From western front to West End
Reading the October edition of your magazine, my family was surprised to see a photo of my Uncle Johnny preparing to entertain the troops ( News). Johnny Heawood was a member of the first Canadian troops to arrive in Europe after the country’s declaration of war in 1939. In 1946, he received his discharge papers in England, the country he would make his home until his death in 1995.
Uncle Johnny went on to invest in the Players’ Theatre, London, where he would perform regularly with other famous faces, including his wartime friend Bill Dunstan (shown with him in the photo). Johnny enjoyed a distinguished career as an actor, dancer and choreographer, regularly appearing on the London stage, on Broadway and in movies such as Oliver! and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Bill returned to Canada in the 1950s, where he married and had a family.
In 1951, Johnny’s youngest sister, Pamela – my mother – left Toronto and arrived in England. She would also make it her home and now, aged 88, was thrilled to find this photo of a brother whom she has always spoken of fondly. After Johnny’s death, she found among his things a recent letter from Bill Dunstan – it seems the one-time theatrical partners had remained friends until the very end. Mary Collett, London
We reward the Letter of the Month writer with our ‘History Choice’ book of the month. This issue, it’s The Scottish Clearances by TM Devine.