Memories of a Concert Party Dancer
An oral history interview with Betty Hockey. Interview Date 26/04/2013
Betty was born in Bournemouth in 1916. When the war broke out Betty decided to do her bit by setting up a Southern Command Concert Party to entertain the troops. Betty recruited her fellow performers from people who had wanted to join the forces but who had not been allowed due to them being in a sealed profession. With 16 performers, the “Non-Stops” was one of the largest concert parties and had every artiste possible. Betty’s speciality was the Can-Can – which caused great controversy at the time. The Non-Stops performed at military camps from Weymouth to Portsmouth including all the airfields and camps in the New Forest and other locations, such as Hurst Castle, ships at sea and on one occasion, even a German POW camp. Betty’s day job was collecting tyres for re-treading from camps in the New Forest. She used these visits to make bookings for the concert party.
One of the most memorable concerts was at Hurn Airfield performed for the American 397th Bomb Group. Coincidently, this was the Non-Stops 100th concert party and the bomb groups 100th Bombing Mission. The performers stayed on after the show to wait for the planes to come back and for the first time, every plane returned safely.
Betty remembers the American camps were always generous with their supply of petrol and gifts of food – particularly tea, sugar and chicken. The concert party travelled in four cars with Betty towing a trailer behind her Canadian Staff car containing the scenery and props. Sometimes the Army would pay for a coach or send a truck.
Betty was given a made-up uniform to allow her to pass into the camps as security tightened in the lead-up to D-Day. Betty was in Bournemouth Lower Gardens wearing this uniform when the Metropole hotel was bombed (23rd May 1943) Betty helped dig out the bodies of the Canadian Airmen and ferry them to the mortuary.
The Non-Stops performed right through the war with the same line up. The last concert was in 1948, the war had ended, the camps were declining and television was becoming popular. The party decided to end on a high note. This always left a void in Betty’s life and so in 1955 Betty made contact with the forces and has remained in contact ever since – attending reunions in the UK, America and even Germany. Betty remains a staunch supporter of the Royal Navy and is often invited to attend events.
Interview Quick Clips
All material is ©2014 New Forest National Park Authority.
Full transcription of interview recordings.
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Interviewed by: Helen Wallbridge
Transcription by: Helen Wallbridge
Audio Editor: Gareth Owen
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You can discover more articles about Hurst Castle on New Forest Knowledge by visiting: Hurst Castle – Overview
Key Words:
Concert parties, Hurst Castle, garrison theatre, D-Day, ships, Bournemouth, Hurn, 397th Bomb Group, airfields, Beaulieu, Holmsley, Stoney Cross, Russians, Germans, Weymouth, German POW camp, Ibsley, cars, petrol, Americans, rationing, air raids, Metropol Hotel