Frankie and Veronica Bailey, 'The Cricks', Winships Minicircus, Queens Hall, Leeds, 1971.
Frankie (Spinney) Bailey was a ringmaster, clown, fire-eater, trapeze artist, horse-trainer, and comedy dog act trainer. He was still working in the entertainment business up until his death in 1992. Veronica (Trixie) Bailey was, early on in her career, the only British female clown, calling herself Trixie the lady clown. She died earlier this year. Their son Trevor Bailey, (Jojo the clown), has his own comedy clowning act called 'The Cricks'. He and his partner nearly blew themselves to bits when experimenting with the explosive powder for their comedy car performance. They didn't realise that the new powder was over 100 times stronger than their normal mixture, but they soon discovered their oversight when the bonnet of the car hit the roof of the big top, and the ring was scattered with debris.
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