´óÏó´«Ã½

The Penguin Concert Party, Manchester, in World War 2
Written by Gwenda (Monks) King (1915-2000), and Bert King (1905 –1982).

It was a concert party made up of mostly amateurs, with a sprinkling of
professionals and semi-professionals. Both sexes were represented, even though a little unevenly - more women than men - but men and boys there were. The Concert Party went round gun-sites, army barracks, RAF Aerodromes, training centres and ARP depots in the Manchester area. The songs were tuneful as well as now being nostalgic, and everyone buzzed with joy, the music was heaven.

Our Concert Party was born of a drama coach and pillar of her local dramatic society, (Lilian Penkett), and a chap who had appeared in an amateur revue from time to time (Bert King). Recruits from offices where we worked resulted in a good male singer, ditto lady, several girl dancers and one or two more dramatic society members. We got together at one of the homes and mapped out some entertainment. One thing we were short of was a good pianist. Eventually I got in touch with an old friend (Win Barnet), who had been taught syncopated playing by Ross Parker, composer of 'There'll Always be an England'. We rehearsed for weeks at Lilian's. Here we performed on planks on beer kegs- last one was shorter so there was a hole - down which everyone proceeded to fall.

The Concert Party was named ‘The Penguin Concert Party’ as an amalgam of the two names, Penkett and King. We had a huge stuffed penguin as a mascot but it was destroyed in an air-raid. Bert was the producer and comedian and also wrote the sketches. I was a dancer and singer. We performed all over Manchester in the Blitz.

There were always problems: -there were no curtains on some stages / one girl who should have been on was outside flirting with an officer / dressing rooms in one building, stage in another / Call-ups (to the Forces) came, somebody else recruited
/ plenty of fallings out between the cast, but somehow the show got on. One woman, quite a good singer, was so nervous at the first show she completely missed the top note in 'Tristesse', - no sound came. A Sergeant, looking after one battery's entertainment, courted one of the girl dancers, but unbeknownst to one of our programme arrangers. The programme arranger was convinced he came to see her personally and was most affronted when he got engaged to the other girl.
Many dates were received from soldiers on the gun-sites. The pianist had a date for 5 O’clock on the day of one show - she rushed the programme helter-skelter, dancers' legs went up and down like racing bike pedals, no encores, and 'God Save the King' with minutes to spare. It was the funniest thing, we couldn't get near to tell her to slow down as there was no curtain.
We spent the night of the first Manchester Air Raid under the stage at Ringway Airfield. Young apprentices said the night sky was filled with fire, but it was not so bad as they made out, a couple of oil storage tanks were on fire. We spent the Manchester 13-Hour Blitz on a gun-site, the black-out fell down every time the guns went. They fired over 1000 rounds.
We drew the men into the show by finishing the first half with community singing, and the cast going down into the audience selecting partners and dancing the 'Lambeth Walk'. Then we enticed them on the stage or in front of it for 'Bumps-a-Daisy'.
In the cellars of Withington Town Hall we performed ad lib for people who were stranded with us during an air-raid. An air raid started as soon as we got to one gun-site. The soldiers hustled us into their vehicles and we could hear bombs falling, and see searchlights, so we sang 'Silent Night' etc. Another raid started as we reached the end of a show in the City Centre. We stayed where were in the hall and gave our complete second show. Then we could go home - by the all-night trams.

At a company of Territorials the Officer thought the comedian (Bert King) was too blue and asked for an apology, and said he couldn't do his second half spot. Bert wouldn't agree, so the show was stopped and we all went home. We wanted old Musical songs, then out of print, so I went to Manchester Central Library and copied out from scores - 'New Moon' etc. We played on the floor in hospitals, sometimes even with a strange pianist, and at one gun-site a soldier played, as the pianist didn't turn up. We got two recruits from another gun-site who went around with us for some considerable time (Sam and Jack). Arthur, the harmonica player, was with us right through the War as he was disabled. When on leave the artists came back to the show. The pianist was then called up, we got first one, then another pianist , as the original pianist had already gone.

Girl artists singing were very popular with the troops, and were replaced, when they left by other girls. We also had a child artist who was much used to appearing, singing and dancing, and better dressed in her own clothes.

Sometimes shows were excellent, sometimes abysmal. People came up with ideas for numbers - some good, some bad. Rehearsals went on at Lilian's home mostly. (Her father pulled the curtains at shows). We spent one or two rehearsals in their air-raid shelter as the sirens went just as we got started. Some of us went out into the shelter. One girl refused, she was fast asleep on the sofa when we went back in. Incidentally, although she was one of the Chorus, she was a bit lazy and it was found that an irregularity in the Chorus girls line-up was because she wasn't 'jumping', just lifting her leg up without any dance-step. It had to be seen to be believed.

We had rows of course, one row raged across the corridor between the Ladies and Gents Dressing Rooms. Bang! Bang! Went the doors as each participant rushed in the others' Dressing Room to say his piece. People forgot their songs in the middle. The monologists forgot their lines too.
The Concert Party was formed in January 1940 and gave its' first show in April 1940, in all we gave 170 shows and entertained over 25,000 troops and civilian workers.

Bert King wrote, in the late 1940s
It was in January 1940 that Lilian suggested that we might form a Concert Party to entertain the troops, and after one or two talks on the subject I said, " Very well, you find me a pianist and then we can talk business". Within a few days she told me she had found a pianist. We soon realised that this was the girl we wanted, Win Barnett, and at once decided to form our Party, and make up a programme. Lilian had got two engagements promised and we decided to start out in two months time. We hired a school room for weekly rehearsals.

By this time we had named our Party "The Penguins", a combination of the names Penkett and King, and decided that we should be dressed in black and white. Edith Alsop made all the costumes, and these were finished at Five O'Clock on the night of our opening at Poland Street ARP Depot on April 4th 1940.
The cast for our opening show was as follows

Lilian Penkett Horace(Bert) King
Wynne Barnett Jack Yarwood
Edith Birch Joan Ogden
Ruth Schofield Jock Robertson
Harry Ardron Edith Alsop
Gwenda Monks Peggy Fletcher
Elsie King Pat Yarwood
Jose Gilbey Fred King
Harold Birch George Gilbey
Mr Penkett (Curtains)

I think that we were all very nervous when we opened, and the audience were rather cold at first, but the show warmed up in the second half and we finished up quite well. Our next show was fixed for 28th April at the Seamans' Mission, and in the meantime George and Jose Gilbey and Elsie King decided to quit, but we had discovered a child turn, Jean Forster. This show went even better and we were on our way. Harry Ardron was called up for the RAF, he made his final appearance at Davyhulme Hospital on May 8th 1940. Here I went on for the first time as a comedian. By now we could not be held back and we had three consecutive shows in May.
RAF Ringway on Wednesday August 28th 1940 was our first experience of an air raid. We had just come to the Finale when the alarm was sounded. After that the raid got rather serious so it was decided to put us in a safe place, under the stage, and there we stayed until Midnight when we were sent home. But Jerry stayed with us until the early hours and we travelled home in total darkness.

On to the Central Hall for another show on Wednesday 25th September - The Pay Corps - another air raid but we played through and then started a second programme to entertain the people who did not want to go on to the streets.
We played through another air raid during October at Slade Lane Baptist Hall. Then in November we made our first appearance with a band. We were giving a show in Burnage to the Manchester Regiment, and it was suggested that the Battalion Dance Band play for us. We had a rehearsal with them the night before the show, but it did not turn out the success we had anticipated. We made many friends among the boys and went along to their weekly dances, finishing up each time in the Sergeants' Mess.
On Sunday December 22nd we were giving a show on 'F' site, Royal Artillery, Mauldeth Road. For two or three nights previous to this there had been long air raids on Liverpool, and we were all tired due to lack of sleep through gunfire. Our audience had been so much on duty that they could scarcely keep awake during the show. After the show we stayed for tea as was usual on these occasions, and were just leaving, in fact some of the party were outside the gates, when the sirens went at 6.30 pm. Before many minutes had passed there had started the longest 'Blitz' in this country. We lived through a night of terror, yet strangely enough, though we must all have been frightened, not one of us showed any sign of fear. Due to the raid beginning suddenly, half our Party who had got outside the gates could not get back to us in the Sergeants' Mess, and spent the night in the air raid shelter. Those of us who were in the Mess were quite comfortable, but we were only 50 yards from the guns, and they made some noise. However we lived through it all and came away about 7.30 am the next morning to see a battered and blazing Manchester.

We carried on, and in January found another girl singer, Dorothy Gray. Two Gunners from 'F' site joined up with us, Sam could yodel, and they were also a good double act. Things were looking up. Another band played for us at the Manchester Technical Training Group, where we opened a series of concerts and were a great success. In June 1941 we had the experience of giving two shows in one day, Longford Park in the afternoon, and Bank Lane at night. We were a rather tired crowd when we finished.

Then followed a run of ARP shows, and in August we made another visit to Bowlea, very much on our toes to make up for the moderate show we had given on our last visit. We made it, and nearly brought the house down. We were nearly getting to our century of shows when Win Barnett left us. We had a lot of bookings to fulfil and decided to carry on with them. Mrs Fanny Monks (Gwenda’s mother) and Betty pulled us through. We advertised for a pianist and Gwenda helped with the Music and the programmes. Then at last we reached our century. The show to The Pay Corps at Victoria Park, on Wednesday November 5th 1941, was our most successful for weeks. Stan at the piano was a distinct improvement, Norman was back to his best form, and Dorothy Gray, more like her real self, tears of happiness in her eyes for the grand reception she got, and the musical comedy selection brought the house down. They had to give an encore. All the rest of the Party pulled out their best to make it a grand show.

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.