HE was the man of many funny faces who could transform his already cheery features to mimic those of cartoon favourite ‘Popeye’ – and all without the aid of a can of spinach!

Back in the sixties and seventies people would often stare at Alf Hyland when they passed him in the street, but rather than protest at the curious looks aimed in his direction, Alf would actively encourage it by pulling more faces.

“I don’t know what people must think,” says Alf. “My faces are funny ones, menacing ones or just plain horrific ones.”

Alf, who lived at Blackfield up until his death in 1983, was something of a local celebrity due to his face-pulling and gurning activities – with his Popeye impression earning him the most notoriety. In fact, his Popeye was such a crowd pleaser that Alf would often carry a Popeye cap and suit (complete with arm-lets with anchors on them) around in a carry bag with him so that he could transform himself into Olive Oil’s sweetheart at a moments notice.

But that wasn’t the only highlight for the face puller. Once, while working for the old AGWI refinery (now Esso) in 1937 he heard that Bertram Mills’ circus was in Southampton. “I saw Cyril Mills and he was very impressed with my funny faces”, explained Alf who decided to call in on the circus to show off his facial talents. The circus was so impressed that they offered Alf a two-year contract to appear in a circus sideshow at a wage of £4 10s. a week – twice what he was getting at the refinery.

“I spend hours in front of the mirror getting the right face,” Alf claimed when he was interviewed by the Echo back in November 1965, “I think that people are more interested in funny faces now than they were years ago.”

But all these hours of personal training and hard work in front of the mirror did not go without its reward. In 1973, he was declared unofficial face-pulling champion of England when he competed in a BBC contest. For many years Alf was well known for his charity work alongside the RNLI and the Air and Sea Rescue Services where his Popeye features were a familiar and welcome addition to the various fundraising campaigns.

Yet, despite his success, Alf’s funny faces were always just a sideline to some of his more conventional methods of earning a living. During the war he had a spell in Southampton Fire Service before finding work at Thornycroft’s shipyard as a “bucket boy,” looking after the braziers.

In his later years he became a car park attendant at Lepe Beach – a place that had long been a favourite of Alf’s who was also known as a keen swimmer and would often enjoy a dip in the sea at Lepe on the days when he wasn’t making children laugh with his many faces at Southampton’s Swimming Baths.

When asked about his hobbies, Alf, who had been swimming since the age of ten, said he had no intention of slowing down as he entered his later year. He said: “The children love to try to copy my antics, and the attendants reckon I set a good example.”

Alf continued to entertain folk with his many faces up until his death at Lymington Infirmary in December 1983 following an illness. He was aged 79.