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News Archive - 2002

Doom at the Festival

John Laurie’s life is celebrated at the Edinburgh Festival during August. Frazer and I is a celebration of the career of Dad’s Army’s eye-rolling doom-sayer, and one of Dumfries’ more famous sons. Ian Watt plays Laurie in this biographical one-man-show telling the story of Laurie’s life and career from the Somme to acclaimed stage appearances alongside Gilegud and Olivier, to Walmington-on-Sea’s undertaker.

A review of the play can be read at The Independent’s website. Frazer and I plays until the 26th August at the Edinburgh Festival’s Gilded Balloon Cave II (venue 14). Telephone 0131 226 2151 for more details/booking.

Farewell Fiona

Sadly on the 3rd August we lost another Dad’s Army veteran - Carmen Silvera, who played Fiona Gray in the episode Mum’s Army. Carmen Silvera was born in Canada, her family returning to England after the second world war where she trained as an actress. Her work encompassed both stage and screen and she will be best remembered for her role as Madame Edith in David Croft’s long running ‘80s series ‘Allo ‘Allo.

In Dad’s Army she helped create one of the series’ most dramatically compelling and touching episodes. Captain Mainwaring meets Fiona Gray during his attempts to establish a women’s section of the platoon. Recognising in her many of the qualities so absent in his own wife Elizabeth, he throws caution to the wind and falls deeply in love. Their developing relationship soon attracts attention in the town, and anxious to protect his position Fiona decides to return to London - leading to a truly touching Brief Encounter inspired closing scene in which they say goodbye at Walmington-on-Sea railway station.

Carmen Silvera died on Saturday 3rd August 2002, aged 80.

Fall Out

We are sad to report the death of Desmond Callum-Jones on 5th June 2002. As Private Desmond he apeared in 63 episodes of Dad’s Army, in addition to programmes such as Dr Who, Z-Cars and Father Dear Father..

Desmond was a man of many talents: starting his career as a sales rep he turned to acting in his twenties, using his earnings to build-up a property business and a fashion photographic agency.

Desmond’s colleague in the ‘back-row’ Colin Bean remembers him fondly:Pte, Desmond (actor Desmond Callum Jones) comes in, having made his own way back in his car, producing a bunch of lettuces, crying "Try these, have you EVER tasted lettuces like these?" Now the lettuce is, probably, not the most exciting of plants - but these, which he'd got from a local farm, were absolutely beautiful and so tasty. He spread them out on the bar and we all dived in. An uncouth crowd these Lower Ranks!

Desmond Callum-Jones died on 5th June 2002 aged 78. He leaves a wife, Elizabeth.

“This way for the blood donor-ing - Ian first”

Ian Lavender took time off from his duties in The Ghost Train in May to promote a cause close to his heart. The National Blood Service centre in Longley Lane, Sheffield was celebrating 30 years collecting and supplying blood to the patients of South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Ian has more cause than most to be thankful to blood donors - whilst in 1975 as Pike he gave blood in the episode When You’ve Got to Go more recently he depended on transfusions during his successful treatment for cancer.

Ian traveled to Sheffield from Birmingham for the day to release 30 balloons and cut the centre’s birthday cake. The celebrations were enjoyed by patients and staff at the centre many of whom, in the true spirit on 1972, came dressed in flares and platform shoes. Captain Mainwaring would not have approved - stupid boy!

Drama to recreate Winston Churchill’s pre-war years

The Gathering Storm is a new BBC film exploring Churchill’s wilderness years immediately prior to the second world war. A wonderful cast list is headed by Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave as Winston and Clementine Churchill.

Also in the cast are Sir Derek Jacobi, recent Oscar winner Jim Broadbent and Celia Imrie. Incredibly the cast also includes comedy legend Ronnie Barker in a surprise return to the screens having retired in 1987.

Barker, the multitalented writer and actor behind 1970s sitcom classics Porridge and Open All Hours plays Churchill’s manservant Inches. Commenting on his emergence from 15 years of retirement Barker said “I remember Churchill delivering the speeches in 1940. I was 11 and I remember standing by the Andersen shelter while I listened to those speeches. I’m sure he kept the whole nation together, without doubt he kept morale up.”

The Gathering Storm is shown on BBC One on Friday 12th July 2002 at 9.00pm. A comprehensive information pack with cast interviews can be seen here (pdf).

And the band plays on

Whilst most cast members of Dad’s Army are no longer with us or have retired, at least one - a veteran of WWII - is still working and performing as regularly as ever - the Newmarket Town Brass Band.

In 1973 the band was approached to appear in the episode The Honourable Man, playing the Red Flag. Only twelve members appeared in the programme because the BBC’s costume department could only supply twelve of the elaborately braided bandsman costumes.

After the filming in 1973 the band returned to normal duties, and over time the performance was almost forgotten, with only one member of the 1973 line-up remaining a band member. Recently while hunting in the archives a press cutting about the connection came to light. A little later the band heard about the Dad’s Army Day at the Bressingham museum - they approached the organisers and were booked to provide the live music, a role which they performed with great aplomb.

Afterwards their publicity officer contacted Walmington-on-Line having read our report on the Bressingham event. With the aid of the combined knowledge of the online dadsarmy discussion group we were able to help the band clear up some details for their archive.

See the Newmarket Town Brass Band’s web site for their coverage, and some great photos of the day.

Tonight you may call me .... Bill

Bill Pertwee is to host a party at the new Imperial War Museum North in Manchester. The party is the culmination of the BBC’s We’ll Meet Again initiative. Backed by Dame Vera Lynn We’ll Meet again has made use of BBC local radio and the internet in an attempt to reunite friends and comrades from the war years who lost contact after the war.

The initiative was launched on Remembrance Sunday 2001 with the tales of Mildred Veal and Stan Yule: Mildred was a Sergeant in the ATS working on anti-aircraft gunsites and lost contact with her friend Bidge, last seeing her at a railway station in 1945. Stan was one of a Lancaster bomber crew, and seeking his seven fellow crew members - through We’ll Meet Again he has managed to find out what happened to all of them.

The initiative is the subject of a Homeground documentary (BBC2, Thursday 20th June, 7.30pm). The programme will follow the stories of five former service personnel in search of former friends - with one of them receiving the surprise of a lifetime.

The celebratory party will be held on Friday 14th June at the Imperial War Museum North. Accompanying host Bill Pertwee will be Marguerite Patten, the Queen of ration book cuisine who will give a wartime cookery demonstration. Entertainment will be provided by 1940s band Sticky Wicket and the dance troupe the Jiving Lindy Hoppers. 

Read more at the BBC web site.

Dad’s Army on Parade for Dr Who

On the 19th May 2002 Dad's Army veterans and show biz dignitaries gathered at the BBC's Television Centre in Wood Lane, London for a ceremony to commemorate the former stars of Dr Who, now passed on: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, and of course Jon Pertwee.

The ceremony, one of many arranged by the Heritage Foundation, was attended by well known names from the world of entertainment including: Julian Glover, John Inman, Frazer Hines, Verity Lambert, and Bert Kwouk. Also present was a sizeable detachment from Walmington-on-Sea. Bill Pertwee, cousin of Jon, was there alongside Liz Fraser, Pamela Cundell, Frank Williams and Philip Madoc.

The ceremony was held in the visitor centre at Television Centre, and attended by members of the actors’ families including William Hartnell’s granddaughter, Jessica Carney, Jon Pertwee’s widow Ingeborg, and son Sean. Afterwards the party repaired to the Grosvenor House Hotel, in Park Lane for a celebratory charity dinner hosted by the Heritage Foundation.

The Heritage Foundation is an arts and entertainment charitable trust. Starting life in the early 90s as Comic Heritage, with the simple aim of unveiling a plaque to commemorate Peter Sellers, it quickly grew to encompass a wide spectrum of the entertainment industry, and gathered major supporters such as Phil Collins, Sir Harry Secombe and Nicholas Parsons.

The foundation has celebrated the lives of many much loved entertainers: Eric and Ernie, Tony Hancock and Arthur Askey to name but a few. The cast of Dad's Army has not escaped their attention, with a ceremony for John le Mesurier and Arthur Lowe taking place in 1999, attended by most surviving cast members.

Photo reproduced by kind permission of Doug McKenzie and the Heritage Foundation

Books, Books, Books

Autumn 2002 looks set to be a bumper time for Dad’s Army related books - with three new titles announced. The second books of scripts, covering series five to eight is set for publication on the 17th October.

Also set for an autumn release are two biographies, announced at the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society website. Jimmy Perry describes his early life in Stupid Boy - the story of his wartime years, reputed to be the genesis of Private Pike. Frank Williams also has an autobiography due for publication in the autumn - From Vicar to Dad's Army - The Frank Williams Story.
will be available in October 2002 priced at £16.99.

Dad’s Army fans can start drafting their Christmas lists now.

David Croft leads a hunt for new comedy writers in Suffolk

David Croft, co-writer and producer of Dad’s Army, is one of a panel of judges in a BBC competition for new comedy-writing talent. BBC Radio Suffolk is searching for new comedy writers  in the county, offering to opportunity for winners to have their work produced by the BBC. Writers from Suffolk are asked to submit a five minute comedy script. Entries will be judged by a panel including David Croft and broadcaster John Peel.

Dad’s Army has strong links to East Anglia - the series was shot in and around Thetford, close to David Croft’s home. John le Mesurier grew-up in nearby Bury St Edmunds.

For more details visit the competition website.

Live Dad’s Army Events - Spring and Summer 2002

Spring and summer 2002 seem to be the seasons for live Dad’s Army events. Starting in late April with the Dad’s Army Appreciation Society’s  (DAAS) tour of locations in Norfolk, which has excellent coverage on the Whispers From Walmington website.

In late April the first of two stage plays was performed at the Court Theatre, Tring. ‘A Tribute to Dad’s Army’, adapted by Ian Gower, is reviewed here.

The DAAS is active once more on the 4th May with a showing of the Dad’s Army feature film in Gloucester - read the review at Andy Howells’ dadsarmy.tv site.

DAAS rise to the challenge again on the 11th May this time hosting a members only street party at the Bressingham Steam Museum, and the following day the museum hosts a public 1940s themed day centred around their unique Dad’s Army exhibition - many of the cast and cast will be there.

From the 24th to the 27th of July another new stage play, ‘We are the boys’ by Nick Scovel will be staged at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth. Details are on their website (be patient - it takes a while to load!).

There will be reviews of the street party, Bressingham open day and ‘We are the boys’ appearing on this site shortly after the events.

Please note that all the DAAS events are for members only. If you want information on joining the society, see their website.

Last Updated 01 Feb, 2005