Whitstable Times and Herne Bay Herald 3 April 1926.

As a result of the election on Saturday there is only one change in the constitution of the Whitstable Urban District Council, Mr. Arthur Bertram Wilson taking the place of Mr. George Knowles, the latter losing his seat in the West Ward. Many will regret that Mr. Knowles did not secure re-election because he has proved himself an able Councillor and during his term of office has occupied the chair and in that capacity carried out the duties with considerable success.

But all is fair in love and war—and in elections, and the unexpected often happens. While regretting that Mr. Knowles did not obtain re-election, because we recognise he was an excellent Councillor, we welcome the election of Mr. Arthur Bertram Wilson as a man who ought to prove a most useful member of the Council. He has a vast business, experience and as a member of the Whitstable Horse Show Committee last year showed that he possesses enterprise and push, and these characteristics should stand him in good stead in helping to conduct the public affairs of the town.

Above photo showing Councillor Bertram and his niece Peggy, who is at college at St. Leonards.

It is interesting to recall that Mr. Arthur Bertram Wilson (who has always been known professionally as Arthur Bertram) has been in the theatrical business for forty years and that during that time he has managed nearly every West End theatre, including the Savoy, the Royalty, the Apollo, the Queen’s, the Garrick, the Lyric, the Kingsway, the Comedy, the Prince of Wales’, the Criterion, and the New. In 1897 he was lessee and manager of the old Strand Theatre and at one time had seven companies on tour under his direction. He has been business manager for Sir Johnstone Forbes-Robertson, Sir John Martin Harvey, Sir John Hare, the late Mr. H. H. Irving (for ten years), Mr. Arthur Bourchier, Mrs Patrick Campbell, Miss Marie Tempest, Miss Olga Nethersole, Mr. Browne Potter, Miss Elis Jeffreys, Miss Peggy O'Neill, the late Mr. Weedon Grossmith, and the late Sir Charles Hawtrey.

Born at Greenwich and thus a Kentish man our new Councillor at the age of seventeen dropped the name of Wilson, and his brothers and sisters who followed him on the stage have all taken the name of Bertram. By the name of Bertram he has been known for very many years, but in order to save any misunderstanding afterwards he naturally contested the election in his real name, that of Wilson. As there have been some questions asked respecting the names of Bertram and Wilson this explanation will no doubt satisfy the curiosity of some of the townspeople.

As the part author of several plays Mr. Bertram (we prefer to know him by his professional name) was reasonable for "The Convict’s Daughter," which ran for twelve years at London suburban theatres and in the provinces and also "The Story of Winifred."

Councillor Bertram is a most interesting man and his theatrical reminiscences are always worth listening to. During the war he was managing the Savoy Theatre and during an air raid one night the late Mr. H. B. Irving suggested to the audience that they should come down from the gallery and circle to safety because the general opinion was that the Savoy Theatre is built under the hotel which is not the case. Someone in the audience shouted out "Carry on," but when Mr. Irving explained the situation further the man who said "Carry on" was the first to run to safety.

Of all his engagements as business manager Mr. Bertram told a representation of "The Whitstable Times" that he looked upon his turn with Mr. H. B. Irving as the most pleasant as Mr. Irving was “such a man.” During the war Mr. Irving entertained thousands of wounded soldiers and was most generous to them and in order to entertain them gave a special performance of "The Bells" on a Sunday.

In his long association with the stage Mr. Bertram often met royalty and he recalls the wonderful memory of the Prince of Wales (afterwards King Edward) who enquired on one occasion at the Royalty Theatre where was the fireman and his cat. As a matter of fact the fireman had died a short time previously.

Mt. Bertram recalls another incident in the life of the Prince. One night at the Royalty Mr. Bertram was showing his Royal Highness to his carriage and as he stepped into it an Irish woman called out in all sincerity: "God bless your old woman." The Prince laughed heartily and drove off. He saw the humour of it and came back to the theatre again a few nights later.

Mr. Bertram was managing the Savoy on the occasion of the suffragettes chairing themselves to the gallery and waving banners when Mr. Lloyd George was in the theatre. "It took a great deal of tact and it was only by using the name of Mr. Irving, who had been very good to them, that they would let the performance continue," Mr. Bertram told our representative.

It was during his business management of the Savoy Theatre that Mrs. H. B. Irving organised the matinee in aid of Queen Mary’s Home at Whitstable, and by which £300 was raised.

Mr. Bertram has crossed the Atlantic twelve times and had booked to go to America on the Titanic, but business in England detained him and as a fact he proceeded two days later on the Mauretania which was stopped at the spot where the Titanic sank in the forlorn hope of finding survivors.

Mr. Bertram mentioned Pittsburgh and we thought he was going to tell a story concerning the time because it is one of those places in the States where the writer discovered that the clock is put on or put back an hour, according to whether one is going east or went. We remember the last time we were in the great steel town on the way from Chicago to New York arriving at Pittsburgh at three o'clock in the afternoon, waiting there an hour, and leaving again at the same time! But it was not about the time that Mr. Bertram told us, but about a wash out. He said he was proceeding from Boston to Pittsburgh, has sister being Miss Marie Tempest's understudy in "The Marriage of Kitty" company and took her part for several weeks, when owing to a wash out on the line a bridge had broken and this necessitated their going on a different route and they did not arrive at Pittsburgh till eight o'clock, which was the time for showing but "the audience were very good," said Mr. Bertram, "and we played that night although we were late in opening. Fortunately Miss Tempest was already there we had sent her via New York.

Just before the war Mr. Bertram was one of seven who built the Penge Empire, but they sold their interest in it to one of the big syndicates. This was just before he came to Whitstable to reside. During the war he had a slight breakdown in health and he was induced by his old friend Mr. Nat Wheeler, of Tankerton, who will always be remembered as "of Simpson's in the Strand," to come to Whitstable for a change. He did so and it did him so much good that when he had another illness his doctor advised him to go to Whitstable to live. It was then that he took "The Two Brewers," the famous old hostelry in the Canterbury Road, for his sisters so that he could spend week-ends here. But his brother-in-law’ dying necessitated his taking over the licence himself and as he had spent so many happy days at Whitstable he decided to stop. Mr. Bertram informed us that he was bringing his father and mother to Whitstable which will mean that all the family are in Whitstable except one brother who is on the stage in London.

There is only one other thing necessary to add about Mr. Bertram in order that the townspeople may know the whole story, and that is that he is a bachelor.