THE FAT BOY OF FOXTON (1908)
Wilfred Westwood was one of the original "Circus Fat Boys"
of the Edwardian Era.
Born as part of the Westwood Family in New Zealand, Wilfred and his
sister, Ruby, became famous for their enormous obesity, and their size
was paraded and photographed as examples of the extremes of the human
body.
Wilfred's peak weight was recorded as over 310lbs at the age of just
eleven years old.
In an era when it was still extremely common for children to have
stunted growth from poor nutrition, or to even die from
malnourishment, people were fascinated by this spectacle of extreme
childhood obesity - something so rare that it was worth paying a
ticket to see it in a circus sideshow.
While he never lost any weight (or at least, not much), Wilfred
eventually gave up his stint as a traveling sideshow, and grew up to
become a glass-blower by the time he reached early-adulthood in his
20s. At this stage, his weight was still recorded as being at least
280-300lbs.
Below is Wilfred at his peak-weight of 310lbs+ at the age of 11 in
1908.
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