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This story was submitted to the People’s War site by Roger Marsh of the ‘Action Desk — Sheffield’ Team on behalf of Andrew James Senior, and has been added to the site with the author’s permission. The author fully understands the site's terms and conditions.

The ENSA Years of ‘The Norris Trio’
By
Andy Senior

Part 2 - My Burma Story

”We all have memories of past events and interesting happenings in our lifetime; some of my more vivid memories and experiences are of India and Burma during World War Two, when I went out to entertain the forces. I had previously worked for two years far the American Red Crass in this capacity, but in England, the south coast mostly, during the doodlebug period, and as our headquarters was in London. Most of our nights (after the shows) were spent in the crowded tubes. In 1945 we were asked to go to the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in London. The headquarters for ENSA-Entertainments National Service Association- or as the troops used to say, "Every night something `appens!" We formed a small unit of six — three boys and three girls, a conjurer 2 girl acrobats, my late brother was the entertainer and compere, and I was the pianist. We did a short tour (in England) of the munitions factories, first known as Workers Playtime, and then off to H.Q. in Drury Lane again to be kitted out for our wardrobe for India and Burma. And we also had to have 9 inoculations and vaccinations for Malaria and all the other diseases in the jungle.
Eventually we set sail at midnight on board a troopship in convoy; this was all very hush! hush & we were not allowed to know the Port of departure. Later on however we found it was Oban in Scotland.

”Lifeboat drill was a must everyday and in choppy sea, this was not very funny, as you can imagine, particularly in the Bay of Biscay! We passed Gibraltar and Tangiers, and then arrived in Malta in glorious weather, but we were not allowed to land in the evenings. We had a singsong in the ship’s lounge and even a dance. Then on to Port Said and through the Suez Canal, which was very uninteresting and monotonous (this was before the blockade of course), and we anchored in Suez Bay for three days. We also had a Gang Show on board and we alternated with them in entertaining the forces and the ship’s company in the evenings. We were now approaching the Red Sea after leaving Suez, and it was extremely HOT! So in the afternoons, one had to rest and switch on the electric fans. Eventually we docked in Bombay after a month's voyage and saw the famous Gateway of India.

”Oh, before we left England (I forgot to mention this), we were kitted out with soap, towels, cooking utensils, bedrolls, mosquito nets and even toilet rolls, as these, we were told, were unobtainable in Burma. We also had hurricane lamps and candles; we really wondered where an earth we were going!

”We were all issued with Officers’ uniforms and ENSA Flashes, and if the other ranks did not notice our Flashes, much to our amusement, they would salute us thinking we were officers of course.

”Well, eventually we arrived in Bombay, and checking our luggage on the dockside, I discovered my personal trunk was missing, so there was I standing on the dockside in a strange country miles from home and in tropical heat, with just the clothes I stood up in. No undies, toilet bag or night attire (not even a tooth brush), so you can just imagine how I felt! I went straight to HQ in Bombay to report the loss of my luggage.

”They said, ‘Don't worry, it will be found and sent on to me in due course.’ Well to cut a long story short, almost a fortnight elapsed and still no sign of my luggage, so down to headquarters I went again to tell them nothing had arrived, and they gave me some cash to buy the bare necessities. We stayed in Bombay for about three weeks and it was a lovely place. We used to go into the cinema at midnight to get cool, and then get a coffee or an ice!

”Our shows were on for about three hours in the evenings and sometimes the journeys out to the various camps were long and tedious, and many times after the show was over, the mini piano I had, was taken into the mess for a sing song for an hour for the Boys.

”Leaving Bombay, we went by train right across India to Calcutta - a very slow procedure. They were like the old steam trains, only slower and went about twenty miles an hour. We kept stopping at stations for refreshments, and the tea was awful as they only had goat’s milk. We used our bedrolls on the train, as the seats had to be pulled down to put the bedrolls on, not very comfy as you can imagine? After a three day journey we arrived in Calcutta, a much hotter and more humid place than Bombay, and not so nice.

”There were plenty of insects and flying beetles (these were like cockroaches with wings), and night mosquitoes. We had to use mme osquito cream, and being fair skinned, they were all very fond of me! After two weeks in Calcutta I contracted Ringworm and enteritis and had to go into hospital for a week. The show had to find a deputy pianist. I went to see a skin specialist when I came out of hospital and he told me I was allergic to K. D. (Khaki Drill), and so I had to have a new battle dress and a dress made in white Moygashell.”

(Not quite sure on the spelling, but we think it is a kind of thin material like silk, Andy) (Moygashel (Pr-BR).

”In fact I was the only white ENSA Artiste in India if you know what I mean? But it was a much cooler outfit and suited my skin much to my relief. After a month in Calcutta H. Q. we were sent us on to Burma.

”We flew of course and had to make a forced landing in a paddy field near an American Camp in Fenni. When we walked in, the boys rubbed their eyes, seeing three English girls. They hadn't seen a white woman for about three years and they thought they were dreaming! After about an hour or so, and a meal, we eventually got another plane into Burma and arrived in Akyab.

”Well now the next part is all very primitive but I can assure you it was an actual fact. Whilst in Burma, we lived under canvas and had to put canvas buckets out for washing, water etc. and the ‘loos’ were nobody’s business! Just a hole in the ground, a large bucket and four poles with four sides of canvas nailed down to hide you so that if anyone passed by all they saw was your head, although they knew what was happening. Also if you had the urge to go to the loo it was well over five minutes walk away, it was lovely during the Monsoon season, you can imagine? In the evenings we only had a Hurricane lamp in the Basha Hut (As they called it) so it was fun and games if you lost a Hairgrip. These were very precious as there were no shops to buy anything like this-just the NAAFI Which only sold Tea and Coffee, Sweets Cigarettes and matches - not that matches we much use as they got so damp in the monsoon, they would not strike, so we had to rely on anyone who had a cigarette lighter if we wanted a light!

”We had to take Mepacrine tablets to avoid Malaria, they were on the table during all meals and if you did not take them, you were politely reminded to do so by the M.O.
Sometimes we had to use car headlamps for the shows in the evenings, and the monsoon flies were on the piano keys whilst I was playing, and also buzzing around my hair!

”We went to Ramree Island and we three girls were invited to stay at Maharajah's Palace in Magatala. (Excuse spelling) The Palace was a really lovely place and we felt like Royalty for three days, and were waited on hand and foot. We also had General Stockwell as our host on one or two occasions on his yacht and used to sail up the Chongs, which were rivulets of the Irrawaddy.

“Our stage piano and footlights went on ahead with eighty West Africans, to prepare and put up the stage etc. before we arrived. Another very primitive episode was, on one occasion later, we had to go on a barge for a four hour journey, and four Burmese natives were steering us. One of the girls and I wanted to go to the toilet. Well of course there was no toilet and four hours is a long time! So in desperation we saw an old bucket by the back end of the barge, so we used that! I told my brother afterwards and he said we were being cursed in Urdu by the natives as we had used their "T" Bucket (they evidently knew what we were up to).

”After spending about three months in Burma, we were all feeling tired and so H.Q. phoned saying we were to go on leave for two weeks to Darjeeling for a rest. We were very relieved and Darjeeling (a station in the hilts near the tea plantations, was really lovely and cooler - it was in Nepal).

”We then returned to Calcutta for a few days and went an to Bombay again where the unforeseen happened. My trunk had been found and was waiting for me in the Hotel, after an absence of about sixteen to eighteen weeks! Well I did not know what on earth to do as, although I had received a cheque for compensation, I had spent the money to renew the things I had lost. Luckily my brother went with me to H.Q. in Bombay to see a Captain Kershaw, with whom we got quite friendly. We explained the situation and he told us to get rid of the trunk (which was a bit the worse for wear), buy a new one and say nothing! What a relief that was you can imagine. So we started preparing for home, packing and buying presents etc. and feeling very excited at the prospect of home again. It was still very hot leaving Bombay, but on the ship, the weather gradually got cooler and rougher, and I remember standing on Southampton Docks with three coats on and shivering in September!

”It was very hard work at times and oh those flies! But we thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the experience, and the troops too were a marvellous audience, so we felt it was all worthwhile. We were out there the same time as Vera Lynn, now Dame Vera Lynn, and whenever I see her on TV or listen to her on the radio, and watch the Armistice Day programmes, my mind goes back to " Memories Are Made Of This. " I do hope you enjoyed listening.”

(At this point on the tapes Muriel left, she begins to play her organ and gives a performance of some old wartime tunes (Andy.)

I came across about four school note books written at different times during the last twenty years or so, each one telling the same tales, but the hand writing was beginning to get a little harder to read, her last account was written when she was 92.

There is one footnote that is worth a mention, on one of many tapes she left of her playing her Yamaha organ, mostly Old Time Music Hall songs, she mentions:
"I worked with Tessie O'Shea on the American Red Cross and then in her road show playing the piano for her, as her pianist had had his call up papers."

She also said something about having to play in the orchestra pit because Tessie didn't like anyone on stage when she was the star of the show.

From the forties onwards we have no written account of life with the ‘Trio’ from Muriel, only several photographs of this decade, with Max and Maisie.

Pr-BR

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