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This is Jeanette Marmion's (nee Tregarthen) story: it has been added by Pauline Colcutt, with permission from the author who understands the terms and conditions of adding her story to the website.

PLAYING TO THE AUDIENCE

VE night and I was in the Theatre and playing at the Globe Theatre, Shaftsbury Avenue (now called the Guilgud Theatre). I left the flat in Chelsea which I shared with a girl friend and took the tube to Piccadilly and went up to Piccadilly Circus — the crowds were incredible — they were jam packed tight, shouting, screaming and climbing up the lampposts and it must have been the same all over England. I tried to get through the crowds to Shaftsbury Avenue where I was playing in a play by Terrance Rattigan called ‘While the Sun Shines’ - I could not force my way through the crowds - a man saw me and put out his hand ‘I’ll take you luv’ and he forced me through the crowd. I somehow got up Shaftsbury Avenue and to the Theatre, I went down to my dressing room and started to put on my make up - suddenly a voice over the Tannnoy said will everyone go onto the stage immediately. Wondering what ever this was about I went onto the stage — the curtain was down and we all looked at each other — the stage hands were there too. The curtain slowly went up and there was a packed house with the lights on and they stared at us and we stared at them. The lights slowly went down to darkness and the lights on the Royal Box slowly went up, There standing alone was Churchill the man who had made us win the war. The audience went mad they shouted and screamed as many as could crowded down to the front and waved to him. He stood there quietly smiling and doing the ‘V’ sign. It was twenty minutes before we could get the play started and when it was over he sent a message round and said how much he had enjoyed it. He was sorry he couldn’t come round and talk to us but he was due on the balcony with the King and Queen and he had better not be late.

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