entertainment

+10

Delhi to Calcutta? Imagine London to Danzig

Apr 6, 2026

•

5 min read

Delhi to Calcutta? Imagine London to Danzig

The Growing Importance of British Army Welfare in India and Burma

Matt Eaton

ww2

And now for something completely different

Mar 8, 2026

•

9 min read

And now for something completely different

Using the Performing Arts to Fight Fascism

Matt Eaton

entertainment

The Quintessential Englishman: Leslie Howard’s Wartime Crusade and the Mystery of Flight 777 Part 1

Feb 20, 2026

•

5 min read

The Quintessential Englishman: Leslie Howard’s Wartime Crusade and the Mystery of Flight 777 Part 1

Fighting fascism with a monologue, a cardigan, and a pipe

Matt Eaton

entertainment

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.2

Dec 26, 2025

•

5 min read

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.2

In which an RAF Erk goes to the ball and puts his foot in it

Matt Eaton

entertainment

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.1

Dec 18, 2025

•

5 min read

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.1

In which Major Plaistowe's villain enjoys a fairy-tale ending

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Dec 5, 2025

•

1 min read

The Show Must Go On

But first, a short intermission...

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Nov 22, 2025

•

5 min read

Too little, too late: Indian Entertainment in the Mediterranean

Or try running a 35mm film on a 16mm projector!

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Nov 9, 2025

•

4 min read

Remembering the Wartime ENSA Troupers

Representing ENSA at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day

Matt Eaton

army welfare service

+11

Sep 5, 2025

•

6 min read

The Day the Show Almost Stopped

A guided bomb, a birdcage, and the sinking of the S.S. Marnix Van Sint Aldegonde

Matt Eaton

army welfare service

Keeping it Clean and Avoiding ENSA's 'Rank and Filth'

Aug 8, 2025

•

7 min read

Keeping it Clean and Avoiding ENSA's 'Rank and Filth'

Canadian vs British Organised Troop Entertainment

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Jul 11, 2025

•

7 min read

'Bastard’ Basil: Drury Lane’s Dictator?

“I am afraid that Mr Basil Dean rather tends to trail his coat on occasion.”

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Until the day break and the shadows flee away

Jun 1, 2025

•

4 min read

Until the day break and the shadows flee away

John Hobson's life

Matt Eaton

entertainment

May 18, 2025

•

6 min read

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Basil Dean, ENSA, and social memory

Matt Eaton

entertainment

May 2, 2025

•

5 min read

Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans

The portrayal of Germans and Germany in wartime entertainment

Matt Eaton

ww2

The Case of George Formby & Operation Baytown?

Mar 23, 2025

•

4 min read

The Case of George Formby & Operation Baytown?

Cautionary tale about using memoirs or biographies of entertainers

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Germaine Sablon & Le Chant des Partisans

Feb 15, 2025

•

2 min read

Germaine Sablon & Le Chant des Partisans

« Ohé, partisans, ouvriers et paysans c'est l'alarme» Hey, partisans, workers and peasants this is the signal!

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Basil Dean’s Private Papers & The Power of the Written Word

Dec 15, 2024

•

6 min read

Basil Dean’s Private Papers & The Power of the Written Word

Reading the private letters of a historical figure is a privilege, especially when you’ve read the subject’s memoirs and opinions from a range of their peers.

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Nov 29, 2024

•

8 min read

Hollywood vs Ealing: USO vs ENSA

A Brief Comparison of US and UK Entertainment Organisations in the Second World War

Matt Eaton

bef

Oct 26, 2024

•

4 min read

ENSA Exits Stage Pursued by Germans

Hamlet & Operation Z - May / June 1940

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Delivering a Few Hours of Escape to the Troops

Aug 31, 2024

•

3 min read

Delivering a Few Hours of Escape to the Troops

Cinemas and the Armed Forces During the Second World War

Matt Eaton

entertainment

How ENSA Was Fondly Remembered After the War: The Desert Mice (1959)

Aug 24, 2024

•

1 min read

How ENSA Was Fondly Remembered After the War: The Desert Mice (1959)

In my last article I wrote about Virginia Vernon as ENSA’s secret weapon to address muddle and lack of organisation.

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Aug 10, 2024

•

4 min read

Naomi Jacob: Mickie to her friends

Author, ENSA Welfare Officer, then Public Relations Officer in Italy 1943-45

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Joyce Grenfell Entertaining the Troops in Italy

Aug 4, 2024

•

3 min read

Joyce Grenfell Entertaining the Troops in Italy

Taking servicemen out of themselves to re-engage with the world

Matt Eaton

entertainment

Delhi to Calcutta? Imagine London to Danzig

And now for something completely different

The Quintessential Englishman: Leslie Howard’s Wartime Crusade and the Mystery of Flight 777 Part 1

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.2

The Festive Sack was Positively Bulging in Italy, 1944 Pt.1

The Show Must Go On

Too little, too late: Indian Entertainment in the Mediterranean

Remembering the Wartime ENSA Troupers

The Day the Show Almost Stopped

Keeping it Clean and Avoiding ENSA's 'Rank and Filth'

'Bastard’ Basil: Drury Lane’s Dictator?

Until the day break and the shadows flee away

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans

The Case of George Formby & Operation Baytown?

Germaine Sablon & Le Chant des Partisans

Basil Dean’s Private Papers & The Power of the Written Word

Hollywood vs Ealing: USO vs ENSA

ENSA Exits Stage Pursued by Germans

Delivering a Few Hours of Escape to the Troops

How ENSA Was Fondly Remembered After the War: The Desert Mice (1959)

Naomi Jacob: Mickie to her friends

Joyce Grenfell Entertaining the Troops in Italy

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