TONY Manders discovered decades of Swindon history – but he couldn’t have finished his task without The Three Hunchbacks.

The trio went by other names, such as The Sabre Grinders of Damascus. Individually they were actors called Mr Nethercot, Mr Murgatroyd and Mr Turner, and they probably didn’t see out the reign of Queen Victoria.

Tony, 63, is retired, having spent 33 years in the Army and 12 in the Civil Service. He lives in Royal Wootton Bassett with his wife, Lesley, and is a father of five and grandfather of 10.

He hadn’t planned on becoming a chronicler of history, but then he joined Swindon theatre group the Western Players, did a little digging and discovered that the group was 100 years older than previously thought.

He and his fellow members are doing all they can to make sure the organisation continues to thrive.

“I’ve been involved in theatre for over 40 years now,” said Tony.

“I first began performing in the Army when my boss said,’Manders, the chaps want a show – go and put something on.’ “I joined the Western Players in August of 1999. I was still in the Army. I was looking, really, for a group to join in the area. I went to see one of their shows and was impressed. A friend of mine said they were doing an audition for the next show and why didn’t I come along.

“It was the turn of the century show to celebrate the new millennium. It was a mixture of short acts, comedy sketches and songs, so it was easier to drop into the group and do little bits here and there.”

Tony has appeared in everything from broad farce to historical drama. He once starred in Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, and managed to change between alter egos without disappearing behind a sofa.

The group has about 50 members, although some prefer backstage jobs.

But how did Tony the actor come to develop a sideline as a historian?

Tony said: “They thought the group started in 1936. I was just intrigued for no other reason than wanting to know what sort of plays they’d put on over the years, and started to dig out information at the reference library and look at papers from older members of the society.

“As I did that I tripped over the fact that there were plays before 1936. What happened over time, whether it was due to changes of location or membership going down followed by rebranding, was that what the Western Players believed was a start was in fact a chapter in the ongoing life of the society.

“I did that research in about 2002. I thought at that stage that we’d been formed in 1904. I found the minutes of a meeting that was called the initial meeting of such and such a society, so naively I thought that was when they started. But again, it was just another chapter in the ongoing life of the society.

“When the Post Office at the top of Regent Street was demolished and there was some work going on there, somebody – I guess it was the council – put up some old photographs on the boards around the worksite.

“Two of those photographs showed me that the New Swindon Mechanics Institution Amateur Dramatic Society was doing shows in 1858.”

It was then that Tony became acquainted with The Three Hunchbacks, aka The Sabre Grinders of Damascus. That was the title of the play advertised in that poster from 1858.

Tony was then contacted by historian Mark Child, author of many books about the town, who was putting together an article about the history of the group for his A Companion to the History of Swindon.

What emerged was that the group began in 1854, at roughly the same time as a Swindon man called William Morris founded the Swindon Adver-tiser.

That was the year when the newly-formed Mechanics Institute Amateur Theatrical Club performed its first piece, a one-act farce called The Lady of Munster. The group also performed on the opening night of the Mechanics Institution in 1855, treating the audience to a farce called Binks the Bagman and a melodrama called The Rent Night.

The club became the Mechanics Instititute Dramatic Society in 1861, the Great Western Railway Amateur Players in 1898, the Great Western Railway (Swindon) Mechanics Institution Amateur Theatrical Society by the early 1900s, the GWR (Swindon) Amateur Theatrical Society in 1933, the Great Western Players in 1936, and the Western Players in 1949.

Their first base was a GWR Workshop, followed by the Mechanics Institution until 1975 and then the Arts Centre, where they remain. For a while in the middle of the last century, the Players were based at the Little Theatre in Bridge Street.

They look to the future with optimism, in spite of increases in production costs due to the state of the economy. For several years, each new project has featured at least one newcomer to the group on stage, and newcomers are always welcomed.

Tony said: “For anyone that’s been on stage, they’ll understand that although there are the nerves and the slight fear of going on, the first time there’s a positive reaction from the audience it’s one of the most amazing feelings – you’ve connected with a whole group of people.”

The next Western Players production, World War One drama Journey’s End, opens on Wednesday, November 5. Details can be found at westernplayers.co.uk.

Tony would like to hear from anybody who can add to his knowledge of the group’s history, and can be contacted at tonymanders@me.com.