Magersfontein Lugg is a fictional character in the

Albert Campion Albert Campion is a fictional character in a series of detective novels and short stories by Margery Allingham. He first appeared as a supporting character in '' The Crime at Black Dudley'' (1929), an adventure story involving a ring of criminals ...

detective novels, written by

Margery Allingham Margery Louise Allingham (20 May 1904 – 30 June 1966) was an English novelist from the "Golden Age of Detective Fiction", and considered one of its four " Queens of Crime", alongside Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Ngaio Marsh. All ...

. Servant and factotum to Mr Campion, Lugg is a former

burglar Burglary, also called breaking and entering (B&E) or housebreaking, is a property crime involving trespass to land, the illegal entry into a building or other area without permission, typically with the intention of committing a further criminal ...

, with a gruff manner, who hinders Campion socially as much as he helps detection–wise.

Appearances

Lugg first appears in ''

Mystery Mile ''Mystery Mile'' is a Crime fiction, crime novel by Margery Allingham, first published in 1930, in the United Kingdom by Jarrolds Publishing, London, and in the United States by Doubleday (publisher), Doubleday, Doran, New York. Following his ...

'', where his contacts in the underworld prove useful; he goes on to be featured in most of the Campion books. Lugg also features in novels by John Lawton, most notably ''Black Out'' (see review on Amazon.com).

Character

Lugg is a large, bald man, a former criminal who reformed after he "lost his figure". In '' Police at the Funeral'', he has recently grown a very large white

moustache A moustache (; mustache, ) is a growth of facial hair grown above the upper lip and under the human nose, nose. Moustaches have been worn in various styles throughout history. Etymology The word "moustache" is French language, French, and i ...

, which he also sports in '' Sweet Danger''. Lugg, in '' The Fashion in Shrouds'', is the originator of the sentence "It's crackers to slip a rozzer the dropsy in snide". This sentence frequently appeared in ''Mad'' magazine and has achieved some notoriety as an Internet meme, though seldom attributed to either Lugg or Allingham. The sentence contains English slang and means, "It's madness (crackers) to slip a policeman (rozzer) a packet of money (the dropsy) in worthless money (snide)" or "it's madness to try to bribe a policeman with counterfeit money". Explaining why Lugg never seemed to age over the series of books, Allingham herself suggested that, like the detective's horn rims, Lugg was “part of Mr Campion's personal accoutrements...Lugg is his sense of humour, and is disliked by some of his best friends” as a result. The pair have also been seen as a classic comic act, the one hypermanic, the other the lugubrious foil for Campion's wit.

P. D. James Phyllis Dorothy James White, Baroness James of Holland Park (3 August 1920 – 27 November 2014), known professionally as P. D. James, was an English novelist and life peer. Her rise to fame came with her series of detective novels featuri ...

however considered the character too close to the traditional stage

cockney Cockney is a dialect of the English language, mainly spoken in London and its environs, particularly by Londoners with working-class and lower middle class roots. The term ''Cockney'' is also used as a demonym for a person from the East End, ...

for full effect. Arguably, Lugg's character is more subtle and nuanced than that. Mr Campion himself displays the indifference to social standing which betokens those who have been born to it; like the legendary "true aristocrat" which it is constantly hinted that he is, he associates freely and without embarrassment with all classes of people. Lugg, in order to prick this cosmopolitan insouciance, affects—when it suits him—a comic aspiration to "better himself" and to lift both himself and Campion "out of the gutter," an aspiration constantly frustrated by Campion's insistence on mixing himself up with crime. In this way he often succeeds in shaming, or at least embarrassing, Campion, and thus the status dynamic between the two men is made far more interesting and attractive than the traditional master-servant relationship as typified by

Lord Peter Wimsey Lord Peter Death Bredon Wimsey (later 17th Duke of Denver) is the fictional protagonist in a series of detective novels and short stories by Dorothy L. Sayers (and their continuation by Jill Paton Walsh). A amateur, dilettante who solves myst ...

and his man Bunter. Lugg's first name has been linked to the British defeat in the

Battle of Magersfontein The Battle of MagersfonteinSpelt incorrectly in various English texts as "Majersfontein", "Maaghersfontein" and "Maagersfontein". ( ) was fought on 11 December 1899, at Magersfontein, near Kimberley, Northern Cape, Kimberley, South Africa, on t ...

during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

.B. Shaw, ''Jolly Good Detecting'' (2013) p. 112

Portrayals

Television

In the 1959 TV series Lugg was played by

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970), known as Wally Patch, was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on th ...

George Sewell George Sewell (31 August 19242 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films. Early life and early career The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist, Sewell left school at the age o ...

portrayed the character in a 1968 adaptation of ''The Case of the Late Pig'' for the BBC anthology series ''Detective''. In the 1989 series, Lugg was played by ex-wrestler turned character actor

Brian Glover Brian Glover (2 April 1934 – 24 July 1997) was an English actor and writer. He worked as a teacher and professional wrestler before commencing an acting career which included films, many roles on British television and work on the stage. His ...

Radio

Many of the Campion novels have been adapted for BBC Radio over the years. Lugg has been played by

Cyril Shaps Cyril Leonard Shaps (13 October 1923 – 1 January 2003) was an English actor of radio, television and film, with a career spanning over seven decades. Early radio Shaps was born in the East End of London to Polish-Jewish parents; his father ...

and

Brewster Mason Brewster Mason (30 August 192214 August 1987) was an England, English stage actor who also appeared in films and on television. He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He th ...

References