"Mark Sheridan was .... a tremendous favourite an expert at backchat, he was also a splendid actor whose by-play was always artistic.

He wore a black frock coat, tall hat, navy’s trousers with bell bottoms and straps round the knees, and he flourished an umbrella or stick while he sang songs which have indeed lingered on, there are few anywhere who do not know " I Do Like To Be Beside the Seaside:" and several more. His " Here We Are , Here We Are, Here We Are Again " was one of the most popular marching songs of World War 1, and at the outbreak of that conflict he had two patriotic songs, "Belgium Put The Kibosh On The Kaiser " and "

When We've Wound Up The Watch On The Rhine." Sheridan was true music hall, gusto, vim and vigour personified. He was one of the very first to perform an act which has now become very popular, dancing a set of quadr illes, (it is L ancers now ) all by himself, truly he peopled the stage with other figures, and made the audience see them. Almost his last successful song was " The Villain Still Pursued Her " But tragic fate pursued him, he suffered a nervous breakdown, believed in his depression that his popularity was waning and shot himself in a park in Glasgow." "Your Own, Your Very Own" by Peter Gammond (1971) has an entry and refers to a change in the style of entertainment

heralded by Mark among others: The trend toward looking, as well as being, funny came in with our next three artistes, Mark Sheridan, Little Ticli and George Robey, each of whom added an unforgettable trademark in eccentric attire.

With Mark Sheridan it was those ridiculous bell-bottom trousers which would perhaps be regarded as a mark of fashion nowadays, though his were slightly "beller" bottomed, as one can see from the song-sheets. He had a line in; coy humour, some excellent songs like "Who were you with last night" and "I do like to be beside the seaside", and a good, resounding voice to sing them with.

He was a great one for having a go at the audience, getting them to insult him and then giving them twice as good as he got. Perhaps the ridiculous garb - black frock coat, topper, curious workman's trousers, tight round the knees and flaring out at the bottom like inverted flower-pots, and usually an umbrella or a stick in his hand - was subconsciously intended to invite comment. It did the trick. During the First World War.

Mark Sheridan was particularly successful in finding a number of songs which hit the comic-patriotic vein that has made the 'poetry' of that miserable conflict endure. "Here we are, here we are, here we are again." proved s;o be a marching song second only to "Tipperary" and "Pack up your troubles". "Belgium put the Kibosh on the Kaiser" may have been prematurely optimistic, but it went down well at the time. He had a

good line in dramatic songs like "The villain still pursued her" and did everything with tremendous power and pace, including an act that fore shadowed the very successful act of our beloved Richard Hearne, in which he danced a quadrille by himself.The end was tragic. Suffering a nervous breakdown lie began to feel that; he was losing his touch and shot himself in a Glasgow park."

Arthur Rigby is still actively concerned in the "business of pleasure," although he began as a turn over forty years ago. For a long time he was famous as a dame, and played the queen to Mark Sheridan's king in a pantomime of "Humpty Dumpty." Mark Sheridan on the boards was the merriest soul alive. You remember, no doubt, his gay Dick Swivelier swagger in his decayed topper, worn at such an angle, gangreened frock coat and trousers that began as tights on the thighs and ended in flapping bell-bottoms below the knees, he strutted up and down, swinging his cane and banging the stage with it to add conviction to every " here " in " Here we are Here we are ! Here we are again !"

That was his war song which was sung full of Cockney disdain for desperation, on every front. In happier times his favorite topic was the seaside, which aroused in him such delight that he seemed lost in contemplation of the prospect he loved, on the backcloth. You might imagine he had forgotten the existence of his audience until after he had gone round with the hat to the painted holiday-makers. Then he remembered to amuse us by pointing out the girl in a bathing costume as Maud Allan -" So much on she's nearly suffocated, poor girl"  (Actually, of course, she was very well covered, according to present-day standards.)
There were other seaside songs at that time but none fit

to rank with Mark Sheridan's. He not only expressed the ecstasy of Cockneys on holiday, but he added to it. Esplanades rang with his choruses. Everybody did like to be beside the seaside then. If Noel Coward had written at that time his lyric about wishing you were dead on finding sand in your bed, he would have been cheered as a nonsensical humorist instead of a satirist. "Here we are, Here we are, Here we are again!" was always Mark Sheridan's spirit on the stage; and the moral was that everybody was always glad to be there again no matter where the " here " might be - prom, trench, the Strand, or home after the war.

Yet that apcient cry he had borrowed from Joey, the down," Here we are again," points to his tragedy. It occurred at the one place above all others on earth where he had expected to find happiness—because he had found it there long before he arrived in London at the Standard, Pimlico (where the Victoria Palace now stands), in the early "nineties. That place was Glasgow. Since it had been the first to recognize his powers, he went there

hopefully for the Christmas season of 1917.

But Scottish audiences are not only quick to reward talent, they are also quick to note its decay, and there can be little doubt that Mark Sheridan was losing grip.

The reason for it can be found in the peculiar psychology of comedians. Comedians who avoided conviviality became self-centered, then morose, then fearful of losing prestige,

jealous of rivals, resentful of set -backs and obsessed by what is called the " persecution complex."

Mark Sheridan suffered from it so severely that because he had heard jeers -and for no other known reason -he went out one bleak morning into a deserted park and there shot himself. Forget that tragedy for a while- Think instead of the blithe figure in topper and beli-bottomed trousers who was a king of the chorus song.

" Bom Fred Shaw, at Hendon, County Durham, in 1867, he first appeared with a partner as " The Sheridans' touring the halls of the north. In 1892 he went to Australia for Harry Rickards and as a solo turn appeared in London at the Standard Music hall, Pimlico 1895. Dressed eccentrically in high black top hat, tight frock-coat and bell-bottomed trousers, he was soon established in the front rank of music-hall comedians.

A singer of great chorus songs, which he conducted with his baggy umbrella, he led

" Here We Are, Here We Are, Here We Are Again',
" We All Went Marching Home Again",
" All The Little Ducks Went Quack, Quack, Quack, "
" You Can Do A lot of Things At the Seaside That You Can't Do In Town"

and the popular if historically innaccurate

' Belgium Put The Kibosh On The Kaiser."

During the First World War he toured the music halls in his own burlesque company which

included his wife, son and daughter. On 14 January 1918 his show opened at the Glasgow Coliseum with Sheridan playing the part of Napoleon in Gay Paree, or a Royal Discourse, a parody on the West End success A Royal Divorce. Having appeared in four Glasgow pantomimes he was well-known in the city and went over well. Sadly, Sheridan was suffering from acute depression and, imagining that his popularity was
waning, shot himself in Kelvin Grove Park.

His son, born in 1890, also played in variety, mainly as part of the comedy duo ' Elva and Mark Sheridan'".

My thanks to Bob Bain of the Scottish Music Hall Society for supplying the following information:
From Jack House's book "Music Hall Memories"

Less fortunate was Mark Sheridan, an English comedian who had a Napoleon complex. He toured in revues and , if possible, he would make an appearance somewhere in the show as Napoleon, whom he strongly resembled. His last revue was at the Coliseum Glasgow. I did not see the show but gathered from reports

that it was inadequately rehearsed and inefficiently presented. At any rate, it got the bird from Glasgow Newspapers. That afternoon Mark Sheridan took a tram-car to Kelvingrove park, selected a secluded spot, and shot himself. He died in the nearby Western Infirmary."

  [After talking of T.E.Dunville, Scott continues..] Other artists who adopted similar methods were George Robey, Wilkie Bard, Jack Pleasants and Mark Sheridan, ...

  Mark Sheridan wore a pair of exaggerated bell-bottomed trousers and a strange top hat. He was an immensely able singer of chorus songs. His I Do Like to be beside the Sea-side, bracing as a week-end at Skegness, is still one of the best remembered of pre-war tunes, and there was another song of his, though outside the limits of our period, which is to be remembered for its association with an historic moment, Bennett Scott's exceedingly stirring Here we are, Here we are again, which Sheridan sang in the late autumn of 1914 at the Oxford

Music Hall.
  The first war fever was, of course, at the summit, and Sheridan's singing of this song created a whirlwind enthusiasm in the audience. It was at once taken up by the troops and became (though it is interesting to note that it did not survive the whole war period) one of the most famous of their music hall repertory. Sheridan was but in externals an eccentric, a clown. The humanity in the appeal of a song such as Here we are again was reflected in others. It is not by the more extreme forms of eccentricity that the public remembers the music hall spirit: that spirit was in essence that of normal humanity, and though conveyed through a medium of burlesque, made an appeal to the emotion which was unhampered by distortion.

  Without this Achievement, it is safe to say that the music hall period would not have been really memorable: no amount of mechanism, of stage tricks and comic "business " by themselves, would have placed upon it the mark of a moment in history, of importance to people's ivies. It was the genius of Dan Leno and the greater among his contemporaries which created this moment. These men, and the great women singers, such as Marie Lloyd, Vesta Tilley or Ella Shields, lifted the Music Hal! into the higher realms of comedy, and by the observation of truth in its most everyday form, established a unity between the artist and the audience. This unity was the goal of the Music Hall, and in its day that goal was achieved.

The tragic death of Mr. Mark Sheridan, who was found shot through the head in Kelvin Grove Park, Glasgow, on Tuesday afternoon, the 15th inst., has caused widespread sorrow Inquests are not held in Scotland on sudden deaths, and no further details of his lamped demise are therefore to hand. A breezy and spirited favorite of the public and a  witty commentator on Posing events, with his sun shiny smile, his delightful dance his irresistible hat, and his famous bell-bottomed trousers, Mark was one of the most successful comedians of the variety stage, and was also very popular in P^-me On the Monday night preceding his death he had commenced a week’s engagement at the Coliseum, Glasgow with his own company in a musical play," Gay Paree ; or A Royal Discourse "in which he played Napoleon Bonapart, and was in his merriest mood at both performances. He had

arranged to sing to the wounded of Stobhill Hospital on the Friday and also to visit the Tank Bank, and in addition to making an investment, make a speech and sing a song Owing to indisposition, he had ' been resting' the previous week. Mark intended in retiring in a year or two at the conclusion of his contracts. Born in Sunderland of a Scotch father and an Irish mother, Mark who was in his fifty-second year, was very proud of the fact that he was a Border terrier and a true Briton. His real name was Fred Shaw, but there were so many Freds that he decided to change. He accordingly selected the front name of that well renowned humorist Mark Twain and the maiden name of his mother, Sheridan. During his career he had played many parts. For a number of years he was with Miller and Elliston and appeared in pieces as divergent as " Falka"," Alone in London ", and " Dandy Dan". He performed in South Africa and

in 1892 he and a partner played as The Sheridans on the Harry Rickard's circuit in Australia. Once he played Cattermole in " The Private Secretary". One of the best song buyers in London, he had a thousand pounds worth of manuscripts lying at his house and was always asking for more. One of his most popular songs in recent years was "Here We Are Again" described as the British Army battle cry produced just after the outbreak of war. At The Oxford we remember the chorus of this song having to be repeated no fewer than fifteen times."I Do Like To Be Beside The Sea Side","Who Were You With last Night?","All The Little Ducks Went Quack, Quack, Quack," and "The Villain Still Pursued Her", "'Oh, Be Careful", and "We All Went marching Home Again" were also favorite numbers, and as 'One of the B'hoys' Mark secured a unique place among variety stars.

 The funeral took place on Friday from the house of Mr. T.F. Dunn at 34, Bucclench Street. Rev. Dean Hutchison conducted a brief service in the house and the mourners thereafter proceeded to Cathcart Cemetery in ten motor - landaulettes.

Handsome floral tributes were sent by Mr. Wilkie Bard, Miss Ella Retford, Mr. And Mrs. Shaun Glenville, Brothers Egbert and Miss Daisy Dormer; the management and staff of the Empire, Mr. J.H. Wilson, manager of the Alhambra; management of the Coliseum; the Coliseum orchestra; the members of the Mark Sheridan revue " Gay Paree"; the management

 and staff of the Pavilion; the Scottish Music-Hall Artistes Benevolent Fund; the Theatre Royal management and staff; Messrs. Moss Empires, Ltd.; Mr and Mrs. Hugh Macfarlane and many other friends. The chief mourners were Mrs. Sheridan (widow), Jack, Billy, and Fred Sheridan ( sons), Mr. A . Davenport( nephew), Mrs. F. Johnson (daughter), Miss. F. Sheridan ( daughter), Mr. T. Shaw ( brother), Mrs. Smiles ( sister), Mrs. Byrom ( sister) , and Mr. F. Johnson ( son-in-law). The cord bearers at the graveside were the three sons above mentioned, with Mr. Tom Shaw, Mr. Fred Johnson, and three very old friends - Mr. Thos. F. Dunn, Mr. Arthur Milton and Professor James Murphy.

 Though a perfect blizzard of sleety snow was falling when the funeral started for the cemetery a large contingent of the profession, both ladies and gentlemen, braved the elements to honour their late comrade. Mr. Syd May, the well known mimic who was in the " Gay Paree" company took up the role of Napoleon for the remainder of the Glasgow week, and on Saturday the company left for Belfast to fulfil a week's engagement there, with Dublin to follow. Two of Mr. Sheridan's sons, Billy and Fred, were in uniform at the funeral, one in Navy rig and the other in khaki."

The Era , 23 January 1918

In the King's Bench yesterday the Equitable Life Insurance Society of the United States were sued by Mrs. Ethel Maude Shaw ( widow), Mr. Thomas Shaw of Sunderland, and Mr. Thomas  Frederick Dunn of Glasgow, who were the executors of the late Frederick Shaw, popularly known as Mark Sheridan. Plaintiffs' claim against the defendants was for Ł5000 alleged to be due to plaintiffs as executors of the will of deceased under two policies of insurance from him one for Ł4000 and the other for Ł1000 dated October, 1917.

Counsel said the defendants claimed that a clause in the policies on which they relied stated that if the insured committed suicide within one year from the date of the policy their liability was to be limited to the amount of the premium actually paid. They further said deceased shot himself in Glasgow in January last, and that therefore they were not liable The simple issue was whether or not deceased killed himself on the day that he died.

A Glasgow detective said deceased's wife told him her husband had not been well for

about two years, and was worried by family matters. Counsel mentioned that Mr. Sheridan had produced in Glasgow a play called" In Gay Paree" and Mr. Louis J. Baxter, the acting manager of the Coliseum Theatre, Glasgow, stated that it was not a success and received a hostile reception.

Mr. Bruce Green, a music hall artist, spoke to seeing Mark Sheridan in a depressed condition at Glasgow on January 14. Professor H. Littlejohn, casualty surgeon of Edinburgh City Police, said all

acts and circumstances of deceased's death pointed to suicide.

Counsel for plaintiffs said deceased had been in the habit of carrying a revolver ever since his early days in South Africa. He was making between Ł 5000 and Ł 10000 yearly. He went into Kelvingrove Park merely to rehearse his part in which as.

 Napoleon he shot a convict. It was while doing this that the unfortunate accident happened. There was no family trouble, as suggested. His daughter merely went away and married a man she loved, and the father objected the the man.

Mr. George Robey, comedian, stated that Sheridan was not the man to commit suicide because his play was not a

success the first night. Mrs. Ethel M. Shaw , the widow, said her husband was not worried in any way at the time of his death.

The jury, without removing from the box, returned a verdict for defendants and judgement was
entered accordingly with costs.

The entertainment loving public received a shock this morning on learning that Mark Sheridan, the favourite comedian, had been found dead in Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow, yesterday afternoon.

Where his remains were discovered is an unfrequented part of the park, west of the Kelvin. A bullet was lodged in the forehead and a Browning revolver lay beside the body. So far as can be ascertained no person heard the report of the shot.
Sheridan, whose real name was Frederick Shaw, and was 41(51) years of age, left the hotel where he was residing about noon to attend a rehearsal at the Coliseum Theatre, where he was appearing in a revue entitled " Gay Paree," and it was at twenty minutes past two that his body was found.

The two men who made the discovery communicated with the park policeman, who had the body removed to the Western Police Office where it was identified in the course of the afternoon. There had been no indication that Mr. Sheridan was in anything but his usual cheerful state of mind. On Monday night Mr. Baxter, the manager of the Coliseum asked him if he would accompany him to Stobhill Hospital on Friday, and he readily agreed to do so and to sing for the entertainment of The Wounded Soldiers there. He had also arranged to visit the Tank bank, and In addition to making an investment, to sing a song or make a speech. Mr. Sheridan was one of the biggest favourites in Glasgow, where he has performed many times in vaudeville and in pantomime, where his gag expression " One of the

B'hoys" became universally employed, and his song, " At The Football Match Last Saturday" , was most popular. His daughter, whose stage name is Miss Betty davenport, and his two young sons had parts in the show, whilst Mrs. Sheridan was travelling with the " Gay Paree" company. The revue, which is a burlesque on the play " A Royal Divorce, " has been on tour for three or four weeks. It came to the Coliseum Glasgow, from Burslem, and is due at the Hippodrome, Belfast, next week. Mr. Sheridan left his hotel about midday. He had arranged A Rehearsal of the revue to take place at noon, but he did not attend, and part of the proceedings went on in his absence.

Nothing further was heard of him at the theatre until the audience had assembled for the first house in the evening and the curtain was about to be raised. At that time the manager, Mr. L.J. Baxter, was called on the telephone by the Western Police, who informed him of Mr. Sheridan's death. Mr. Baxter conveyed the message to Mr. Sheridan's manager and the news was communicated to Mrs. Sheridan , who was in the theatre. The company, who were ready to begin their performance, were terribly shocked, for although their collegue's non- appearance had caused some surprise, he

was expected to arrive at any moment. In the circumstances it was decided to abandon the entertainment for the night. Mr. Baxter went on the stage and informed the audience and Mr. Sheridan had Died Suddenly, and that in consequence there would be no performance. He asked their indulgences in the circumstances, and said that money paid for admission would be returned at the box office to those who desired it, or patrons could retain their tickets for a subsequent evening. The announcement caused a painful sensation in the audience, who when Mr. Baxter concluded his statement quietly dispersed.

The theatre will reopen to-night. If it is found impossible to present the revue, a variety programme will be provided by individual members of the company and other artists.

The offer made by the management to last night's audience of the opportunity of getting their money back or transferring their tickets to a subsequent night will be extended to patrons who hold tickets for any night this week.