Figure 1.--Here Roger Moore models father and son sweaters for P&B Wools, we think in 1950. We think this was the cover for a knitting pattern. The caption said, "in Patons Fair Isle Fingering". We were not sure what this meant. A british reader tells us, "Paton's Fair Isle Fingering was a type of knitting yarn produced by Messrs Paton, a renowned British Knitting Wool producer. They produced a wide variety of knitting yarns, eg 3-ply, 4-ply, Arron etc. The Fair Isle Fingering was a variety used to knit Fair Isle pattern garments. I remember as a child seeing the name on mother's knitting yarns. 'Fingering' is a weight of knitting yarn sometimes called 'sweater weight'.

The star of the British TV series "The Saint" and several Bond films was born in Stockwell, a London suburb. He would later refer to it as Saint Ockwell. He was the only child of George Moore, a policeman, and Lillian "Lily" Pope, a housewife. His father was quite a large, commanding man. Roger was rather sickly as a child. His parents kept him from going out for several years. Like most British boys at the timer he wore short trousers. A reader writes, "I saw one picture of him as a youngish age, about 6 years old, in rather sissy shorts." We are not sure what he meant by that. Another picture showed him in apparently cord shorts and knee socks at about 12 or 13. That was common at the time. He began his secondary education at Battersea Grammar School, but was evacuated to Holsworthy, Devon during the World War II Blitz. He then attended Dr Challoner's Grammar School. He entered the Venerable Bede at the University of Durham but never graduated. After the War, when Moore turned 18 yeaers did his military service. He was commissioned an officer, probably because of his education. He was later to say he looked the part. He was stationed in occupied Germany and at that time began pursuing show business. He met Spike Milligan at this time. After his National Service, parts were difficult to get. He worked as a male model (early 1950s). He appeared in print advertisements for knitwear, earning him the amusing nickname "The Big Knit". He pitched other producrts like toothpaste. He also begzan appearing on TV shoes. He hit the big toime when Lew Grade cast him as Simon Templar in a new adaptation of 'The Saint', based on the Leslie Charteris books (1960).

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Created: 7:13 PM 7/5/2010
Last updated: 4:41 PM 7/6/2010