Music, radio, dancing and films all helped to make wartime hardships easier. I can well remember going to the Gaumont cinema in Chelsea when I was 15 with my mother to see the film 'Brief Encounter' just after the war. She came out of the cinema in tears and all she could say was "What a wonderful film.". Rarely had I seen her display such emotion. We also saw the unforgetable film 'In Which We Serve' by Noel Coward which was riveting. As my father was serving in the Navy during the war this film was very close to our hearts. 'Gone With The Wind' which was American, was another incredible wartime favourite which I saw in Piccadilly. Cinemas had a resident organ which rose up in front of the screen. The organist played all our favourite wartime songs and music which was very entertaining and relaxed us whilst we were all cocooned in the relative safety and warmth of the cinema. However, this was not so when a V2 rocket came over in 1944 without warning and almost hit the cinema I was in. The factories played 'Music While You Work' which was broadcast on the radio every morning at 11 o'clock. This was most uplifting for the workers and many sang along with it. The song 'White Christmas' sung by Bing Crosby and written by Irving Berlin in 1942 sold thousands of 78 RPM records and was the all time Christmas favourite. Vera Lynn, the Forces Sweetheart, who was our most popular wartime singer, endlessly entertained us and the troops fighting abroad with her very emotional songs. 'The White Cliffs Of Dover' will never be the same sung by anyone else. The famous London song 'A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square' was also extremely popular and I still play this on the piano. Gracie Fields escaped to safer climes but George Formby constantly kept up morale with his cheerful lyrics and famous ukulele. Today, my daughter Linda is a great fan of his and belongs to The Ukulele Society of Great Britain. She spends an hour or two each day practising on her ukulele performing with her band playing her ukulele and singing at various venues. << less