Stars in Battledress: A Light-hearted Look at Service Entertainment in the Second World War (Bill Pertwee) lands on the shelves of my shop, where it will be found in my Movies section. priced at just £4.00!
Hodder & Stoughton, 1992, (First Edition) Hardback in dust wrapper.
Contains: Black & white photographs; Photographic end papers & blanks;
From the cover: During the Second World War, actors, actresses, musicians and variety artistes played an important role in keeping up the morale of British citizens at home and abroad, and none more so than those entertainers who had enlisted in the forces to fight, and were then chosen to entertain the troops in the battle zones.
Stars in Battledress, as the army entertainers were known, was a flying squad of artistes that included such famous names as Charlie Chester, Michael Denison, Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe, Janet Brown and Faith Brook. The RAF Gang Shows boasted the talents of Tony Hancock, Peter Sellers (then a brilliant drummer), Dick Emery and David Lodge, while Donald Hewlett, Jon Pertwee, Arthur Lane and Russ Conway were among naval personnel. The post-war Combined Services Entertainment is also looked at, among whose ranks could be found Frankie Howerd, Jimmy Perry, lan Carmichael, Kenneth Williams and Stanley Baxter.
In Stars In Battledress Bill Pertwee recounts their stories of how shows were put on in the various theatres of war and, for some, in the prisoner of war camps of eastern Europe and the Far East.
Stars In Battledress is a memorable account of the early days of some of Britains best-loved and most well-known entertainers, brought together by circumstance and a common desire to do their bit for Britain.
Introduction by: John Major
Very Good in Very Good Dust Wrapper.
Black boards with Gilt titling to the Spine. 222 pages. Index. 9½” x 6¼”.
BookLovers of Bath 