Life in ENSA

Denise Harland (my stage name)

My days in E.N.S.A. and C.S.E. (60th anniversary of VE Day)

Having trained in dancing, singing and dramatic art and already having had experience in professional theatre, I damaged my foot during a revue tour, which starred Stephanie and his Silver Songsters and Ronnie Ronalde, so had to return home to enable me to have physiotherapy at my local hospital on a regular basis.
After a week or two I was contacted by the Ministry of Labour to inform me that as I was 18 and ‘Mobile’ , I was to be directed into one of the Forces, Land Army or Factory Work. I explained my situation and that as soon as my foot was better I would go into E.N.S.A. They refused to accept this and I was forced immediately into the National Fire Service locally, where I would be able to attend hospital for the required treatment.
Once my foot was better I did voluntary E.N.S.A. shows and ‘Workers Playtimes’ in my spare time, in and around my home town of Sheffield.
Eventually in 1944 I was released on medical grounds from the National Fire Service and had an opportunity to form a Boy and Girl double dancing act (Ramon Lang and Denise). Fortunately we both did the same type of American style tap dancing so that was to be our first spot on a Variety Bill. I had had a lot of experience in ballroom Adagio, which routines I was able to bring to the act, with a song to start, for our second spot.
We did an audition at the ‘Theatre Royal ‘ Dury Lane, which was E.N.S.A. headquarters and this was a most interesting experience in itself, as the enormous stage had been sectioned off and converted into lots of offices e.g. Wardrobe, Uniforms, Scenery, Admin for permits, Wages, Travel Documents, Filing and all the innumerable requirements for creating and supplying shows to entertain troops in both Britain and Overseas. A tiny ‘Box Set’ was left at the front of the stage for auditioning purposes, when the directors watched from the auditorium.
We were accepted, put on the payroll and allocated to our Variety/Revue company along with known Variety acts such as ‘Rawitz and Landower’ (classical pianists), ‘Holt and Clare’ (illusionists), ‘Eve’ (an acrobatic dancer, a tenor singer, ‘Margo’ (a singer) etc. etc….. Each company had its own touring coach with hanging space for our costumes. — Scenery and props were stored beneath the coach. We had a tour manager and were housed in E.N.S.A. hostels, located centrally to whichever area we were covering at the time.
We would leave early afternoon each day to travel to our venue, in order for the men to organise fitting up the scenery. We were always entertained after the show to a superb meal in either the sergeant’s or officer’s mess — The Americans were particularly lavish in their entertaining because they had money of course.
Once when we were covering the Devon Cornwall area, I was making notes in the coach to record where I thought we were, as we hadn’t been told where we were going and all the signs down there had been removed, because of fears of an invasion. The manager saw me writing and told me I must not make notes or try to find out where we were , in that particular part of the country for security reasons.

I shall never forget entertaining the Navy at Sparrow’s Nest, Lowestoft, because on trying to get round backstage to my entry side, after the lights were down, I tripped over a brace and fell — my leg was pouring with blood from a gash, but I was most concerned about the excruciating pain in my left arm. However the show must go on and somehow I managed to get through, although by our second spot the arm had become completely useless, so it was even more difficult to perform. After a sleepless night at the hostel , pacing the floor, I was taken to the local hospital, where it was confirmed by Xray that the elbow was fractured. It was put in plaster and I was put on a train and sent home for 6 weeks, during which time my dancing partner had to do a single act. When the plaster came off without waiting for the advised physiotherapy I rejoined our touring company.
When V.E. Day came we were in the E.N.S.A. hostel in Winchester and late that night after returning from our venue, I had prepared for bed, when there was shouting and singing outside our windows. They were telling us the war was over and to come down and join them, so in pyjamas and dressing gowns we all sang and danced the night away.
I haven’t mentioned the numerous times when the German planes were bombing during our travels and performances in Britain, or the ‘Doodle Bugs’ as they were called when we were in or around London, but I think that goes without saying, so I’ve concentrated mainly on the more informative side of War Time entertainment and the really good and efficient services provided by E.N.S.A. for our wonderful armed forces.

E.N.S.A. was eventually disbanded and a new association was formed and named ‘Combined Services Entertainments’ which included Army, Navy and Airforce personnel (most of whom had been in the professional theatre before being called up) and of course civilians like me.
After leaving E.N.S.A. I toured the country in both ‘Variety’ and ‘Revues’ and each Christmas played Principal Girl in pantomime, until I was offered a tour of Italy and Austria with ‘Combined Services Entertainments’ to join an existing revue company who were already in Italy.
My fellow civilian artistes and I travelled by the ‘Blue Train’ as the special forces train was called, down through war torn France Germany and on to Italy.
Our troops were still out there in large numbers for both occupation and clearing up purposes. We theatre people were given Officer status, which enabled us to travel1st class — however, 1st class on
that train meant 4 of us in the old type compartment, one in each corner, sleeping sitting up with just enough room to put bent legs up on the seat . There was the usual corridor with grotty toilet and washbasin at each end of the coach. After 3 or 4 days and nights on the train , with meal halts at dirty bombed out stations, sometimes in the middle of the night, we eventually arrived for our first overnight stop at the Officer’s Club at Villach in Austria, tired out and dirty all we wanted to do was bath, wash hair and have a proper night’s sleep. However the officers were so pleased to see us and entertain us, that they had laid on a dinner and dance in the mess, so we had to go along with it, and despite everything it was enjoyable.
Next morning we continued our train journey to Italy, which surprisingly enough was back to normal and all very clean and beautiful to see. The shops were full of luscious food, fruit, vegetables, glamorous clothes, shoes and lingerie. They were open till late at night with all lights blazing, what a wonderful sight and unbelievable to us when Britain was still suffering shortages of everything and on strict rationing. All very utility and dull, so it was a very exciting experience.
After joining our Revue company and a few days of rehearsals, our show was performed in really lovely theatres in Padua, Trieste,Udine and Milan.
We then travelled to Vienna,Graz, Klagonfurt and Villach in Austria, where each of these towns had been very badly bombed and the people were so short of everything. Cigarettes were an absolute luxury to them so they were eager to swap almost anything for our NAAFI rations of cigarettes and sweets.
All very different from the Italian speedy recovery.
From there our show disbanded and we civilians left our friendly uniformed artistes, to board the ‘Blue Train’ again for our return to Calais and the ferry to Dover, feeling sad that our tour hadn’t been longer, but having really enjoyed the experience.
Upon return to the UK my career took a completely different turn, into the straight acting side of the profession, but more about that another time.

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