Michael Chaplin, son of the famous Hollywood star Charlie Chaplin, yesterday unveiled a new monument to the Romany families who made their home at Black Patch, Smethwick, Birmingham, at the start of the 20th century.
In recent years there’s been much speculation that Charlie Chaplin was in fact born in a van at Black Patch, rather than in the area of South London that he always claimed as his birthplace. No birth certificate or baptism has ever been traced for Charlie in either place.
We plan to publish a report about the ceremony in the December 2015 edition of Romany Routes, with photos taken by RTFHS Membership Secretary Beverley Walker who attended the event in the company of RTFHS Chair Steve Wright.
In the meantime, read more about Charlie’s possible Birmingham birth in Saturday’s Birmingham Mail and photos of Michael Chaplin and the monument in today’s.
