William Bankier

William Bankier (10 December 1870 – 4 September 1949) billed as 'Apollo, the Scottish Hercules', was an early bodybuilder and strongman stage performer who in 1915 and 1919 was also 'King Rat' of the showbusiness charity the Grand Order of Water Rats.

Born in Banff in Scotland, the eldest of four sons of William Bankier (1845–1900), a hand loom weaver, and his wife Mary Ann (née Clark) (1844– 1901), as a child be became fascinated by the idea of being a circus performer, and aged 12 he ran away from home and joined a circus as a labourer. Soon after his father discovered his whereabouts and collected him, but a few months later Bankier ran away to sea, joining a ship's crew. After being shipwrecked he found himself in Montreal in Canada where he worked as a farm labourer. Aged 14 he joined Porgie O'Brien's Road Show where one of the acts was a strongman; Bankier studied his act and learned his routine.

When the road show's original strongman could not perform his act owing to drunkenness, Bankier, aged 15, appeared in his place putting on a satisfactory performance. As the strongman drank more and missed more performances, so Bankier continued to take his place, gradually growing in skill as a performer and strongman. After about a year Bankier left the road show to join William Muldoon's athletic combination which toured the United States promoting athletic events; Muldoon billed him as 'Carl Clyndon, the Canadian Strong Boy', and Bankier added wrestling to his act.

Leaving Muldoon he next joined Jack Kilrain, a former heavy weight boxing champion and from whom he learned to box. Aged 17 Bankier joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West, a circus-like attraction that toured annually. From there he joined the Ginnett Circus for three months, performing as 'Carl Clyndon'.

Next he joined the Bostock Circus, known at that time for having the best performers and acts, and here he polished and honed his strongman skills, part of his new act involving harness-lifting a full grown elephant weighing 32cwt and balancing on the backs of two chairs while raising a man with his right hand above his head while juggling plates with his left.

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