ENTERTAINERS VISITING BAOR

I recollect whilst in Dortmund around 1959, we had entertainers vist to put on shows for the troops and families..I remember seeing Frankie Vaughan (Green Door). Met him backstage (and got an autographed photo) through my Dad, who had something to do with the visit, working with Station Staff Officer. Also remember Winifred Atwell coming to Dortmund. She was not my style.

Do you blokes have recollection of entertainers visiting BAOR? Not Michael Jackson !

We had a visit sometime in the early 60s..Can`t remember who were there,but the show had just got under way when an Exercise Quicktrain was called.Lots of pissed off people running around.
Perhaps jimsigs could expand on this.

Mike and Bernie Winters at Roberts Barracks around mid seventies!

Jim Davdison,RAF Gutersloh 1986.

Morcambe and Wise. Well I am lying actually because they came to Catterick and not Germany. 75 years of the Royal Signals at Catterick celebrations. The Queen came too!

Hopp haus, Hohne, (on the tank road), 1970.

Pinned to the door of one of the upstairs rooms "L/Bdr Secombe slept here, admission 2 marks".

I didn't see him, would've liked to.

Matt Monro at the SKC Sennelager. Smoked on stage, was told not to, because you could smoke anywhere in those days - except cinemas in Germany. Jokingly said he could 'cos he was a star! During the song 'Yesterday' went down on one knee and picked up the butt! Priceless.

Teabag.....Were there still Royal Signals units at Catterick in the 90s??

Teabag wrote:

Morcambe and Wise. Well I am lying actually because they came to Catterick and not Germany. 75 years of the Royal Signals at Catterick celebrations. The Queen came too!

What did she do then, a stand up spot ? A bit of song & dance maybe ?

HM the Queen doesn't come, she arrives. Mike and Bernie Winters were at the Glasgow Empire in the 50's, Mike came on and did his singing bit, when he had finished, Bernie put his head round the Fire Curtain and said something "Funny", at this juncture a member of the audience shouted "F*** me, there's two of them".

Quote :

The Glasgow Empire i

The ultimate testing ground for entertainers..
Not many passed the test.

Hi Gordon,

Can't remember any entertainers visiting Germany when I was there, but do remember the Exercise Quickrain sagas.
Was in the AKC in Herford one evening (the one near either Wentworth or Hammersmith barracks), the film was half way through when a notice went up on the screen "Exercise Quicktrain - all troops to report to their units". There was pandamonium, the Sqn OC was waiting at the camp gates of Maresfield checking to see who had a driving licence - "Get that vehicle over there moving go go go") So we had the wrong trade people in the wrong vehicles etc, just so that a a given number of vehicles with men could be moved to the Quicktrain location in the target time - phewww ! what a a carve up.

Jimsigs1

I remember Dorothy Squires the singer visiting us in BAOR with her latest hanger on (Roger Moore) in 1953. Then Charley Chester in Korea, the Yanks got Marilyn Monroe .. some trade off

Len (Ciphers)

The only entertainment I can remember being supplied to the Canadian troops in Germany (up north) would be some Colonel in Chief having a review parade and scamming off on a tax free shopping trip with a free trip over seas to buck up the men's moral. Mind I got to see King Pierre Trudeau (our then P.M.) in Lahr in all his glory, " pimp hat and cloak", so I guess that would count as entertainment.

We did get Tommy Hunter & Ann Murray, but that was paid for by the Junior. Ranks Mess in Lahr. There was one Jnr Ranks Mess in Lahr and it had all the major units in it less the Snake Eaters and fighter Sqn up in Baden Baden. So we could afford top line entertainment.

In the Mess was a small lounge that had Go Go Dancers. I did a radio show at the time over CAFE for the Junior Ranks Mess. Interviewed one of the Managers of a Go Go Dancer who had been a DJ on one of the Pirate Radio Ships. That was entertainment, he had some neat stories about the ships.

Gordon. wrote:

Teabag.....Were there still Royal Signals units at Catterick in the 90s??

Okay got it wrong it must have been 50 years. 1975 ish so probably that. Getting on a bit now you know but not nearly as old as you so there.

I was not insinuating that you were losing your marbles Teabag.. Just wondering what might have been left at catterick.I don`t know what happened to 8 or 24 Sigs.I know 11 Sigs moved to Blandford but that`s about it.

24 Sigs? Blimey they were well gone when I joined. 8 and 11 only. Probably thought 75 because it was 1975 (my excuse honest sir).

Last time I drove through Catterick everything was totally different. Think Helles barracks was infantry? Can't remember what 8th Signal Regt's different barracks had become.

My last time in 24 Sigs was April-June 1970 on my B2-B1 ED (educated driver) upgrading according to Royal Signals history the regiment amalgamated with 8 Sigs 1 Nov 70 in turn amalgamated with 11 Sigs in 1994...hope this helps!
Happy Easter from the Cuxhaven peninsular
Steve

Ok, Im going to lower the tone a bit, I recall a couple of strippers visiting the camp, the Cookhouse was converted into a nightclub, complete with bar, and a good night was had by all !. A lot of 'entertainment' in our Sqn was home grown, a few of the lads formed a rock n role band, ( a sort of Shawaddy Squaddy ) and they were'nt half bad as i remember, or was it the beer ?.

Strippers? In the camp??? Whoa! Something tells me that was probably not officially sanctioned! Mind you, it was a different era....

Striptease Gals!! Harrumph, dontcha know.

woody wrote:

Ok, Im going to lower the tone a bit, I recall a couple of strippers visiting the camp, the Cookhouse was converted into a nightclub, complete with bar, and a good night was had by all !. A lot of 'entertainment' in our Sqn was home grown, a few of the lads formed a rock n role band, ( a sort of Shawaddy Squaddy ) and they were'nt half bad as i remember, or was it the beer ?.

GAWD, Strippers? Shelldrake, I hope that did not happen at the Junior Leaders Regt.


Never saw that sort of thing at AAS Chepstow, we were good lads, the RE and RAOC apprentices.

Les, I was a Junior Tradesman! Sniff.

At Harrogate there was a girls boarding school (Queen Ethelburgers or something like that ) just down the road..The boiler room was a nice cosy place to spend an evening.

If caught ..brown stuff and fan come to mind

If caught ..brown stuff and fan come to mind[/quote]

Don't leave us hanging Gordon !

Is this some ancient Scottish ritual ?