Jack Henry

Jack Henry was cousin to Sid and Harry Brown, and from the early days with Charlotte Brown, until his death in 1985, he acted as Joyland’s General Manager. He would do anything that needed doing, supporting Sid and Harry, who called him ‘Uncle Jack’.

Jack’s main role was to look after the big rides. For example, he would take responsibility for the welding of poles on the Dodgem cars, which constantly needed re-attaching, as the gaff lads who collected the money always stood on the back of the cars and hung onto the pole, which would bend and eventually break. He would also look after the two juvenile rides at each end of the arcade, along with the Chariot Racer ride in the open yard.

One of his habits was that he often used to disappear for long periods of time to have a look around the local market. Most people knew exactly where he had gone.

In later years, when Joyland was run by Peter and Robert Brown, his role was much more informal. He was past retirement age, but was still able to undertake many repairs, so was still a useful member of staff. He still took general responsibility for the rides owned by the Browns (i.e. the Dodgems, Ghost Train and juveniles).

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Joyland stalwart Jack Henry pictured in the late 1940s. Photograph: Peter and Linda Brown
 

Published by:
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© 2006

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