talkmagic.co.uk

Courtesy of http://www.magucweek.co.uk"

Mark Raffles sadly passed away in his sleep on Sunday evening at 8.45 pm. The staff at his nursing home in Llandudno formed a guard of honour as he left Queen Elizabeth Court yesterday. Deeply loved and greatly missed. RIP Dad. Tim Raffles-Taylor


[The North Wales Pioneer ran a really nice article on Mark as he celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this year. What an incredible life he led. DT] "'Magical' Llandudno care home resident celebrates 100th birthday" http://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk

Mark was a real old school performer, wasn't he. He'd been there and done the lot.

I remember seeing him perform at a Magic Circle Christmas Show in the 1970's, when I was just a kid. His finale of producing live chicks at the end of his Cups & Balls routine brought the house down.

It was also the first time I'd seen a pick-pocket act - a branch of the art that I've always enjoyed watching. In fact, didn't he have a life size mannequin, wired up with electronic buzzers, that he used to practice on?