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After leaving school in 1940, I went to work at the Head Office of the Midland Bank in London. I was told that the bank had a Concert Party and that they were looking for new members, so, with my ukelele in hand, I marched through the grand marble hall and up in the lift to the auditions and was selected to be the new Compere.

鈥淭HE VENTURERS鈥� Concert Party comprised of a Soprano, Conjuror, Banjo Player, three young ladies from the typing pool who performed sketches, Hula-Hula and other dance routines, plus myself and a lady pianist from the Concert Artistes Association who could 鈥淏ash it out with the best of 鈥榚m鈥� 鈥� no matter what the condition of the piano provided might be.

We were duly despatched in the evenings to various anti-aircraft sites in and around London to give entertainments to the units on duty. On occasions there would be an 鈥榓lert鈥� when the audience of soldiers would dash away, perhaps fire a few rounds, and then return after the 鈥榓ll-clear鈥�; we would then finish our performance.

On one Saturday afternoon we were sent to the Naval Base at Chatham, where we were greeted by the Royal Navy Entertainments Officer with 鈥淕ood of you to come 鈥� we have a lot of first-class shows here 鈥� last week some of the gals came down from the Windmill Theatre鈥�! It was a large theatre at Chatham, the like of which we had never encountered before and I peeped through the curtains to observe a 鈥榮ea of sailors鈥� waiting to be entertained. We all feared the worst and possibly getting 鈥榯he bird鈥� 鈥� but, in fact, all went well. They laughed and clapped in the right places and even gave three cheers for us at the end!

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