大象传媒

It was our anual show at the Theatre Royal, Norwich.I joined Madam O'Sinas Troupe at the age of 2.1/2 years for my health, so new lots of girls, boys and adults. We practiced every Saturday for shows which were always for the Blind.When the war started we all carried on regardless, still travelling on a coach to entertain wherever madam had been booked. I suppose our saturday afternoon anual show was to get as much money as possible for the blind as the Theatre Royal was always packed.Madam was a very famous lady in Norwich and everyone knew her. My Mums sister Ethel had been in it too as a very young girl so I was just the next generation. Our big show was usually August I believe, so some of our girls with their parentshad gone to Gt Yarmouth for a visit before returning to dance and sing with us all. I don't really remember how it all happened, but just before the show a dreadful atmosphere suddenly started with lots of tears and whispering among the adults. Us children were not told annything as our motto was, even then, 'the show must go on'.We did all our acts dancing our hearts out to cheer everyone up! We were ready to end when Madam, as we all called her, got onto the stage to make an anouncement. On thier visit to Gt Yarmouth the girls longed to paddle in the sea as it was so hot. Even though there was barbed wire all over the beach no one at all knew why it had been put there, so the parents gave in and said they could paddle.Parents stood on the Prom while the girls climbed through the barbed wire all together when all of a sudden - BANG!-a very loud explosion happened because a land mine had gone off when one of the girls stood on it, and 4 girls were killed!We were all shocked.
Our Finale Song and act was Land Of Hope And Glory,we could hardly sing, then as the wooden aeroplane came on stage with a child sitting in it, we all burst into tears!The audience stood up and sang along with us and I doubt there was a dry eye in the Theatre!Four of our friends had gone just because they wanted to paddle, but worse still had crawled through the barbed wire!(Sorry I don't remeber their names now).

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