Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Founder member and writer of the Roosters concert party, formed in 1917 in the 60th London Division, later a BBC radio entertainer.
On the island
Eight records
The keepsakes
The book
The luxury
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:00When did the famous Roosters come into being?
in 1917, at Summer Hill Camp at the foot of Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the gods, certain units of the 60th London Division were lying, and we expected an attack through Bulgaria. It didn't materialise, and finally the commandant of the camp, who was Captain Roost, decided that we must have some entertainment, and so sports were devised and He asked young Robert Warren, who was in the Nineteenth London, an officer, to get together a concert party.
Presenter asks
1:21You carried right through until the end of the war?
Yes, we we stayed until March 1919 because after the armistice boys were anxious to get home and were somewhat disgruntled, so we did possibly our best work then, playing to them during those few months from November till March.
Presenter asks
2:13You were mostly in the Holy Land?
Yes, all across from Salonico and came up to a place called Cantara, where we stayed for some time. Then we made our way through the deserts of Sin, it was and finally made our way to Jerusalem, but we remained there right to the end.
Presenter asks
2:27Now the war was over, you went back to the L C, did you?
Yes.
Presenter asks
2:36When did the roosters get together again for your first broadcast in 1923?
We had some new voices. There was the Western Brothers. Yes, George Weston was the pianist. Septimus Hunt came in as the sergeant because Bill Copping was unable to join us. And he wasn't a rooster, but he was very good, a very good sergeant.
Presenter asks
3:04Who wrote the material?
I did m most of the army sketches. And and then George and Kenneth, of course, were top notch uh writing numbers and one or two very good published numbers we had.
“in 1917, at Summer Hill Camp at the foot of Mount Olympus, the legendary home of the gods, certain units of the 60th London Division were lying, and we expected an attack through Bulgaria. It didn't materialise, and finally the commandant of the camp, who was Captain Roost, decided that we must have some entertainment, and so sports were devised and He asked young Robert Warren, who was in the Nineteenth London, an officer, to get together a concert party.”
“Captain Roos came dashing round at the end of the first performance, which was very successful, and said, You boys must never separate. We kept together and still see each other now a good deal. And so we called ourselves the Roosters. After Captain Roos, who was commandant of the camp.”
“Yes, we we stayed until March 1919 because after the armistice boys were anxious to get home and were somewhat disgruntled, so we did possibly our best work then, playing to them during those few months from November till March.”