WHEN Freda Rothwell wrote about the wartime concert party run by her mother, in Looking Back a couple of weeks ago, it brought back memories to Mrs F. Howarth, of Wigan Road, Bolton.
'In the pre-TV days of the 20s and 30s (perhaps even earlier, but I cannot personally vouch for that!) amateur concert parties were a very popular form of entertainment,' she writes.
'These groups were usually connected with the local church or Sunday School, and would practise and perform in the church hall. The programme always included solo singers and instrumentalists, a comedian (always clean!), sometimes a dancer, but the piece de resistance was always the one-act play which brought the concert to a close.
'I have particular memories of St Peter and Paul's concert party, with the tenor voice of Billy Heyes singing "Maiden, my maiden", and the splendid acting of Bill Finlay and Gladys Chadwick in the plays. Bill Finlay was related to the famous Frank - cousin, I think.
'I am sure other readers must have similar recollections - perhaps were actually in a concert party themselves?'
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