Interview
125, MA200/136/136
Mantle Oral History Project
Speaker: Towers, Edward, 1916 - , Interviewee, Male, Female Impersonator; Coal mining; Munitions;
Speaker: Carswell, J., Interviewer, Female
Summary of interview item: Recalls early family life and accident he had as a child. Describes early work first on the screens at the pit, then at Wards Shoes in Barwell, Bentleys at Hinckley and eventually at Brush in Loughborough on munitions during the Second World War. Talks about becoming an entertainer in the clubs of Leicestershire and Yorkshire. Describes being a female impersonator and becoming part of the "Ibstock Contemptibles" company during the war. Talks about people he met while performing, and homosexuality. Describes some of the other acts, entertaining troops and charity work.
Place of birth: Ibstock, Leicestershire
Education: Ibstock Junior school; Ibstock Secondary school
Marital Status: Single, Children:
Father's Occupation: Miner
Mother's Occupation: Housewife
Location: County: Leicestershire
Location: Town/Place: Ibstock,
Periods Covered: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s
Language: English
Recording Date: 15/10/1992
Playing time: 36 mins
Access Restrictions: Full clearance Item Copyright: EMOHA
Summary: Yes
Transcription: No
Copies: yes
Cross Reference:
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