TRAVELS OF HOPE AND GLORY
The ‘Forces Sweetheart’ recalls some unique adventures as she entertained the WW2 troops, and tells us why toilet paper is top of her must-haves
MY FIRST TRIP ABROAD
was to entertain “the boys” of the 14th Army in Burma [now Myanmar], which was then a British colony. I flew out in 1944 as part of an epic trip taking in Gibraltar, Egypt, Basra, Bahrain and India. We stopped off at the Rock of Gibraltar, which had been evacuated of civilians and turned into a fortress.
IT WAS QUITE UNUSUAL
at the time for an entertainer to go to a war zone to visit the troops at the front. So Burma was the most adventurous place I’ve ever been — I had to get special permission from the authorities before flying out. Once there, they made me an honorary colonel so I could go into the officers’ mess for my food.
ARMY FATIGUES
proved far more practical jungle wear than dresses when I spent four months there during the war, singing to General Slim’s “forgotten army”. I took a pretty dress with me to the Far East but the mosquitoes made it impossible to wear.
IT WAS LIKE NOTHING I’D EVER SEEN BEFORE
when I stopped off at the Khan elKhalili bazaar in Cairo. It was a magical maze of narrow streets bedecked with mirrors, spices, shoes, lanterns and jewels. The smells were of dried roses, spices and tobacco. I suddenly felt a long way from the London of my childhood.
HOLIDAYS WERE MUCH SIMPLER IN MY YOUTH
but none the worse for it; you don’t need to spend a fortune to have fun by the seaside. I’d spend hours paddling in the sea and building sandcastles — and if I was able to have an ice cream, I was happy.
I ENJOYED MYSELF
whatever the weather as a child. Our family didn’t have a lot of money, so my brother, parents and I spent our holidays at Southend-on-Sea.
I’VE NEVER BEEN MORE EMBARRASSED
than the time I knitted myself a woollen swimming costume one year, not realising how wool held water. I went for a swim in the sea, it got soaking wet and when I walked out it virtually dropped to my ankles.
I’LL NEVER FORGET
once performing at an ice rink in Canada — it was so cold that someone had to lend me their coat. I’ve always been popular there as well as in Australia and New Zealand, and toured all three in the ’60s and ’70s.
I WAS STRUCK BY THE ABSENCE OF BIRDSONG
in Belsen, the site of a wartime concentration camp. It was as if even the birds couldn’t bear to live in a place where such evil had been perpetrated. It’s a chilling place even now, but everyone should visit it once in their lives to fully appreciate the history of the Holocaust.
I ESCAPED TO HAWAII AFTER EVERY TOUR
in Australia and New Zealand in January and February for a post-tour holiday with my family. My favourite hotel is the Hilton Hawaiian Village beach resort in Honolulu.
AMSTERDAM IS ONE OF THOSE RARE CITIES
that is just as beautiful in winter as in summer. I have very fond memories of it.
The Dutch have always been among my greatest fans — they used to secretly listen to my songs being played on BBC radio during the war — so I’ve always received a warm welcome.
THE QUEEN MARY
was the most beautiful ship in the world and I remember travelling across the Atlantic on it from Southampton to New York. I got really seasick but seeing the Manhattan skyline and Statue of Liberty on our arrival in New York made it all worthwhile.
ALWAYS PACK LOO ROLL
when travelling abroad. Call me old-fashioned, but I think it’s a good idea even today. When I travelled to France in the years after the war, you couldn’t buy soft lavatory paper.
PEOPLE TAKE FOR GRANTED
how easy it is to get around nowadays. Back then, the wartime planes I flew on were designed to carry service personnel, so were noisy and far from comfortable.
I’VE ALWAYS BEEN CAREFUL
about what I eat when I travel abroad. Getting an upset tummy is never pleasant, and it’s worse if you get a funny tummy a long way from home.
THIS MIGHT SOUND STRANGE
given that our boys fought the Japanese in Burma, but the one country I’d still like to visit is Japan.
L
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