Cardiff giant George Auger (12 photos)

Captain William George Auger was born in Cardiff, Wales, on December 27, 1882, to a couple of normal average height. By the age of fourteen, the teenager’s height already exceeded 185 cm. As an adult, Oger reached 2.30 meters.





As a young man, George Auger served as a police officer in Cardiff and was probably the tallest of the police force. Despite his enormous size, George was known for his gentle nature, sociability and charming smile.



The man enjoyed the sympathy of the public and the respect of his colleagues. From Cardiff, Auger moved to London, where he continued his career as a police officer. Because of his intimidating appearance, he was often assigned to Queen Victoria's personal police escort. It was the queen herself who began to call George captain. She probably wanted to emphasize in this way the impressive appearance of the man from her guard. The “title” stuck to Oger, and for many years even his immediate superiors addressed him that way.





When the Barnum and Bailey Circus toured London, Auger attended the performance with his wife Bertha. When he approached the circus giant, he discovered that he was a whole head taller than the circus performer.

This did not go unnoticed by the circus and Auger was offered a job as the Cardiff Giant. George didn’t think twice, because he was already bored with police work, and liked the idea of seeing the world and entertaining the public.



Auger made it to the States in 1903 and performed with the Barnum and Bailey Circus at Madison Square Garden. To emphasize his size, the management combined the giant with a Hungarian family of Lilliputians. This practice was common in circuses, and the giant did everything possible to make the family of kids feel like stars. The man and the youngest member of the family, Paul, quickly became best friends. Eventually, Auger even became a best man at Paul's wedding.



Oger decided not to be content with a career as a circus performer, but to also become an actor. In 1906, he wrote a play called Jack the Giant Killer. The play premiered on the stage of the Orpheum Theater. He himself acted as the giant, and the Lilliputians acted as the townspeople. Due to its popularity, the play ran for almost ten years. During this time, George also became an American citizen.



By the 1920s, George had retired. He and Bertha had a beautiful place near Fairfield, Connecticut, where he spent his days on the porch with his bulldog, Ringling. However, in 1922, George decided that he had another tour ahead of him. He went to work for the Ringling Bros., Barnum and Bailey Circus, where he was paid $50 a week.

That same year, the Cardiff Giant was approached by silent film star Harold Lloyd to play the giant in Why Bother? As a movie actor, he would be paid $350 a week, but more importantly, he would finally become a movie star. Unfortunately, this last triumph was not destined to happen.



On November 30, while visiting friends in New Jersey, Auger complained of abdominal pain shortly before taking a bath before going to bed. Friends heard the giant collapse in the bathroom, but could not help him, as his body blocked the tightly closed door. When the hinges were removed, it was too late.

More than a thousand friends attended George's funeral, and many, many more mourned the passing of the good giant.