The Great Stromboli, sword-swallower and fire-eater, 92

Tributes have been paid to Fife-born swordswallower, fire-eater and entertainer the Great Stromboli, who has died aged 92.

Daniel Lynch, better known by his stage name, aptly taken from an Italian volcano, delighted and amazed audiences around the world with his postwar cabaret show.

He died at the Royal Bolton Hospital on April 9, just five weeks after the loss of his wife Silvia, nee Wilde, aged 87, who performed alongside him.

Mr Lynch was born on July 7 1926 in Rosyth, the son of Daniel Lynch, Royal Naval Chief Petty Officer, and Dorothy (Maud), nee McCartney.

He was the young brother of Dorothy and Shiela and the older brother of Pat. He attended St John’s Primary School, Rosyth, and St Margaret’s School, Dunfermline.

During the Second World War, aged 15, he joined the Royal Navy.

He served on the tribal class destroyer HMS Ashanti, and saw action in the Arctic Convoys to Murmansk, the relief of Malta, the invasion of North Africa and the D-Day landings.

Later in the conflict he was despatched to Singapore and then Japan.

It was during this period he first tried his hand at fire-eating and sword-swallowing, planting the seed of a fascination which would have remarkable effects on the rest of his life.

After the war, Mr Lynch served in the Merchant Service in Australia and later returned to his home and sold life insurance in Manchester, before his own life took a dramatic twist and he became a performer.

During the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s, Mr and Mrs Lynch toured the globe with their variety show, even performing for royalty.

They were regulars on The Ken Dodd Show where the act climaxed with Mr Lynch strapped into a replica of the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison in New York. Other such high-voltage antics saw Mr Lynch light bulbs by conducting electricity through his body.

In the 1980s he held the world record for blowing flames from his mouth with the aid of a whisky glass of “fuel”.

His Guinness record best was 136, however he reportedly beat this with a feat of 214 flames but it was not acknowledged as judges said it would be too dangerous for anyone else to attempt.

In his later years Mr Lynch was well known for his love of storytelling and magic shows.

He also starred in the 1980 film The Elephant Man, appearing as a fire-eater, and gained further credits for films The Bride and Princess Caraboo.

TV appearances included The David Nixon Show, Black and White Minstrels and the Kenny Everett Show.

Beyond the stage he was renowned for his love of all things unusual, and throughout his life amassed a collection of weird and wonderful oddities he picked up on his travels.

His “horror cellar” collection of curiosities included shrunken heads, a two-headed calf, a devil fish, a mammoth’s jaw, a giant 400-yearold Elephant Bird egg and replicas of the Crown Jewels.

Mr and Mrs Lynch had no children and are survived by five nieces and six nephews.