grifneffs
and Igor Gridneff went on to do a solo ladder act.
George had left the act after the war married Lydia
and there act continued as George and Lydia very successfully,
even appearing on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1958.
So the Gridneffs were to carry on through to the 60s.
My wife Tonya and I continue to spread the joy of the circus
as we now run Blackpool Circus School.....
but, that's another story.