Presented by Joe Bate of Tipton, Kitty de Smilo made her first appearance in Mitcham at the annual fair in August 1925. From the Mitcham Advertiser of 6th August:-

Text of this ad:

Of all the shows that are so smart, there’s none like Kitty de Smilo’s to make you laugh, to cheer your heart, so don’t forget to See

Kitty de Smilo

A Jolly Girl with a Jolly Show.

First visit to Mitcham. Not a catch. Not vulgar. Everybody likes it!

The same newspaper the following week said she was “One of the greatest attractions…the jolly girl with the jolly smile and no vulgarity.”

Her real name was Kate Flanagan, and she came to England from Ireland in 1907 when she was 13. She got a job with Joe Bates, who had a travelling fair. Her friendship with him flourished and she travelled with him as a variety artist under the name Kitty de Smilo. She became known as the Mary Pickford of the fairgrounds.

In 1929, aged 35, she was running a sweet stall in Great Bridge, near Tipton. She had fallen on hard times, and worked in a number of different factories, while living in a caravan at Hill Top, West Bromwich. In 1949 she was working as an attendant with West Bromwich Corporation. In the last six weeks of her life she lodged in an attic bedroom at 26 Bullock Street. In July 1949, aged 55, a month after a heart attack, she was found dead on her bed. Her landlord said that her two pet terriers stood guard over her. They growled and barked and initially would not let him, his wife nor the police get near her.

Source : Pages 1 and 5 of the Birmingham Daily Gazette – Monday 27 June 1949