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Cyril Biddulph

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Cyril Biddulph (28 January 1887 – 26 August 1918) was a Canadian stage actor who frequently performed in the United States.

Life

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Cyril Biddulph was born 28 January 1887 on the British military base Curragh Camp in County Kildare, Ireland.[1] In the 1901 United Kingdom census Biddulph is listed as a steward on the British vessel Langton Grange, which was at port at the West India Docks in London at the time of the census.[2] Later Biddulph moved to New York City where he found employment as an actor. He appeared in numerous productions across the United States in the early 1910s, including performances on Broadway and at the National Theatre in Washington, D.C. His last appearance on stage in the United States was in the fall of 1914, months after the First World War began.

Cyril Biddulph (left) and William Welsh (right) from photo on page 24 of Harper’s Weekly, April 30, 1910 Vol 54 Iss 2784.

Biddulph returned to Canada and on 7 December 1915 he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force.[1][3] His original unit was the 5th University Company, but on 16 September 1916 he joined Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry regiment based out of eastern Ontario as a private. On 29 December 1916 he was commissioned as a lieutenant.[3][4][5] On 26 August 1918 Biddulph was killed leading his battalion into action in Pas-de-Calais near the communes of Vis-en-Artois and Haucourt.[4][5][3] The next day Vis-en-Artois and Haucourt were taken by the Canadians.[6] Biddulph was buried in the Vis-en-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt in plot VI. A. 12.[3][6]

Photo of Cyril Biddulph's wife, Cissie Sewell, and Mercer Templeton in 1920 production of Honey Girl.

Biddulph was married to Broadway actress Cissie Sewell.[4][5] In 1920, when fire broke out in the Boston hotel where she was staying, she delayed her evacuation until she rescued a photograph of her late husband, "disregard[ing] her valuable jewels, clothing and bonds".[7] Ellis Island immigration records state that Sewell remained an unmarried widow through at least 1923.[8][9]

Partial list of stage performances

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Personnel Records of the First World War: Biddulph, Cyril". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  2. ^ Class: RG13; Piece: 358; Folio: 254; Census Returns of England and Wales, 1901. Kew, Surrey, England: The National Archives, 1901. Ancestry.com. 1901 England Census [database on-line]. Provo, Utah, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005.
  3. ^ a b c d "Lieutenant Cyril Biddulph". canadiangreatwarproject.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "Lieut. Biddulph, Actor, Killed in War". The New York Times. 4 October 1918. p. 11 – via ProQuest.
  5. ^ a b c "Casualty Details: Biddulph, Cyril C." CWGC. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  6. ^ a b "Vis-En-Artois British Cemetery, Haucourt". CWGC. Retrieved 1 July 2007.
  7. ^ "Blaze on the Roof of the Hotel Westminster". The Boston Globe. 11 March 1920. p. 1.
  8. ^ Name Search. The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundations, Inc.
  9. ^ Cissie S. Biddulph 1923 immigration record The Statue of Liberty – Ellis Island Foundations, Inc.
  10. ^ "Evidence". IBDB. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
  11. ^ "The Great Adventure". IBDB. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  12. ^ "Early Broadway, Theatre and Vaudeville Programs". Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
  13. ^ "Uncle Sam". IBDB. Retrieved 17 June 2007.
  14. ^ "Past Shows on the Mainstage of the National Theatre – 1900–1924". The National Theatre. Archived from the original on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2007.
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