IanA Posted 30 July , 2006 Share Posted 30 July , 2006 Hi Kate, I have the whole run and as I have plenty of spare time just now (broken ankle) I will get back to you soon. Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 30 July , 2006 Author Share Posted 30 July , 2006 C'mon - how'd you do it Ian? By the way, a belated thankyou to Sophie for the information Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 30 July , 2006 Share Posted 30 July , 2006 I was stone cold sober! Actually, it was 11.30 a.m. I was walking along the cliffs on South Ronaldsay looking for puffins when my right foot twisted in the long grass and I went down. Just for a moment, I felt a little sorry for myself - I was two miles from my car and any house. I had not seen anyone else all morning. I always carry a whistle attached to my compass but my wife had given me a new electronic compass - where do you think my whistle was? There was no mobile phone reception and I didn't know if I could stand. To cut a long story short, I could and, with some pain, could also limp. So I limped. Sooner that than make food for great skuas! I got lots of time for research! If you P.M. me with your e-mail address, I will send scans of the pages you want. There are some good illustrations. Cheers, Ian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mruk Posted 28 November , 2006 Share Posted 28 November , 2006 Hello Kate, I'm hoping that what I've found today in the Regimental Museum at York is relevant to your research and enquiries. What follows is the programme for a concert which the lads from C Company of the 10th West Yorks performed in January, 1916. [Title: "10th West Yorks Programme of C. Company's Concert held at Ruminghem on Sat. Jan. 15th 1916"] The lad doing the comic turn of "Hielan' Lassie" was my Gt. Uncle [Pte. Ernest Stowe] Pianoforte Solo--Corp. Lovekin--Ragtimes Song--Pte. Williams--Asleep in the Dark Piccolo Song--Sgt. Purcell--Killarney-Waltz Comic Song--Pte. Stevenson--Good Old Jeff Song--Lt. Reynolds--Little Irish Colleen Comic Song--Pte. Haddock--Stammering Sam Song--Sgt. Weir--Boys of the Old Brigade Comic Song--Pte. Spink--The Baby's Name Song--Corp. Copeland--Selected Comic Song--Lt. Vickery--Selected Mouth Organ Selection--Pte. W. Scott Song--Sgt. Wilson--Lindy Lou Comic Song--Pte. Stowe--Cheer Up My Hielan' Lassie Song--Pte. Upton--The Volunteer Organist Comic Song--L/Cpl. G.H. Shaw--The Dutch Song Song--L/Cpl. Seymour--Kitchener's Army Pianoforte Solo--Corp. Lovekin--Barcarolle "Tales From Hoffman" Cheers, Dave Seven of these men were to die within six months, with the possibility of two others. [Richard Purcell; John Copeland; William Scott; Ernest Stowe; Harry Upton; George Herbert Shaw; Frank Seymour--D.C.M.] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 29 November , 2006 Author Share Posted 29 November , 2006 Dave, Thankyou for this. Did you know your great uncle did a turn before your trip to the Museum, or was it a nice surprise? How dreadful that nearly half the men who performed in that cheery gathering died soon afterwards. I remember reading a quote from Jonathan Walker's The Blood Tub, the Padre observing that in the aftermath of battle it was the old lags who returned, and not the keen and trusty blokes. Bearing that in mind, it is interesting to note the high casualty rate amongst those who stepped forward to do a 'stunt' at that company concert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saberhagen427 Posted 31 December , 2006 Share Posted 31 December , 2006 Kate, My great-grandfather was in a concert party called The Bing Bong Boys when he was a PoW at Cottbus. We don't know much about them, but there's a group photo on my blog along with some more details of his story. A google search turned up a diary which mentions a show at the Alhambra theatre in London called "The Bing Bong Boys are here", which involved the comedian George Robey. Also mentions some other shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 4 January , 2007 Author Share Posted 4 January , 2007 Thanks for those links Gavin. The show at the Alhambra was called 'The Bing Boys are Here' Its hit songs included 'If you were the Only Girl in the World' and 'Another little drink wouldn't do us any harm'. It was a runaway success, as were 'The Bing Boys are There' and 'The Bing Boys on Broadway'. Songs from the shows were popular items in troop concerts, so may well have been performed by your great-grandfather. Naval cadet uniforms were common amongst the pre-war civilian concert parties, such as Eastbourne's 'Gay Cadets'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
campaign Posted 5 January , 2007 Share Posted 5 January , 2007 Kate - re the home front - assume you mean home guard? if so, thought you'd like to know that I recently had the Defence Medal issued by the MOD in respect of my late father. Also, his parents were on the stage in the early 1900s (with an acrobatic act I think) and I am still trying to trace this from London theatres, where they lived. My grandmother was in one of the london theatere fires, later died from effects. Also research found that she was born in Germany and I believe some of the 'acts' were hounded out of London due to their nationality? Lyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 12 February , 2007 Share Posted 12 February , 2007 Kate The photograph below is taken from The Wiltshire Regiment 1914-1959 a photo' compilation by Martin McIntyre. The caption reads: The 'Moonrakers' the concert troupe of the 1st/4th. Battalion in India c1916. Of twenty-three soldiers who presented themselves for audition, nine were chosen to form the troupe. These were 2nd/Lt Tucker; L/Cpls Inglis and Brown; Ptes Caines, Carter, Edwards, Golding, Mattock and Shore. Their most notable song was 'Patty' by Pte. Shore which included the words, 'patty packs all things together, so the tummies can't tell whether it is pants, preserves or pickles, pretty polly packs'. The 'Moonrakers' provided entertainment for both the garrison and the battalion in India until the time they embarked for Palestine in 1917, after which they had a more pressing engagement with the Turkish Army. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 12 February , 2007 Author Share Posted 12 February , 2007 Dave, Thankyou for posting that. Do you happen to know if the line-up corresponds with the list of names you have given? Thaks again Kate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 12 February , 2007 Share Posted 12 February , 2007 Kate I have no idea whether the names line-up. I just transcribed the caption as was. Sorry. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom compton Posted 5 April , 2007 Share Posted 5 April , 2007 hello kate lets not forget the old music halls in the war .marie lloyd had a song "now that you've got your old khaki on".or something like that .tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganshort Posted 19 May , 2007 Share Posted 19 May , 2007 Hi Kate, didn't realise you had started the Lena Ashwell fan club! Her is a scan of a pic printed on "see through"paper sold to make money for concerts at the Front, spearheaded by Lena. What a tireless worker she was, and a very pretty one at that! I posted another concert party pc on the Woodpecker postings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 17 June , 2007 Share Posted 17 June , 2007 Hiya I have a concert programme from the passage to mesopotamia 1916 that i will endevour to post tommorow & a copy of Dick whittington as played by the concert party of the 85th Field ambulance in salonika. Regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 17 June , 2007 Share Posted 17 June , 2007 Here you go My Great Grandfather (2) was on his way east to Mesopotamia with 596 ASC by way of Eygpt to Basrah Now we turn to great Grandad (1) Serving with 84th Field ambulance salonika with the 28th Div. This was a performance by the 85th FA Xmas 1915 And a nice pic of the inside cover Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Wills Posted 18 June , 2007 Author Share Posted 18 June , 2007 Loganshort, Yes, I am such a big fan of Lena that I have this image on a sweatshirt! Clever idea though, isn't it (The Window Tax that is, not the sweatshirt). Bob, 'Theatre of War' is a very apt description of the Salonika campaign. Because there was little hope of home leave, off-duty hobbies such as football, boxing and theatricals were actively encouraged. 85th Field Ambulance started a very high standard with perhaps the first organised entertainment of the three-year campaign shortly after arriving with the rest of 28th Division. With Christmas approaching, 85th FA were feeling a very long way from home in strange surroundings. A trip to the pantomime was a feature of Edwardian family life, and with many thoughts turned to Christmas traditions back home, someone had the bright idea of devising a pantomime for Christmas 1915 in their dreary, windswept camp on the outskirts of Salonika. Dick Whittington was chosen, Pte Frank Kenchington wrote the script, the music was arranged by Charles Jaques, who also composed two new numbers for the show. Jaques was a printer by trade, and he probably arraged for the souvenir book in your photo. Gen Briggs, OC 28th Division was "so amused and charmed" by 85th's efforts that he ordered the company to tour Dick Whittington around all the units of 28th Division "so that all the men might have the same pleasure and enjoyment". The demure Alice above is leading 'lady' Cpl Eddie Dillon. who also took the role of Kitty in 85th's 1916 production of Aladdin. The painting is by the abundantly-talented Charles Jaques, and the wig made by Pte W Anderson. Eddie Dillon is one of my favourite wartime personalities. I sense that he enjoyed life, including soldiering, to the full. He applied for a commission in the RFC in 1917 and came home for training. I think he had a spell on the Western Front, then returned home as an instructor at 7th Training Depot Station at Feltwell in Norfolk. He died in a flying accident aged 23 on 12 April 1918, and is buried in St Mary's Roman Catholic section of Kensal Green Cemetery. 85th FA's Christmas productions became a seasonal tradition throughout the campaign, and inspired munerous units to form entertainment troupes of their own. One was 84th FA, who mounted a perfomance of Gilbert & Sullivan's Mikado. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bts1970 Posted 18 June , 2007 Share Posted 18 June , 2007 Certainly a different time Last year in Basra we had the usual stand-up comic page 3 dolly & a dance troup, these guys did it all themselves. the artwork in the Book is quite brilliant all things considered & a facinating tale to read. Many thanks for your intrest Regards Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilW Posted 22 June , 2007 Share Posted 22 June , 2007 Don't know if these are of interest - first 2 photos taken by grandfather (or a friend) in Wassigny in 1918 (he was there at end of war - so probably between Nov 11th and Nov 23rd when they moved to Beauval). There were no notes on photos but Dad and I traced it to "Salle Jean d'Arc" in Wassigny when we were researching Grandads war diary and took a photo in 1993. Local chap confirmed that 1918 photos were taken in Wassigny. If you want high def copies, please PM me 1993 photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marienkäfer Posted 26 January , 2008 Share Posted 26 January , 2008 Hello! I am interested in your knowledge as the Pozieres Sound & Light show will be producing a scene based on Butterworth in July 2007. You cd be a real help. The Sound & Light show is produced by Digger-Côte 160 and their website is www.digger-pozieres.org Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganshort Posted 27 January , 2008 Share Posted 27 January , 2008 Just finished a book about the suffragettes. I didn't know that Lena Ashwell was prominent in that movement! As well as being an actress, the originator of WW1 concert parties (forerunner of WW2 ENSA) a manager of theatres and a suffragette - a busy woman! Is there an available biog of hers around? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 27 January , 2008 Share Posted 27 January , 2008 There are a couple of autobiogs, Myself a Player & Modern Troubadors, but both can be really difficult (and potentially very expensive) to find. Someone also wrote a postgrad thesis about here, but the details don't spring to mind. Martin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganshort Posted 27 January , 2008 Share Posted 27 January , 2008 Thanks Martin. I will have to keep a look out for one. She just sounds a really interesting lady. Que for a film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveR Posted 30 January , 2008 Share Posted 30 January , 2008 Kate, the War Diary for 64th (2/3rd West Lancs) Field Ambulance records "Lena Ashwell concert party is giving a concert this afternoon" while at FOUQUIERES on 30-12-16. cheers Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjustice Posted 3 August , 2008 Share Posted 3 August , 2008 'lo Kate, This might be an important lead if you're still into LA: "A company of four English ladies, belonging to the 'Lena Ashwell Concert Party', visted the [4th Guards] brigade [at Criel Plage], and gave us a most delightful entertainment in the Cinema Hall, CRIEL. Their names were: Miss Emma Maclean - Pianist. Miss Elma Godfrey - 'Cellist. Miss Fanny Morris - Vocalist. Miss Phyllis Blaine - Elocutionist Their chief charm lay in their youth and freshness [lol no comment - SMJ]. The party returned to Brigade H.Q. for dinner. It was found after dinner that they could dance as well as they could sing. It is to be hoped that they will visit us again." 4th Guards Brigade War Diary 9 September 1918 UK National Archives (TNA) WO 95/1225 I hope that helps. Kind Regards, SMJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skipman Posted 3 August , 2008 Share Posted 3 August , 2008 As regards ww1 music ,there's the pipe bands of scottish regiments,or martial music in general. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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