Union Defence Force Entertainment Unit
Also referred to as the U.D.F. Entertainment Unit or the The Union Defence Force Entertainment Group.
Contents
Origins
During the early years of the second world war the South African Womans's Auxiliary Service organised voluntary concert parties and entertainment at the various military camps in the Union. From this came the idea of having a formally organised entertainment unit for the Union Defense Force. According to this was first suggested by a Colonel G. Newman, who felt that entertainment was a vital necessity in the battle against boredom which inevitably existed in military camps in the Union. Having found approval from Field Marshal Smuts, they appointed Major Myles Bourke, the founder of the Pretoria Repertory Theatre and a well known amateur actor, as the Chief Entertainment Officer for the UDF.
In a memorandum outlining his scheme for troop entertainment, Bourke stressed that the main object of an entertainment unit was to ensure at least one good concert per week in every camp in the Union, and to ensure that the entertainment was of the highest quality. He pointed out that at that time entertainment was not controlled; that it was handicapped by the fact that artists were giving their services free and consequently were not subject to the discipline which would be necessary for troop entertainment on a large scale. It often happened, continued the memorandum, that voluntary artists called off engagements at the last moment, and no measures of correction could be taken against these voluntary artists. The memorandum pointed out that under an organised MILITARY scheme, the Chief Entertainment Officer could hold himself responsible for the type of entertainment offered and the artists would be under disciplinary control. Being under one head the concert parties would visit all camps throughout the Union on specific itineraries, and not only those camps in the ammediate vicinity of the organisers of the voluntary efforts.
On Dec. 18, 1940 Major Bourke wrote to the Q.M.G. giving the above reasons why he considered that entertainment for the troops should be on a military basis. On Dec. 20, he wrote to Mr. A. N. Wilson, Director of Information enclosing a copy of his scheme.
In Feb. 1941, Major Bourke asked for the transfer of certain members of the Potchefstroom Camp Concert party, which he had seen 'in their now famous revue "Springbok Frolics" which cleared £3,435 for war funds. The following members were transferred and formed the nucleus of the Entertainment Unit:- Bombardiers Frank Rogaly, who was made Chief Production Officer, F. Stuart Needham, G. Marriott, Sgt Lionel Roche, and Gunner G. Walker. They were joined shortly after by Lt A. Swemmer, Recreation Club Hall which was attended by many senior UDF officers, and which was an outstanding success. Two more concert parties were rehearsed at Major Bourke's residence. They were the "Gypsies" who left on tour in April 1941, and the "Crasy Gang" who left for a Union tour in May 1941.
Founded in 1940 by Major Myles Bourke it employed entrepreneurs such as Frank Rogaly and Leo Quayle as organisers and directors. Rogaly’s first wartime revue, Springbok Follies was a produced at the Empire Theatre in 1941 and played to capacity, before it went north to the front. ***** Among the individuals involved in the Unit who would later return to make an impact on theatre in the country were Frank Rogaly, Gordon Mulholland, Sidney James and musical directors Leo Quayle and Harry Rabinowitz. Among the shows put on were ****.After the war, the Unit continued as ***??
See also
Major Myles Bourke; South African concert parties; Middle East; ENSA; ME Live Entertainments Committee; the Crazy Gang; Union Defence Force Band; SAAF Band
For the general principle, see Military Entertainment
Sources
Swift, M.1974. "The Union Defence Force Entertainment Group in South Africa (World War II)". Scientia Militaria - South African Journal of Military Studies, [S.l.], feb. 2012. ISSN 2224-0020. Available at: <http://scientiamilitaria.journals.ac.za/pub/article/view/935/946>. Date accessed: 24 May. 2015.
Percy Tucker, 1997,
Temple Hauptfleisch 1985
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