The Butlin's Redcoats
The Butlin's Redcoats
The idea of the Redcoats dates back to the first-holiday camp in Skegness, in 1936. When the gates opened for the first time showing the Butlins logo, Billy Butlin would see that his campers did not do much and looked bored. This was not a part of his vision or plan and knew that something had to be done to spark the Butlin's magic.
Billy Butlin knew that something had to be done and quickly as he asked Norman Bradford, an engineer on the camp, to hop on the stage and to tell some jokes and entertain. It was at this very moment that the Butlin's magic was born as the campers loved the night. However, the Redcoats were not yet born, the idea was but not the name.
Billy had asked Norman to go and find a uniform to buy from the town that could represent this new area of his camp. Norman would come back with a jacket with the colours of the camp, which were blue, yellow and white. Trying them on, Billy would look and try to see if it represented his vision. There was something wrong with the choices as Billy would think they looked authoritarian.
Giving Norman Bradford a red blazer with white lapels, he would look to see if it was giving him the Butin's magic feeling. It was from this moment that the Butlin's Redcoats were born and a legacy had started with the first person to put the great red jacket on to be Norman Bradford. As the team was to be extended, Billy Butlin would ask Billie Ditchfield to make more of them to represent his camp. Billie Ditchfield and Kay Berry also became the first two female Redcoats.
