In my father’s war diary, ENSA – the Entertainments National Service Association – features regularly.
Formed in 1939, ENSA provided entertainment for British troops during WW2.
Many talented entertainers worked for ENSA, some of whom went on to be big post-war stars.
But some productions weren’t up to much with troops translating ENSA to stand for Every Night Something Awful.
Being stationed in areas, such as the Middle East and Africa – hot, humid and hard-to-reach – my father wasn’t always complementary about the shows he saw.
Sadly, in my research I learned of one ENSA member – Vivienne Hole – losing their life as they travelled between shows, to give troops the message they had not been forgotten ‘back home’.
The short film is dedicated to her.