Follow-up

BOB HuNT certainly brought back some nostalgic memories for me about the Wood Green Empire (Peterborough). I was born in Harringay, North London, in the early Thirties. Wood Green Empire was just two bus stops away and accorded light relief from the bombing and the doodlebugs. We saw all the music hall artists mentioned by Bob. As the war progressed and things quietened down, we ventured into the West End to see one of the many morale-boosting shows on at that time. One special memory was a visit to the London Hippodrome to see Vic Oliver, a droll comedian and impresario. He was married to Churchill’s daughter, Sarah. On the stage that night he introduced a young girl with a magical voice. Her name was Julie, and her parents — Ted and Barbara Andrews — appeared on the same bill. I like to think it may have been one of the first public performances by the future star of Mary Poppins and The Sound Of Music. Another notable memory during the air raids was visiting the Bedford Theatre in Camden Town. The show was called Yankee Doodle Dandy and its star was Jimmy Cagney — the Gene Kelly of the time and a long way from the tough guy image for which he became well known. Great memories!