"The visual shown does not correspond to a real occurrence; it is simply meant to illustrate the story detailed below"

Billy Butlin recounts in his book (page 59) that he recalls visiting an exhibition to explore its offerings and to reminisce about his days as part of a family of travelling showmen. As he wandered through the exhibition grounds, he was taken aback to find that there were no dart stalls present. This was quite unusual, as he remembered the popularity of dart stalls in England, making their absence at this fair surprising for him. This moment marked an important point in the Butlin's timeline, as Billy Butlin decided to take his holiday leave from Eatons and set up a dart stall at the fair, offering Kewpie Dolls as prizes. He worked this stall alongside a friend called Norman Littlewood, who had been in the army with Billy Butlin when they were based in France.  The stall proved to be a tremendous success, attracting many customers who came to enjoy his offerings, prompting him to shift his focus from a career at Eatons to pursuing a path as a showman. He felt an inner feeling that this was the right future for him, rather than the one he was currently on at Eatons.

Billy Butlin was deeply influenced by the stall's success, which filled his thoughts until he could no longer ignore his feelings about what it meant to him. The idea of the stall became more important when Billy Butlin recounted an interaction with a stranger. They discussed the stall and its accomplishments at the exhibition fair, leading Billy Butlin to realise that he needed to change his career towards a showman style. On page 59 of Billy Butlin's book, it is noted that the stranger informed Billy Butlin about a new exhibition he was launching in Renfrew, Ottawa, suggesting that Billy Butlin and Norman Littlewood could set up their successful stall there. This was exactly what Billy Butlin had been searching for, the chance to follow his aspirations as he agreed with Norman to participate in the Exhibition.

After a lengthy discussion with the stranger, Billy Butlin and Norman Littlewood consented to pay in advance for the exhibition in Renfrew, Ottawa. Billy Butlin drew upon his earnings, which totalled £400, and  Norman Littlewood used his funds to purchase two stalls. Since their dart stall had been a large success in Toronto, they agreed that each could manage a stall to boost their profits. They shook hands and finalised the arrival date, with Billy Butlin feeling that this was the moment he had long awaited, marking an important shift towards a work style he felt was ideal for him. At that instant, Billy Butlin was overjoyed with the developments and was very pleased to be working alongside Norman Littlewood to help realise his dream. Billy Butlin would have been feeling extremely confident with the plans that he and Norman had in motion. 

With his earnings already used for the advance payment on the stalls, Billy Butlin found himself needing to borrow money for the travelling fair to Renfrew. He approached his department manager at Eaton's with a great deal of confidence and resigned from the company to begin a new career journey. On the train, he pondered over plans, expansions, expectations, prizes to offer, and how to ensure the stalls would be profitable for him and Norman's future. As the train reached Renfrew, anticipation grew as they both stepped off to breathe in the air of a new location, feeling that their lives were on the verge of a major change. However, as he roamed around, he started to feel concerned when he couldn't locate the exhibition that the stranger had mentioned. After seeking help from the locals, they soon realised that a major obstacle stood in the way of his dream. I could only picture Billy Butlin sitting on a bench, coming to the painful realisation that the stranger he had talked to had deceived them both, taking all his money in a scam, and more importantly, robbing Billy Butlin of his opportunity to run the stalls.

It is widely known that Billy Butlin is a person who never gives up and has a mind that is good at finding solutions to problems. When he assessed the options available to him at that time, he realised that there was only one correct path he could take to get back on track towards his future. As he boarded the train back to Toronto, he felt a mix of frustration and sadness over the events that had unfolded, which made him understand the importance of learning from this experience. Upon his return to Toronto, he approached Eatons without the confidence he once had and discussed the possibility of regaining his previous position in the art department. In his book, Billy Butlin refers to this situation as a "humble" request to reclaim his job in the art department. After their conversation, Eatons and Billy Butlin shook hands, but it was clear that he still had a long journey ahead, with one thing unmistakably clear... he was not going to give up on the ehope of his dreams, just choosing a different way to achieve them.

This experience wasn't entirely negative, as Billy Butlin had learned three important lessons from his trip.

     * The first lesson was to understand more about what was being offered and to ask more questions to make sure that everything was looking good, without a large advance payment being given.
     * When making a decision, think more thoroughly before saying yes, with the understanding of all areas that you need for this to be successful

The third lesson proved to be the most important for Billy Butlin, as this experience revealed another aspect he had overlooked. This experience demonstrated that his career path lay within the showman industry, where he felt a sense of belonging. This was the missing element in his life that needed to be fulfilled; the showman's lifestyle was where he felt accepted, and he recognised that his future career would need to align with this direction. He would confirm this feeling, as his family background supported it, and in his book, he mentions, "..that I had the showman's blood in my veins." It was a challenging experience that opened his eyes to three crucial areas, which would be important to the history of Butlins. The first lesson would aid in the development of his business, the second would connect to the locations of his camps, parks, and hotels, and the third involved researching the roles of the showmen industry... all three essential areas that contributed to Butlins' success.

Grateful to have his job back at Eatons, Billy Butlin found it difficult to let go of the showman lifestyle and the fact that he was on the verge of realising his dream. The memories of travelling the fairs with his mother, Bertha, in the West Country made it even harder to dismiss this notion. Although Billy Butlin recognised that Eatons provided him with a stable income, deep down, the call of the travelling showman urged him to embrace that life. On page 60, he recounts his return to England during the war and the emotions that accompanied it. It was a remarkable sensation, and the longer he stayed at Eatons, the more he felt compelled to initiate a change. While he had no negative feelings towards Eatons and appreciated how well the company treated him, he often reflected on the idea of "an open-air life, not tied to a desk," which echoed in his thoughts. This time, he intended to carefully consider his choices and discuss the available options with his mother, Bertha.