George Formby banjo ukuleles fetch more than £20k at auction

Two of legendary entertainer George Formby’s banjo ukuleles have sold for more than £20,000 at auction.

The instruments, which were synonymous with Wigan-born Formby, fetched £11,000 and £10,500 on Thursday.

His niece Pamela Bailey and family also bought four pieces of memorabilia at the Derbyshire auction.

Formby, who was once the UK’s highest paid entertainer, best known for his 1936 hit When I’m Cleaning Windows, died aged 56 in 1961.

Memorabilia under the hammer included family photos, a scrapbook, personal letters, a film script, and material relating to his father, George Formby Sr, who was also a famous comedian.

There was also a prayer book and a letter rejecting a song as “too blue”.

The 13 lots auctioned by Derby auction house Hansons netted £38,860.

Ms Bailey’s children, Melanie and Michael Smith, from Portsmouth, Hampsire, bid on her behalf in the online auction.

The family bought a South Bank Show piece of memorabilia and a full-size model of Formby for £420.

Mr Smith said: “George died before we were born but we wanted to buy these items for our mother and as part of our family heritage.

“We want our children and grandchildren to know they’re related to one of the UK’s greatest and, at one time, best paid entertainers.”

He added: “We would really love to own one of his ukuleles too, and his OBE. We wanted to bid on the ukuleles but the prices go up and up.

“We would hope we can acquire a George Formby ukulele one day.”

Amendment: This story has been updated on 25 May 2020 to clarify that the Formby family bought four of the 13 auction lots, not including the two banjo ukuleles.