Cyril George Robert GARDINER (1897-1973)

Cyril George Robert Gardiner (1897-1973) was the eldest son of Robert Septimus Gardiner who was the youngest brother of Florence Mourilyan, the sister-in-law of Eugénie Sladden.  Cyril was baptized at St Peter’s Church, Pimlico, London, on 16th March 1897; the ceremony was performed by Robert Gardiner’s brother, Frederic Evelyn Gardiner, who was Rector of Hackney.

In a letter of 8th April 1915, Fred Mourilyan refers to seeing a notice in the newspaper that Cyril had passed for Sandhurst.  During World War I Cyril served with 2/5th London Regiment, 18th London Regiment, East Kent Regiment.  He was gazetted in September 1915 as Second Lieutenant.  He was invalided out of the army and, aged 19, he set sail from Liverpool on 10th November 1916, arriving in Buenos Aries on 31st January 1917.  It is not known how long he stayed in Buenos Aries but on 3rd March 1922 Cyril left London bound for Sydney, Australia.  He gave his address as 84 Brook Street, W8, which was where his parents were living at the time.  His intention was to start sheep farming in Australia.  This venture did not seem to succeed and he returned to England and began to pursue a career as an actor.  Throughout the 1930s he worked for the Maurice Colbourne Theatrical Company and criss-crossed the Atlantic on a number of occasions on theatrical tours to Canada and America.

In about 1930 Cyril married Kathleen Gertrude D B Brandon-Cremer, a fellow actress.  On the outbreak of the Second World War, Cyril and Kathleen and their son were staying with Cyril’s parents at the Addington Palace Country Club near Croydon, Surrey.  On 6th October 1939, Cyril and 25 other actors and actresses plus two actor managers, sailed for Montreal.  His father died the following month.

On 1st October 1949, Cyril and Kathleen and their two sons emigrated to Australia, departing from London on the P&O liner, Maloja, bound for Brisbane, Australia.  Their address in England had been 118 Rodney House, Dophin Square, London SW1.  The 1963 electoral roll reveals they lived at 28 Windella Avenue, Kooyong, Kew North; Cyril was a proof reader and Kathleen an actress.  In 1967 they lived at 2A Davidson Street; Cyril was retired and Kathleen was a tutor.

Cyril died at Fairfield, Victoria, Australia, in 1973, a year after his wife.