We just had to place the late great Sir Norman Wisdom in this design, especially as it's focus is being a Veteran which, as you will see below he was as well. Laughter is also synonymous with this much loved British star.
History
Wisdom first enlisted into the King's Own Royal Regiment (Lancaster), but his mother had him discharged as he was under age. He later re-enlisted as a drummer boy[citation needed] in the 10th Royal Hussars of the British Army. In 1930, he was posted to Lucknow, in the United Provinces of British India,[4] as a bandsman. There he rode horses, became the flyweight boxing champion of the British Army in India[4] and learned to play the trumpet and clarinet.[7]
At the outbreak of the Second World War, Wisdom was sent to work in a communications centre in a command bunker in London, where he connected telephone calls from war leaders to the prime minister. He met Winston Churchill on several occasions when asked for updates on incoming calls.[7] Wisdom then joined the Royal Corps of Signals, and performed a similar military function at the unit headquarters in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
Whilst performing a shadow boxing routine in an army gym, Wisdom discovered he had a talent for entertainment,[9] and began to develop his skills as a musician and stage entertainer.[5] In 1940 aged 25, at a NAAFI entertainment night, during a dance routine, Wisdom stepped down from his position in the orchestra pit, and started shadow boxing. Hearing his colleagues and officers giggling, he broke into a duck waddle, followed by a series of facial expressions. He later described the reaction as: "They were in hysterics. All the officers were falling about laughing."[10]
Wisdom later said this was where he first patented his persona as "The Successful Failure".[10] Over the next few years, until he was demobilized in 1945, his routine included his characteristic singing and the trip-up-and-stumble. After Wisdom appeared at a charity concert at Cheltenham Town Hall, actor Rex Harrison came backstage and urged him to become a professional entertainer.[11]
Please contact us if you would like this t-shirt in any other colour or size not shown. info@militaryhumor.co.uk
This t-shirt makes for a great staple! It has a classic fit (not form-fitting) with a thick cotton fabric.
• 100% cotton (Heather colors contain polyester)
• Fabric weight: 6 oz (203 g/m2)
• Pre-shrunk
• Shoulder-to-shoulder taping
Model is wearing a size M. He's 6.2 feet (190 cm) tall, chest circumference 37.7" (96 cm), waist circumference 33.4" (85 cm).
