ensa

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 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

military welfare history

Only When I Laugh: Raising patient morale during the Italian Campaign

Sep 29, 2025

•

6 min read

Only When I Laugh: Raising patient morale during the Italian Campaign

Hospital Welfare & Entertainment

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

•

3 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

service entertainment

Ralph Reader: The Gang Show, the Hat Girl, and the Spy

Apr 18, 2025

•

5 min read

Ralph Reader: The Gang Show, the Hat Girl, and the Spy

Every now and then you read historical documents, an anecdote catches your eye and you do a double-take.

Matt Eaton

george formby

When 'Our Gracie' Snubbed the Eighth Army

Apr 6, 2025

•

5 min read

When 'Our Gracie' Snubbed the Eighth Army

Entertainment and morale: a double edged sword

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

cinema

Mar 7, 2025

•

2 min read

Bloody Cheesed and Far From Home

Why I started researching organised entertainment

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

ensa

Jan 19, 2025

•

5 min read

Providing a Reason to Fight: ENSA’s The Cathedral Steps, 25th September 1942

“Beneath every history, another history” - Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall

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

george formby

Aug 16, 2024

•

3 min read

Virginia Vernon: ENSA’s Secret Weapon

ENSA's Chief Welfare Officer and Chief Sorter Outer

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

ensa

And now for something completely different

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

Only When I Laugh: Raising patient morale during the Italian Campaign

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

Ralph Reader: The Gang Show, the Hat Girl, and the Spy

When 'Our Gracie' Snubbed the Eighth Army

The Case of George Formby & Operation Baytown?

Bloody Cheesed and Far From Home

Germaine Sablon & Le Chant des Partisans

Providing a Reason to Fight: ENSA’s The Cathedral Steps, 25th September 1942

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)

Virginia Vernon: ENSA’s Secret Weapon

Naomi Jacob: Mickie to her friends

Joyce Grenfell Entertaining the Troops in Italy

Quick Links

Subscription

Socials