In Baghdad’s sweltering heat of the summer of 1943, my father helped run the city’s airport for the RAF – managing the arrival and departure of VIPs.
Two he mentions were playwright/singer Noel Coward and Lord Louis Mountbatten. Not everything went smoothly with their visits.
Guest interviewee, author and professor Sky Gilbert, talks about Noel Coward in 1943.
Grateful thanks to the Noel Coward Foundation and Noel Coward Archive to be able to use an extract from his tour diary. Visit www.noelcoward.com.
Episode photo: Noel Coward on stage. (Source IWM)
Click here for a PDF with supporting material
Diary entries read by granddaughter Bethan.
Additional voices: Matthew Yeomans and Alex Paddock.
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