SEASONS GREETINGS

May I take this opportunity to wish everyone a very merry Christmas & a prosperous new year.

All the best for 2013,

Monty.

IMPORTANT NEWS

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR ALL MONTYS FANS: Monty now has his own facebook page, you can look him up by typing Montague Hyde Whyte into the search bar. Also the Montague Hyde Whyte Appreciation society is available for you to join on facebook. So come & be friends with Monty & a member of the MHWAS!!!!

MONTYS MEMOIRS - PART ONE

An introduction to the Elsecar Heritage Blogspot & its author, distinguished actor/director/producer Montague Hyde Whyte, by Eric Warner - president of the UK branch of the Montague Hyde Whyte appreciation society.

I first became aware of the acting powerhouse that is Montague Hyde Whyte (or Monty as he is affectionately known to his friends, family & fans) during a one of my regular childhood visits to the Saturday morning matinee at the then Futurist cinema in Elsecar. It was 1952, I was a mere boy of fourteen at the time & went to see the recently released science fiction movie “BLIGHTERS FROM OUTER SPACE”.

original cinema poster for the 1952 film

'Blighters From Outer Space' 

 Even at that tender age I considered myself as a bit of a film aficionado & knew that this was the first film of its type to be produced by the British Tooting Brothers studios which aimed to latch onto the success that the genre was enjoying both here & in the United States. To this end the Tooting Brothers had managed to secure the services of a notable cast of established character actors which in turn was headed up by a true film star of the era. Despite the movie enjoying a standout cast, a first rate script & a Hollywood style budget “BLIGHTERS FROM OUTER SPACE” failed to achieve what its makers set out for it to insofar as breaking Tooting Brothers into the American market was concerned. In spite of the lukewarm reviews the movie received I considered it to be the greatest film of the type I had seen since the release of  “DOGNAPPERS FROM ORBIT 19 - IN 3D” the year before & was absolutely blown away by the performance of the leading man. Little did I know then but the chap who had played the part of Captain Dirk Lightspeed -  the intergalactic star ranger who single-handedly managed to defeat the might of the Martian invaders as they attempted to colonise Sheffield - was none other than a certain Montague Hyde Whyte. I had heard of Monty, of course I had & had seen several of his films as & when they had played at The Futurist such as the 1949 adaptation of Rosamund Rodgers classic novel “REAP THE SAVAGE WIND” in which he gave a strikingly sensitive portrayal as Frederick Faversham, the tortured son of Lord Faversham of Filey - who begins a tempestuous & ultimately doomed affair with the local milkmaid Flossie O’Flynn (played to perfection by Lana Lamoure), but it was his role as the aforementioned Dirk Lightspeed which really flagged up Monty to me & thus began an association with the great man which has lasted from that day to this & eventually led to the founding of the MHWAS. It was to my eternal surprise to learn that not only was Monty at the cutting edge of film & theatre both here in the UK but in Hollywood too, but the fact that he was born & bred right here in Elsecar. A fact which he divulged for the first time during his now legendary interview on the ‘Harty’ show in 1974. Russell Harty himself (along with his other guests that night, namely Bing Crosby, John Wayne & Benny from Crossroads) was astounded by this revelation as it was generally accepted by the media that Monty was born into a middle class family - indeed The unofficial 1968 biography ‘Montague. The Man - the Legend’ by the acclaimed writer Walter C Nesbit, cited him as having been born in Chipping Sodbury. In the exchange which followed the ever mischievous Monty reverted to a broad Barnsley accent to conduct the remainder of the interview - much to bemusement of Russell, Bing, John & Benny!

I first met Monty in the flesh in 1979 at the Palladium theatre, Penge, during the UK premier of his hit stage farce ‘OOPS WHERE’S MY KECKS?’ which Monty had brought home after it’s highly successful 18 month run on Broadway. This play, which was written, produced & Directed by Monty & starred the man himself - playing the lead role of Stanley Small, the hapless door to door ladies underwear salesman, alongside his third wife Mitzi Medford - proved an instant smash hit with both audiences & critics alike with such esteemed notaries as Sir Cecil Burton, theatre critic with the Exchange & Mart, describing it as “A triumph! Oops where’s my kecks heralds the long anticipated return to the British stage of one of our finest & most enduring character actors”. Upon meeting the great man himself I should like to think that we have since forged a lasting & close friendship & indeed it is with his support that I managed to leave my job as a rat catchers assistant & take up a full time position as first Treasurer then latterly president of the MHWAS.

Monty’s 1991 film “Try Hard” - in which he played an embittered  police inspector from Llandudno who, upon visiting his estranged grandma at her new years eve office party at the post office tower, found himself caught up in a terrorist siege - proved to be his last major foray onto the big screen. Commenting himself on the film Monty said “The sight of me in my string vest, dodging bullets, & wielding my truncheon whilst shouting ‘stop these shenanigans right away or I will be forced to take down your particulars!’ proved one step beyond the pail. Though it pains me to admit it, I fear my matinee idol days are now behind me.” Sadly Try Hard proved a miss with the audiences too & Monty decided that he should finally take a step back from the limelight to enjoy his twilight years in semi retirement. Making the bold decision to relocate from America back to the UK Monty sold his Beverley Hills mansion & astounded his friends by announcing his intention to return to Elsecar. Instructing his staff to find him a suitable property, Monty was introduced to ‘The Willows’, a charming 17^th century coach house which lies on the periphery of the Village. Monty spent the next couple of years (& a not inconsiderable amount of money!) restoring The Willows to its former glory before settling into a life of leisure. Though the smell of greasepaint has on occasion proved too much for Monty & over the years he has made guest appearances on several high profile British & US television programmes.

Nowadays Monty likes to relax but, always a man of great ardour, Monty has taken to frequenting the Elsecar Heritage Centre &, unmistakable in his fedora & cape with the tap tap tap of his silver topped cane beating an accompaniment to his stride, he cuts a dash as he peruses the shops therein. Speaking about his life & career in the US magazine ‘Hollywood Greats’ in 2011 Monty described the Heritage Centre as “My new passion. I simply adore the range of exiting places to visit. The eclectic mixture of shops & businesses is simply outstanding & appeals to my avant-garde nature. One of my favourite haunts is the antiques centre for it is a veritable treasure trove of collectables & is a must for anyone searching for anything from a an old work of art to a vintage action man! I regularly browse the countless items for sale therein & I often manage to bag a bargain. Combine this with all the other shops & services on offer at the Elsecar Heritage Centre means that there is simply no need for me, or anyone else for that matter, to travel far & wide in search of good service, good prices & good quality when everything they need is right here in the heart of this wonderful community.”

Despite being approached to write his memoirs over the years by several major publishing houses both here & in the states, Monty instructed me to set down his life story here, where it will be available for everyone to see for free. As a result we spent many hours together enjoying a drink & a bite to eat at Brambles tea rooms or, weather permitting, at the seating area outside as we talked through Monty’s life story - the same story which is presented for your enjoyment herein. 

Brambles Tea Room at the Elsecar Heritage Centre

      

 By way of a bribe in the form of a bag of Monty’s favourite confectionary which I purchased for him from Emily’s Traditional Sweet Shop - who stock an outstanding range of temptations for those with a sweet tooth all presented in wonderfully traditional surroundings - just like a proper sweet shop ought to be, I also persuaded the great man himself write a few words by way of introduction.

“Hello everyone, my name is Montague Hyde Whyte, some of you may have heard of me whilst others may not. I have made my living by various means, details of which begin below. One fine day whilst sitting on a bench in the Elsecar Heritage Centre, enjoying the sunshine & the ambience of this wonderful place I decided that perhaps I should set the record straight once & for all regarding my life & times. There has been much both written & spoken about me over the years relating to both my personal & professional life, most of which has ranged from the inaccurate to the downright libellous. It is to my good friend Eric Warner whom I turned to discuss my thoughts for setting out my memoirs through the medium of the world wide web. His knowledge of this internet malarkey has proved invaluable & said knowledge has allowed him to place this serialisation of my story for you all to read & hopefully enjoy. But before you begin reading the first instalment of this tome if should like, if I may, to expand a little on why the Elsecar Heritage Centre has become such an important part of my life. As already recorded I returned to live in my home village of  Elsecar after enjoying a modestly successful career in film, stage & television which encompassed the past seventy odd years. The decision was not made lightly, indeed my close friends begged me to stay in Beverley Hills & could not understand why on earth I should wish to relocate to the UK. As my good friend the veteran Film producer Albert C Wiesenberger commented at the time ‘London I could understand but Elsecar? Are you crazy Monty?’ Though here I admit for the first time that I had long since tired of the showbiz circuit & the burden which the label ‘Hollywood legend’ had brought me. The endless parties, personal appearances & requests to attend this awards ceremony, or that film premier & the incessant ringing of the telephone asking me to show my face on one of a constant stream of chat shows had all lost their lustre. I found that a yearning had taken over me, a yearning for things such as Yorkshire pudding, a cheeky afternoon pint of  beer & a game of pool in a proper pub, long walks in the beautiful countryside, a spot of fishing, piping hot fish & chips saturated in salt & malt vinegar eaten with the fingers straight from the paper. Try getting any of those on Sunset Boulevard & see how far you get - especially cod & chips with sloppy peas or curry with plenty of scraps on (Believe me I’ve tried! They don’t even sell Sheffield fish cakes!) The only place I knew I could be assured of such simple pleasures was my home village of Elsecar &, in anticipation of rediscovering them all, it was without even the slightest hint of regret that I said goodbye to my friends & colleagues & headed back across the Atlantic. Easing myself into my new life, imagine my delight to discover that the old NCB workshops on Wath Road had been transformed into a little gem of a place called the Elsecar Heritage Centre. My first visit there opened my eyes to what a wonderful place it was to spend some quality time. It is obvious to me that a lot of effort has gone into the place by those who work therein. The shopkeepers have made tremendous efforts to ensure the site is a welcoming environment for those who set foot through its gates. It has something to offer everyone of every age, from terrific play facilities & toy shops for the youngsters to an antiques centre for those - like myself - of slightly more ‘mature’ years. I have found myself spending more & more of my free time at the Heritage Centre & enjoy nothing more than sitting on a bench in the sunshine & watching the world pass me by. I am especially proud of the efforts of those splendid fellows of the Elsecar Heritage Centre Railway who, & despite lack of funds, have transformed the once derelict line into a wonderful little tourist attraction all of its own which surely must rank as a must see for diesel & steam enthusiasts alike. Whilst not an authority of things railway, all I can say is I am transported back to my youth when I witness the steam engines running up & down the line. Indeed I am oft reminded of  ‘A TICKET FOR TWO’ the 1955 film in which I starred alongside Celia Cedrickson as we played a couple of star crossed lovers whose chance meeting over a custard cream in the waiting room of a provincial railway station leads to a brief but passionate affair. The final tear jerking scene - where I wave her off after she boards the 1755 to Brightside, knowing that we will never meet again, is always evoked every time I see one of the trains pull away from the station. The Elsecar Heritage Centre is not known by that title for any old reason, it is home to one of the worlds most important industrial artefacts, the Newcomen Beam Engine - the only piece of equipment of its type in the world to remain in its original location in which it has been situated since it’s installation in 1795. I was suitably delighted to recently learn that funding has been secured which means that the Beam Engine will undergo a thorough restoration which will soon see it transformed into a fantastic visitor attraction. If you ever visit the Elsecar Heritage Centre - & I thoroughly recommend you do - who knows, perhaps we may meet, until then may I most humbly offer my regards in the hope that you enjoy reading about my life”

Montague Hyde Whyte.

The Willows,

Elsecar.

2012.      

  CHAPTER ONE

Born on the 1^st of April 1920, Montgomery Hyde Whyte was the youngest of six children. His father was a man & his mother a woman. Early life proved a tortuous affair for the young Monty. Having two convictions for whippet dangling to his name meant that, for Monty’s father, finding work was always an uphill struggle (though Monty has insisted that it be recorded here that Pater didn’t do himself any favours on the job front after registering himself with the labour exchange as a pearl diver). Indeed hadn’t it been for the incomparable efforts of his mother & the fact that she worked permanent fourteen hour nights as a wick trimmer, the whole family would have starved on more than one occasion. Consequently money was always tight & the young Monty had to learn to do without. For example the nearest he got to eating meat consisted of licking the window of the local butchers shop & as far as such luxuries such as sweets were concerned he had to make do with sniffing old toffee wrappers he found lying in the street. As for toys Monty recalls being allowed to have the occasional feel of his sisters rag doll but little else. Wintertime was always the worst in the Hyde Whyte household, with Monty’s memories of long bleak evenings spent huddled for warmth alongside his siblings around the fireplace, hands out in anticipation of catching a scrap of heat from the single cobble of coal which burned forlornly in the otherwise empty grate. Christmases were best forgotten, for example so as to raise some extra cash Monty, his brothers & sisters would be expected to go out carol singing from august onwards. Also unless his father could snare a bird from the next door neighbours pigeon loft, the festive lunch would consist of an eighth share of a jammy dodger. Presents were always what other boys & girls got & the closest thing to them Monty, his brothers & sisters could expect on Christmas morning was a photograph of a toy which his father had cut out of  the local free weekly newspaper. Monty still has vivid recollections of one particular Christmas when he was presented with a old horse shoe, being told by his dad that he was now part owner of a racehorse. Principally because of his fathers failure to secure employment at any of the pearl diving hotspots of the West Riding of Yorkshire (as South Yorkshire was known in those days) times remained hard for the Hyde Whytes & when Monty started school it was an inevitability that he was obliged to wear hand-me-downs & other cast offs. Turning up for lessons clad in his fathers old WW1 tin helmet, a uniform made from a worn out fur coat, his eighteen year old brothers donkey jacket & his sisters stilettos meant that this was no joke for the six year old Monty. His time away from the playground proved little better as he found himself forced to work two jobs in order to supplement the families meagre income. His typical daily routing was an early morning paper round (though he covered most of Elsecar & into the neighbouring villages he was denied use of a bicycle having to make do instead with a more expedient form of transport, namely an old car tyre which he used to roll down the road whilst running alongside. Not ideal by any means but still - as his father told him - it was better than walking). Following a full school day Monty evenings were taken up with his second job, spending at least four hours a night as a lamp lighters assistant - a Particularly hard task as, apart from the fact that he was paid on a commission only basis, Elsecars street lights had all been converted to electric the year before. In spite of or possibly because of the privations he was forced to endure Monty developed a steely determination to break free from his surroundings at the earliest opportunity. Given the fact that his family occupied a one up one down mid terraced house the only time Monty could spend by himself was during his visits to the outside toilet, it was here that the boy Monty first developed a thirst for reading. The squares of newspaper hanging on the nail behind the door seemed at first so much gibberish to Monty but, slowly & surely he persisted in making sense of them & in so doing he began to realise that there was much more to the world than was to be found in Elsecar. One day his father announced that it was about time Monty had his own room & without further ado he was moved into the space under the sink, this proved another seminal moment in Monty’s young life as, because the sink had a curtain which separated the area below it from the rest of the room, Monty found he could shut himself away & indulge in his new passion for the written word.  Nestled amongst the bottles of bleach, floor cloths, black lead & dolly blue Monty read as many books & magazines as he could lay his hands on all by the light of a single candle which he had stuck into the bottom of a jam jar to form an improvised lantern, often staying up til the wee hours so as to finish the next chapter. As he read whatever it was he was reading he found he would begin to act out the scenes first to himself & then to an imaginary audience. It was at this time - according to Monty - that he realised, perhaps, his life lay in show business. It was an ordinary school day which provided Monty with the key to the lock which he had so long been searching for while he was doing his five times table on a slate (yes they used to write on slates in those days!) Monty slipped & fell off the roof. When he came to he had a revelation which he himself described as his very own ‘road to Damascus’ moment & it was this very same revelation which was to alter the course of Monty’s life & indeed latterly touch the lives of millions of people around the globe, forever…………

When Monty awoke from unconsciousness & saw the crowd which had gathered round him he momentarily thought himself to be acting out one of his stories not under the sink as usual but in the full glare of the limelight & centre stage of some grand London theatre. The applause which accompanied his return to the land of the living only served to cement the illusion, so much so that a still dazed Monty got to his feet &, tottering on his six inch stilettos, took a bow. For the remainder of that day the memory of that hallucination stayed with him &, by home time, Monty had made up his mind - he wanted to be an actor. Arriving home late in the evening after another fruitless lamp lighting shift, Monty announced his ambition to the household. To say that his parents were not impressed by this proclamation would be an understatement indeed, with his mother cuffing him round the ear & sending him off to bed without any supper only after his father insisted that Monty put such nonsense out of his mind altogether as he would most certainly follow in his own footsteps & begin work as a self employed benefit claimant.

With these words ringing in his ears, that very same night the ten year old Monty eased out from beneath the sink, put on the best of his ragged clothes & after packing a few meagre belongings into a handkerchief  which he knotted & tied onto the end of a stick, Monty slipped out of the back door & headed off into the unknown…………..

Monty spent five days on the road during which time he ate only what he could scrounge from waste bins. He had realised within the first few miles that stilettos were of little use when hiking & in frustration (& without thinking it through) had snapped off the heels, the resulting adapted footwear only compounded little Monty’s misery as they made him walk like Charlie Chaplins stunt double. It was of little wonder that he was almost ready to give up on his dream & go back to the life which had already been mapped out for him. Dejected, cold, hungry & alone Monty sat down on a roadside verge to rest his weary feet before starting off on the return journey when he spotted a most unusual sight. The enormous tent which had been erected in the middle of the field stood out against the evening skyline like a fairytale castle. Curiosity overwhelming him, Monty approached to get a better look & as he did began to hear the unmistakable sound of laughter & applause emanating from within. Poking his head though one of the flaps Monty was confronted with a sight which was to remain with him for the rest of his life. The circus was in full swing with acrobats, jugglers, clowns & painted ladies entertaining an enthusiastic crowd. The roar of laughter followed by gasps of awe & a timpani of clapping which accompanied was almost too much for the awestruck young man to digest. After the show ended & the audience had gone home Monty made his way to the rear of the big top where in the distance he spied a gaggle of caravans in the centre of which the circus performers had gathered around a camp fire to drink & make merry. They were still dressed in their costumes &, as the firelight played across the scene, it made a magnificent sight for the young Monty. Gingerly he approached the gathering until he was eventually spotted by one of the throng. Without hesitation & without question Monty was invited into the circle & was given a bowl of piping hot stew which he washed down by a glass of the most delicious homemade lemonade he had ever tasted (upon reading the draft of this work back to him during afternoon tea at Brambles, Monty reminds me that it was the only homemade lemonade he had ever tasted!). The ravenous young waif soon polished off his meal & caused a roar of laughter when he asked if he could have another portion. A second bowl of stew was duly presented which he consumed with the same enthusiasm as the first. Soon Monty was given a bed in Hairy Mary - the bearded lady’s - caravan. Young Monty slept the sleep of the dead that night & when he eventually woke up the following morning, the whole encampment had been uprooted in readiness for a move to pastures new. Spotting an opportunity, the ever resourceful Monty went off to see the Circus owner, Hugo Higgins to ask that he be kept on as unpaid apprentice. To his delight Mr Higgins agreed & so began the next chapter in Monty’s young life. Monty found himself unofficially adopted by Hairy Mary & her Husband, circus clown Dotty Dan  - whom both he was soon to grow to love & from who he would learn many important lessons over the years to come…….

Monty stayed with Higgins Circus for the next seven years, travelling the length & breadth of the country & more than once across the channel into France, blossoming from a callow boy into a strikingly handsome young man whose looks would turn the heads of ladies wherever he roamed. During his time with the circus he watched & he learned & he mastered many of the skills which were to stand him in such good stead in his later acting career. Indeed it was as a direct result of his circus training that, after winning the lead role of Robin Good in the 1947 Hollywood film ‘THE VAGABOND OF SHERWOOD FOREST’ (where he starred alongside Gloria Greg, Herbert Beauchamp & Dick Duvall) Monty insisted that he perform all his own stunts. This led to the films climactic & highly acclaimed sword fighting scene where Robin Good single-handedly dispatches the dastardly Earl of Exbridge - played to perfection by Dick Duvall - & a party of no less than fifty nine of his soldiers before finally sweeping Maiden Margaret (Gloria Greg) up into his arms, kissing her then riding off into the sunset. Monty has always said that it was the countless long hours he spent learning the ropes as a ferret tamer, elephant chiropodist, snake waxer, trick unicyclist, stunt clown, trapeze stringer, sawdust technician & knife thrower whilst with Higgins Circus which gave him the edge over his contemporaries & led to a rightfully deserved reputation as one of Hollywood’s most energetic leading men.

In 1937, feeling that he had somehow outgrown his surroundings, the then seventeen year old Monty decided to try & seek fame & fortune elsewhere thus, leaving his life & his friends at Higgins circus behind, he hitch hiked to London. His dream of a life treading the boards of the theatres of London’s west end proved just that as, despite knocking on every single door of every single theatre, rejection was the only response. Seeing his dreams slip through his fingers & his meagre saving rapidly depleted Monty was forced to sleep rough on the Thames embankment, though despite this he eventually secured employment as a coffin nobblers mate. The work was hard & the hours long though the paltry wage meant that Monty was forced to eke out his existence by performing part time as a mime artist. It was by sheer chance that during one of his busking sessions - where he was re-enacting the battle of Waterloo on the pavement outside the Imperial War Museum - that he was spotted by one of the capitals leading theatrical agents, the legendary Donald Downs. Seeing Monty’s still boyish yet devilishly handsome looks shining out from beneath the white face paint, Donald knew he could be onto something special. He waited until Monty had finished miming the part of his act where, after assuring his men that Bonaparte’s troops could never do them harm at such long range, the Duke of Doncaster gets shot in the testicles by a French sniper. Donald Downs introduced himself & asked the young performer along to his office to undertake a formal audition. The very next day, wearing a suit which Hairy Mary had hand knitted for him from her beard clippings, Monty turned up at The plush Baker Street suite which was the home to Donald Downs Entertainments ltd. The interview with Donald Downs & his assistant Mervin Megg lasted over an hour during which time Monty showed off his full repertoire of circus & mime talents, upon the conclusion of which he was asked to retire to a waiting room whilst Mr’s Downs & Megg discussed his prospects. It was here that Monty bumped into Donald Downs personal assistant. Elsie Potter was her name & from first laying eyes on her Monty knew he was in love. Fortunately for the smitten young man the feeling was mutual &, forgetting all about his audition, Monty set about the task of wooing this most special of ladies. Soon he had her laughing at his jokes & marvelling at his circus skills & the way - with his hands in his pockets - he could juggle balls. Monty’s bubble was soon burst though as Donald Downs called him back into his office to deliver the verdict. Unfortunately, though both he & Mervin Megg considered Monty to be both a handsome & talented young chap, they had both agreed that his talents were not specific to their needs. Dejected, Monty left the office & such was his disappointment that he completely forgot to say goodbye to Elsie. It was only when he got outside that he realised his mistake. Monty tried to get back into the building but found the door locked though desperate to see Elsie once again he stepped back to the edge of the pavement &, after counting the windows to determine which one Elsie would be behind, Monty lifted his head to the heavens & began to sing that popular love song of the time “OH MY DEAREST PLEASE BE MINE & MINE ALONE, FOR YOU ARE THE ONE WHO HAS STOLEN MY HEART & FOR THAT I SHALL EVER BE THANKFUL” (or OMDPBM&MAFYATOWHSMH&FTISEBT for short). It was a smitten Elsie who leant from the window to listen to the serenade. The window adjoining where Elsie now opened & a voice bellowed “Turn that wireless down, we’re trying to work in here!” Any further complaints by Donald Downs were soon silenced as he craned from his own office window & realised that it was not the wireless at all but the voice of the good looking young man who had auditioned for him only moments earlier. By the time Monty was into the last verse a crowd had gathered to listen to the performance &, as Monty hit the final big note, they spontaneously broke into frenzied applause. Even while Monty was having his hand shook, back slapped (& collecting more than a few pecks to the cheek by some of the more adventurous among the ladies gathered thereabout) Donald Downs had rushed down, taken Monty by the arm & led him back into his office. Within moments Monty had signed on the dotted line to become what Donald Downs predicted - the next big thing…….

A copy of the label for Montys first hit 78 'Let's Make Love'.

A printing error led to his name being spelt wrong, 500 copies

made it off the presses before the mistake was realised. As a result

those examples which survive command high prices. The last copy made 

$10,000 when it came up for auction in the United States

An example of Montys second big hit. 'Is This The Way To Your Heart?'

outsold 'Let's Make Love' by over 120,000 copies, making it

the biggest selling record of 1938.  

Things were definitely looking up for Monty, he had swapped his life of coffin nobbling, vagrancy & mime for a career on the stage, a move to which he applied himself with his usual gusto. Touring music halls across the country, Monty soon built up a solid reputation as a first rate crooner playing to houses which were always packed to the rafters with adoring female fans. In 1938 he recorded the hit 78s ‘LET’S MAKE LOVE’ & ‘IS THIS THE WAY TO YOUR HEART?’. 

As well as a rapidly ascending career, he was now engaged to be married to Elsie. Despite his burgeoning success Monty never forgot his friends &, at every opportunity when the circus was in town, would take Elsie to see Hairy Mary, Dotty Dan & all the rest of his old pals down at the big top. Indeed later that same year he returned to Elsecar to introduce his fiancée to his family. He discovered that little had changed since his departure, save for the fact that his father had given up his idea of gaining riches through pearl diving & - at the insistence of the dole office - had settled down to become a wheel tapper at the local colliery workshops (which, ironically, many years later was to be transformed into the Elsecar Heritage Centre) though it must be said that he continued to make he occasional fruitless free diving forays into the local reservoir. The only thing which now blighted Monty’s otherwise idyllic life was his continuing desire to become a fully fledged thespian. Donald Downs was well aware of Monty’s acting ambitions & on many occasions had tried to dissuade him from following that path, yet Monty persisted so in the end Donald secured a small walk on part for him in the low budget film ‘CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW GRANDDAD?’ a comedy in which he played PC Percy Pointer alongside the star of the movie, popular music hall comedian Eric “the cheeky chump” Eccles. The plot of which surrounded the antics of Eric Eccles as a bumbling & accident prone bus conductor who stumbles across a foreign spy ring operating in Mablethorpe. As far as Monty was concerned, & despite of can you hear me granddads’ lukewarm reception by its intended audience, the die was cast. It was to be an actors life for him or nothing. Monty’s decision also spelled the beginning of the end of his relationship with Donald Downs & soon Monty was to engage a new agent, namely the eminent Noel Newbridge. After a somewhat faltering start, during which time Monty attempted to leave the shadow of Can you hear me now granddad behind, he managed to secure work as juvenile lead with a small theatrical company which was touring the provinces with a production of the whodunit ‘MURDER MOST MOIST’. Despite pressure from some quarters for Monty to record further songs, he refused, preferring instead to concentrate on acting. In the spring of 1939 Monty & Elsie were married &, following a successful stint in London’s west end playing Crusher Collins, a numerically dyslexic fighter in the critically acclaimed wrestling musical ‘COUNT TEN & YOU’RE OUT’ Monty was poised on the brink of a glittering theatre career. However, as the year progressed the storm clouds of war were gathering across Europe &, little was Monty to know, his life was to change in more ways than one forever…………….  

   

The front cover of HOWDO magazine featuring Monty. 

TO BE CONTINUED………………………. 

   

      

WHAT'S ON OFFER AT THE ELSECAR HERITAGE CENTRE.

The Elsecar Heritage Centre is alive with all manner of businesses which together provide the shopper with everything he or she could want. I have compiled a list of shops & services so you the reader may get a flavour of what the Heritage Centre has to offer. However the best way of sampling the EHC is to pull on your boots & come & visit it!

BUSINESSES & SERVICES

(in no particular order)

BRAMBLES TEA ROOMS
Brambles is the Heritage Centres longest established eatery & enjoys a hard earned reputation for good food & good service.

HOUSE OF DIFFERENCE
House of Difference is a toyshop with a difference! It sells all manner of toys & hand crafted jigsaws.

LUNAR STONES
Lunar Stones is an exiting jewelry boutique which is home to a wide selection of top quality hand crafted products. A lovely little shop which is well worth a visit.

BYGONE TIMES
Clock repairs & sales

RAILWAY CHILDREN
daycare centre

PLAYMANIA
Childrens play & party centre

ANTIQUES CENTRE
Home to a wide range of antiques & collectables all housed in a welcoming environment.

ENCAUSTIC ARTS PLUS
wax based arts, pictures for sale & classes

HERITAGE INTERIORS
Offers high quality ready made or fully bespoke furniture as well as a good range of decorative household goods.  

THE PANTRY
Delicatessen & takaway

KARMA KLAY

THE CRAFT BOX
All your crafting needs are catered for here, as well as everything you need to keep crafting regular workshops are held to introduce you to new skills or refine existing ones. 

WOWHOW
Offers a wide range of high quality educational toys & learning aids so your child can have fun whilst learning valuable lessons.

MAYJAY FLOORING
Carpets & flooring

PRESENT
Visit their shop to view a range of fine hand made soaps & bathroom accessories

HALL OF FRAME
Bespoke picture framing service, you can have anything framed from photographs & posters, original works of art through to medals & sports shirts.

HERITAGE RELOVED

HERITAGE MUSIC STUDIOS
  Rehearsal & practice rooms available for hire, musical instrument tuition & recording facilities. 

HERITAGE MEMORIALS

supplier of headstones & other grave furniture

MUG SHOTS
Printing & embroidery service. Offers a full range of services for both individual & corporate clients. The shop also stocks a wide range of gifts with which to treat yourself or someone you love.

PICTURE PROUD
Photography studio 


EMILYS TRADITIONAL SWEETS
Stock an outstanding range of goodies for those with a sweet tooth. This traditional sweet shop is a must if you want to treat yourself or find the sweets you enjoyed as a child.


ANIAS CUPCAKES


BBR AUCTIONS & SALES
Specialist auctioneer


ELSECAR GARDEN PRODUCTS
If you're in the market for any type of wooden garden furniture & structures then this is the place to visit. Elsecar Garden Products will custom build sheds & gazebos etc to fit your requirements


CHAIRS BY DESIGN


ELSECAR HERITAGE RAILWAY
The Heritages Centres very own railway! EHRs team of volunteers run regular jaunts along the line so if you want to experience the thrill of riding on a steam train then contact them for further details. 

 
 LITTLE TREKKERS
Outdoor clothing & footwear for children


HOT METAL PRESS
Printers

MARK MARK THEATRE COMPANY


MILTON YORKSHIRE LTD


OCC LOGISTICS


TE AMO WEDDING ACCESSORIES


TICKET MART


WINGHAM WOOLWORK


TIN SMITHS
The former workshop of the sites own tin smith which has been preserved in his memory. This unit is open occasionally for visitors.

Please note that I am not in full possession of details relating to all business at the Elsecar Heritage Centre so apologies for any omissions. However if any businesses or services mentioned above would like me to expand on their details please post a comment containing what you would like to see included & I will update the information accordingly.

 

MONTYS MONTAGE

This section of the blog is devoted to photographs & description of the places to be found in & around the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Some of the photographs have been taken by Monty himself while others have been kindly provided by people who work within the Heitage Centre. A keen photographer, Monty snapped the shots shown below on a recent visit to the the Elsecar Heritage Centre which he hopes will illustrate some of the shops & services that are on offer that combine with the history aspect of the site to create a wonderful place to visit & shop........................

 

 

 

Mystery surrounds the location of this bench. Some say it is to be found
in the back garden of Montys Elsecar home 'The Willows' while others insist that
it stands somewhere in the Elsecar Heritage Centre. Who knows?

MONTYS MEMOIRS - PART TWO

    Introduction from Monty Hyde Whyte

There are many gatherings which take place over the course of a year at the Elsecar heritage Centre, from craft fairs through live music concerts to cat & dog shows, so I am fairly certain that there is something which caters to just about everyone’s tastes. I am aware that some of the events are organised by the tenants of the Elsecar Heritage Centre themselves & range from those of a grand scale to more ‘intimate’ affairs. One of the biggest - if not the biggest of all - is the annual bottle fair & auction the UK summer national, a site wide event organised by one of the Heritage Centres longest established businesses BBR auctions, this particular annual event (the biggest of its kind in the UK?) is a  customary yearly happening which attracts visitors from all over the world & brings a much needed boost to the local economy each time it takes place. BBR put an enormous amount of time & effort into making sure this & their other events are a success with the public & should be applauded for all their hard work. Of  perhaps a lower key but nonetheless important activity was a recent charity event held by the Elsecar Heritage Centres own photography studio ‘PICTURE PROUD’ which had a fund raising day of family photography in order to collect money for Weston Park hospital in Sheffield. I had every intention of attending that day but unforeseen circumstances meant that sadly I had to miss the opportunity of getting some copyright free photographs. Apparently however I heard that the event was a resounding success with many hundreds of pounds raised for that most worthy of causes. All business tenants of the Elsecar Heritage Centre work exceptionally hard to ensure that visitors to the site enjoy their experience & are to be applauded for their efforts & I sincerely believe that the atmosphere which has been created as a result is one which won’t be found elsewhere & that’s why I recommend it as a place to visit albeit to browse, to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee, a cooked meal or to indulge in some shopping. For the latter there is a range of places which cater for just about everyone’s tastes, so if you’re on the lookout for anything from a high quality children’s toy to a carpet, a piece of hand made jewellery or soap to a fleece jacket, a cupcake to having your pictures framed, crafting supplies to wedding accessories, a bag of sweets to a grandfather clock, a hand painted mug to a deli, an antique to a ride on a steam train, you’ll find it all at the hidden gem that is the Elsecar Heritage Centre.    
………………………………..........
    It was a while ago that I attended a wartime weekend at the Elsecar Heritage Centre. The event had been organised by those magnificent chaps at the Elsecar Heritage Railway. It was late summer & I remember the weather was particularly clement for the time of year which allowed both myself & the countless visitors to browse around the many living history displays & stalls which had been set up both in & around building 21. There were many enthusiastic ladies & gentlemen who had turned up for the occasion in wartime garb. Vehicles & equipment of that era were scattered about the area as well as an absolutely first rate George Formby impersonator who took to the stage & wowed the assembled crowds with a splendid open air concert which had everyone, both young & old, singing & dancing along. The highlight of the whole event for me was the 1940’s dance, which was held inside building 21. Everyone got into the mood & descended on the venue in wartime uniform or civilian attire. I myself hired a uniform for the occasion & had the good fortune to secure a dance or three with some rather attractive young ladies. For a while I found myself transported back those seventy odd years to my own wartime service & it is with that in mind that I arranged to meet my dear friend Eric Warner in order to recount those days so that he may include them in my biography. Together we spent an afternoon sitting on the bench near the visitors centre, with Eric enthusiastically scribbling away while I told my story. I’m afraid that poor old Eric may have contracted writers cramp from all the shorthand but I hope for his sake that it wasn’t all in vain & that you enjoy reading this, the second instalment of my life story.


                                                 MONTYS WAR. By Eric Warner.


On September the 3rd 1939, the day war was declared, Montgomery Hyde Whyte was in Scotland. He was into the last week of filming of the taut spy thriller ‘THE ENEMY AT THE DOOR’ in which he played Harry Flynn - a tough private detective who, with the aid of the beautiful & mysterious Miss Greta Green (played by Kate O’Connor ) thwarts a network of enemy agents as they attempt to steal the plans of the Royal Air Forces top secret new fighter plane. ‘The enemy at the door’ proved such a hit with the cinema going public that Monty was later to reprise his role as Harry Flynn in the films ‘KNOCK TWICE FOR DANGER’ & ‘THIS WAY TO MURDER’.  Directly upon completion of the movie, Monty boarded his MG TF & set off south. Arriving in Elsecar late in the evening Monty announced his arrival to his unknowing family by sounding the car horn then waiting behind the wheel for someone to appear to see what all the noise was about. Cars - any sort of cars - were somewhat of a rarity around the streets of Elsecar in those days but a shiny new sports car such as Monty’s MG was indeed a sight to behold & soon the street was filled with people who, once they realised who was driving, could hardly contain their excitement. Elsecar was a tight knit community where everyone knew everyone & most of those present had watched Monty Grow up. Now though the scruffy little street urchin who had delivered their daily newspapers had been transformed beyond all recognition. Gone were the fifteenth hand clothes with the shiny silver sleeves, the scraped knees & the tin helmet, to be replaced by an athletically built young man standing six foot three inches tall & possessed of outstanding good looks who was wearing a hand made suit which was every inch as striking as his car. Monty had never forgotten his roots & greeted everyone by name just as if he had never been away. To say his parents were surprised to see him was an understatement indeed as they had no idea that Monty was planning to visit & he was ushered into the house amid a flurry of handshakes & ‘welcome home Monty’ from his neighbours. Catching up with all the news over a cup of tea, Monty was soon up to speed with the events which had happened since his last visit. His father had been on the sick from his job as a wheel tapper at the Elsecar workshops (now the site of the Elsecar Heritage Centre) ever since contracting dry rot from sitting on a plank to have his elevenses, indeed he had accrued so many doctors notes in the intervening period that the family had enough squares of paper of the correct dimensions that there was no further need to cut up old newspapers for hanging on the nail behind the outside toilet door. Montys mother wanted to be brought up to speed with her youngest sons life, when asked about Elsie Monty deftly sidestepped the subject. The truth of the matter (a truth which he didn’t want his mother to know) was that even though they had been only married a few short months their relationship had floundered to the point where Elsie & he were now married in name only. Rumours had abounded of affairs with his leading ladies which Monty was supposed to have had - though Monty has insisted that I add that he always refuted all the allegations & insists to this day that while Elsie & he were married he remained faithful. Elsie could not cope with all the female attention which Monty attracted & her jealousy became as a black cloud hanging over their relationship. Soon though talk turned to the war, it transpired that Montys father had predicted the outbreak of hostilities for he thought he had some hand in it & had been expecting trouble ever since he had written a strongly worded letter of protest to the German embassy in London to complain that - in a futile attempt to appeal to the masses - Herr Hitler was copying Charlie Chaplin by adopting the same moustache & funny trousers though, even if he started to use a bowler hat & cane, he would never have the same worldwide appeal as the great man for he lacked comic timing. In anticipation of a conflict he had been digging an air raid shelter for the past six months (more accurately he had gotten the local children to dig a hole in the ground after telling them there was buried treasure to be found somewhere in his back yard). The resulting twenty five foot deep hole had been lined with oak planking & had a corrugated tin roof, inside the shelter was decorated with table & chairs all of which had somehow made their way from the Elsecar workshops while Montys father was on the night shift. Ever since prime minister Neville Chamberlains declaration of war he had expected Hitler’s first blow was to fall upon Elsecar &, although Monty attempted to persuade him otherwise, he remained adamant that the skies above the village would soon fill with Stuka dive bombers all there to extract revenge for his letter of the year before.
……………………………..

Montys arrival in Elsecar caused a quite a stir as eligible ladies, autograph hunters & others who - if the truth be known - should really have been considered rather too long in the tooth to be star struck, descended upon Montys street in order to catch a glimpse of him. In order to say thank you to all his old friends & neighbours for welcoming him so warmly back into the fold Monty arranged an impromptu open air concert at the band stand in Elsecar park (that same bandstand still stands just across the way from the Elsecar Heritage Centre). A telephone call to a showbiz contact in Sheffield saw the arrival of a twenty piece orchestra & backing singers. News of Montys presence & the impending concert saw people from all the neighbouring villages arrive, indeed several coach loads of fans turned up from as far away as Pitsmoor. Elsecar park was packed to capacity on that sunny afternoon as Monty took to the bandstand to deliver a string of hit songs including his very own ‘LET’S MAKE LOVE’ & ‘IS THIS THE WAY TO YOUR HEART?’ It was later said that, such was the screaming by the throngs of adoring women as Monty sang ‘is this the way to your heart?’ that the noise could be heard all the way to Hoyland town hall. The concert wasn’t entirely without tragedy though as a special constable - who had been assigned to be part of crowd control duties was hit in the face by a pair of bloomers which had been thrown at the stage by an over enthusiastic young lady. The poor policeman in question received third degree elastic burns (though thankfully recovered in time to issue Monty with a parking ticket!). The concert proved such a success that the local council decreed that Monty should receive free coal for life. The following day Monty was preparing to return to London when he asked his other if she would like to have a ride in his car. It must be remembered that in those days such an invitation was seen as a rare treat indeed & as a result she jumped at the chance & took to the passenger seat (but not before warning Monty not to drive too fast!). After a sedate - well sedate in Montys terms - tour of the locality Monty brought the MG to a halt outside a big newly built three bed roomed detached house on the other side of the village from the family home. “I thought you were taking me home?” said Montys mum. “But I have mother.” winked Monty mischievously as he reached into his jacket pocket & produced a set of house keys. Dumbstruck as Monty helped her out of the car, his mum followed Monty down the garden path & through the front door. After a tour of the house Monty handed the keys over & dropped another bombshell. As far as he was concerned he could stand by no longer in the knowledge that his beloved mother was working her fingers to the bone every hour of every day of every week. Now she would never have to work again for he had arranged a very generous allowance to be paid weekly into a bank account he had set up in her name. Now, instead of dragging the tin bath in from outside & plonking it front of the fire the Hyde Whytes would be able to bathe in their very own bathroom &, even better still there would be no more  padding across the yard in the freezing cold every time nature called. That & the news he had arranged for the councils offer of free coal to be delivered to that address meant that she could heat the new family home to the point where they would no longer have to spread half a dozen greatcoats over the eiderdown in order to keep warm at bed time. After everything had finally sunk in Monty dropped his mother off at the ‘old’ house before wishing her, his father & his siblings well & pointing the nose of the MG towards London.
            Monty arrived back at his Park Lane apartment & walked straight into an enormous row with Elsie. She had been reading the gossip columns of every tuppenny magazine she could get her hands on while he had been away &, according to most of them Monty had been having a torrid affair Kate O’Connor whilst they were filming ’THE ENEMY AT THE DOOR’ & as a result the glamorous young actress had fallen head over heels in love with him. Monty was quick to point out that this gutter journalism was sensationalist stuff at its worst, besides which he couldn’t have had an affair with Miss O’Connor even if he wanted to (which he didn’t) for what the magazines didn’t know was that she preferred ladies to gentlemen. Unconvinced Elsie demanded that Monty leave &, despite his protestations, he found himself staying with his good friend, the respected Shakespearian actor Larry Gilgood & his wife Cecily, at their Knightsbridge townhouse. Despite visits to see Elsie & engaging the services of Cecily to plead his innocence when she refused to see him Elsie would here nothing of it, deciding to believe the press instead of Monty, so much so that she finally petitioned for divorce a few short weeks later. It was during this traumatic time that an idea which Monty had during his concert in Elsecar park began to take shape that perhaps he could help the war effort by organising a concert party to entertain the armed forces? Montys agent Noel Newbridge had all the right contacts & soon a meeting was arranged between Monty & senior government minister Sir Aubrey Fyffe Bridges QC MP. Monty put forward his proposal to Sir Aubrey over lunch at the houses of parliament to which the minister promised to take up the matter at the next scheduled cabinet meeting. A couple of weeks or so later Monty received a telegram from Sir Aubrey informing him that his idea had been accepted, he would have permission to tour all military bases & that he should assemble a troupe of performers with all haste. Never one to let the grass grow under his feet Monty had already taken the liberty of approaching several of his show business acquaintances. The popular comedian ‘Gormless’ George Glover, the Starlight Soft Shoe Shufflers (try saying that whilst eating a toffee) dance trio, the fashionable singer Barry Tone, Marvo Marvellous the magician, Betty ‘the girl next door’ Brown the Lancashire born singer & comedienne & the Kiveton Park High Kickers all girl dance company had all agreed to come on board. So the ‘TIN HAT TROUPE’ was born. After several weeks of intensive rehearsals the ‘TIN HAT TOUR’ hit the road, performing to packed audiences at military camps all across the country. Such was the success of the Tin Hatters with the soldiers, sailors & airmen who saw it that Sir Aubrey asked Monty if he would be prepared to take the show to France to entertain the Men of the British Expeditionary Force stationed there. Monty & the rest of the Tin Hatters needed no persuasion & soon preparations were being made for them to cross the Channel. Given the unusual circumstances of the tour it was decided by someone in the War Department that Monty should receive an emergency wartime commission, so it was Lieutenant Montague Hyde Whyte who led the Tin Hat Troupe into France. The tour went better than anyone could have ever imagined & resulted in several hit songs, all were co written by Monty & Gormless George Glover which severely mocked the Nazi regime, such as ‘OLD MOTHER GOOSE STEP’ ‘HAVE YOU HEARD FROM ADOLF?’ & ‘THE JACKBOOT JIVE’. Never known for his sense of humour, Hitler was outraged at the exploits of the Tin Hatters &, at a specially convened union meeting held in the canteen of his Berlin bunker to which all his senior party officials were summoned, demanded that the Tin Hatters - but especially “the upstart Montague Hyde Whyte” -  were to be brought to account once he had won the war. When the news of Hitler’s threats reached Monty he called a press conference, turning up (much to the amusement of the assembled media) in a comedy Hitler uniform &, after doing a hilarious mock goose step to the podium, he set about delivering a fantastically sharp yet viciously sarcastic take on a Hitler speech which had the reporters rolling in the aisles. Hitler was reportedly furious when he saw the resulting newsreel footage of Montys conference when he went to the Munich Odeon to watch the premier of ‘GONE MIT DER VIND’, so much so that he stormed out of the building throwing his pick & mix at the screen as he went.  A second emergency meeting was held where he raged at his lackeys that “Somezing must be done about der swinehund Montague Hyde vite. He ist ein total mofo & has made ein fool off me for ze very last time!” Unfortunately for those around him, just as Hitler seemed to be calming down, he happened to hear his second in command Herman Goering whistling the chorus from ‘old mother goose step’ as he was making the teas in the next room. Hitler burst into the room just as Herman was breaking open the biscuit tin to help himself to ein vaggon veel or three & set about the porky unter fuehrer with all the venom he could muster “Are you taking ein Smicheal??!!” Hitler could be heard to scream as he snatched the biscuit tin from Goering’s chubby digits & hurled it at the wall. “Zis lot is getting on my vick unt I am not kiddink. Everyvere I turn it is Monty zis unt Monty zat. Even my girlfriend Eva Braun has got ein poster off him on her betroom vall!” Monty was highly delighted when he heard that his actions were having such a destructive effect on the tyrant, for he hated Hitler & everything he & his evil Nazi party stood for with a passion he has never felt before nor since & from that moment on made it his personal crusade to do everything in his power to show up the Nazis for everything they really were.
 ………..Coincidence or not but it was only a matter of days after the Tin Hatters had returned to the UK that the Germans launched the massive blitzkrieg which was to sweep them though France & see the evacuation of the British army from Dunkirk.

In those dark summer days of 1940, when the very existence of Great Britain hung in the balance & invasion seemed imminent Monty was determined to do his bit to defend his beloved homeland. Answering the call whilst performing in the hit West End screwball comedy ‘WHAT NOW MY LOVE?’ where he played Mortimer Moore, an amorous yet naive playboy who gets conned out of his inheritance by trickster Winnie Wilson (played by Daphne Coleman) Monty joined the Shaftsbury Avenue Platoon of the newly formed Home Guard. It is probable that a more eclectic band of soldiers had never been fielded by the British army. Bagging the post of commanding officer - because he had once played the Duke of Wellington in a touring production of the moderately successful musical ‘NAPOLEON - MY PART IN HIS DOWNFALL’ - was Quentin Twist, whose reputation as panto lands premier dame initially led to questions being raised as to his suitability for the position (not because he was a dame but for the fact that he liked nothing more than to dress up as Widow Twanky even when not appearing in pantomime). Monty never saw fit to mention that, as a fully fledged first Lieutenant  he should have been in charge but instead seemed content to serve as a Private. Second in command was the notoriously risqué comedian ‘naughty’ Norman Newman whose catchphrase ‘who goes there?’ was to prove useful during guard duty. In order to supplement their official uniform issue of Home Guard armbands the ‘Greasepaint Grenadiers’ (as the Shaftsbury Avenue Platoon was to come to be known) raided the costume departments of every theatre within their area of operations. The result could only be described as ‘colourful’. Sergeant Naughty Newman took to wearing a replica of General Custer’s 7th Cavalry uniform, while Monty & two of his colleagues were ‘volunteered’ to wear the only costumes which would fit them - though subsequently parading for duty as one of the three musketeers did little for Montys moral. All in all when the costume departments had been plundered for outfits of a military nature the Shaftsbury Avenue platoon consisted of General Custer, Porthos, Athos & Aramis, a Samurai, four roundheads, two Vikings, Long John Silver, two Beefeaters, a bus conductor, four Shaolin monks, a pantomime horse, five Tudor pike men, the grim reaper, two matadors, Tarzan, Richard the Lion heart, a couple of Cossacks & an air hostess (when the fellow in question turned up for duty dressed as a trolley dolly he raised a few eyebrows though when Quentin Crisp saw him, he was promoted to Lance Corporal). Second Lieutenant Twist finished off the ensemble in suitable attire, choosing to turn up for active service dressed as Mother Goose, though as a concession to army regulations he had his dress, hat, bloomers & tights made from Khaki coloured silk.  Imagine the reaction from the general public whenever members of the Shaftsbury Avenue Platoon turned out onto the streets to protect theatre land from the threat of Nazi paratroops. If their ‘uniforms’ were bizarre they were equalled by the state of their weaponry. Between the thirty four of them they wielded two prop swords, a catapult, a spud gun, a bottle of bleach (enemy, in the eyes, for throwing of), a walking stick & a bag of crisps. As the summer turned to autumn the skies above southern England bore witness to the desperate struggle between the brave fighter pilots of the Royal Air Force & the hordes of the Luftwaffe, London itself became the target of Hitler’s fury. Undaunted the men of the Shaftsbury Avenue Platoon patrolled the streets as the bombs rained down across the city. Eventually deciding that if he stayed with the Home Guard he would probably not get to fulfil his ambition of getting to grips with the Nazis, Monty made the decision to join the regular army. A telephone call to Sir Aubrey Fyffe Bridges QC MP with a request that he be allowed to join the regulars quickly resulted in a formal call up. Given the unusual circumstances in which Monty found himself (Monty already held the Kings commission), Sir Aubrey circumvented the normal channels & arranged for him to attend training at the British army officer training college at Sandhurst. Ironically on the very same day he was due to leave for the army, his divorce from Elsie was finalised. In the hope of parting company forever on amicable terms Monty visited her to say goodbye. The reception Monty was given was frosty to say the least &, just before he left he told her that he was going away to join the army. Monty remembers saying “Will you miss me Elsie?” to which she replied “No & I hope the Germans don’t either!”

Whilst at Sandhurst Monty made many new friends but the most influential of which was the charismatic Major Digby Jones. It was Digby who first introduced Monty to the army commandos. This elite special service brigade had been set up at the insistence of the prime minister Winston Churchill & its remit was simple - to take the fight to the enemy by attacking strategic points in Nazi occupied Europe. The more Digby spoke about this new special force the more intrigued Monty became by the idea of joining this elite group. His friend warned Monty that training for entry into the commandos was extremely arduous with many potential recruits falling by the wayside. Undeterred Monty applied for transfer & soon found himself in Scotland to try his luck on the next training course. His arrival was the cause of much hilarity among the instructors, a soft actor whose only ‘active service’ was making sure the German army didn’t invade London’s theatre land. Soon however, those same instructors were forced to change their minds. Years of circus training meant that, far from being ‘soft’, Monty was both tough & athletic with a natural ability to absorb physical conditioning. As Monty recalls, this didn’t mean that he found things easy. The course was long & exceptionally tough but produced the finest troops the British army possessed. Passing out with flying colours Monty then travelled to Ringway airport (which is now known as Manchester airport) for parachute training. Soon he was awarded the coveted parachutists wings followed by a spot of leave. Now the sight of Monty in normal attire was always guaranteed to turn heads but Monty in uniform proved almost too much for the ladies to handle & when he stepped off the train at Elsecar station, the womenfolk of the village must have thought all their Christmases’ had come at once. As Monty was making his way down Hill Street word had spread around the village that it’s most famous son was back home. Even before he had turned onto Church Street half the villages children had appeared to trail him. Monty laughed & joked with them & had them all pretend marching in time with him. It wasn’t only the children who had turned out to greet Monty but it appeared that all the single ladies were there too, throwing on their best dresses & doing their collective best to impress in the knowledge that Monty was now a single man. By the time he reached the front gate of the new family home the crowd had swelled to such proportions that the police had to be called to keep order. Despite the commotion caused by his return to Elsecar, Monty was able to enjoy his leave & spend plenty of quality time with his family & friends. Ever since breaking into the show business big time Monty had cherished his visits to his home village for, despite the attention which surrounded him, all the Elsecar folk just treated him as ‘our Monty’.  At the back of his mind & the major reason for Monty wishing to make the most of this time with those he loved was the sure & certain knowledge that he would soon be in action. After all you didn’t train as a commando then expect to be desk bound. The Special Service Brigade & all the men within its ranks were itching to get to grips with the enemy & Monty was no exception. His hatred of Hitler & the Nazis & everything they stood for had only grown & he was determined to do them as much harm as possible in every way he could conceive.

Upon returning to base Monty began to harangue his superiors for permission to “have a crack” at the enemy & went as far as to submit several detailed plans whereby small teams of special service commandos would be inserted onto the mainland of Europe to carry out attacks & acts of sabotage, unsurprisingly each of Montys proposed schemes had himself marked down to lead them. Though perfectly feasible, they were rejected in turn for - it seemed - the commandos had far bigger targets in their sights. However before Monty could face his baptism by fire he was called in to see his commanding officer who informed him that he had been summoned to London for an audience with no other than the prime minister himself, Winston Churchill. Knowing he was to report with all haste, Monty caught the first available train to London. When he arrived at St Pancras station a car was waiting to take him directly to number 10 Downing street. After waiting for what seemed like an age whilst Mr Churchill attended to urgent government business, Monty was shown into see the great man in his private office. “Ah Monty” smiled Mr Churchill through a haze of  smoke as he puffed away on his trademark cigar. “sit down my boy.” Monty seated himself in the straight backed chair which had been placed directly in front of the prime ministers desk. Monty watched intently as Mr Churchill shuffled though a folio of documents, initialling here & ticking there. To be in such close proximity to Winston Churchill set the hairs on the back of Montys head on end for his admiration of this legendary figure knew no bounds. “How are you finding life in the Special Service Brigade?” Mr Churchill finally asked, looking directly at Monty over the top of his half moon glasses. “Fine sir.” Monty replied “Your idea to establish the commandos was an inspired one indeed.” The prime minister smiled a wry smile, a smile which Monty would come to know so well, before beginning to fire a barrage of questions about the commandos & their training which, as Monty answered, set a gleam in the prime ministers eye. “Are you hungry?” Mr Churchill asked after the conversation had run its course “Yes, as a matter of fact I am sir. I haven’t eaten since boarding the train this morning.” “Splendid” answered the prime minister as he reached for the telephone “will fish & chips do you?”. Monty was slightly taken aback but replied “Yes sir.” “Hello” said the prime minister into the receiver to his secretary “send out for two lots of fish & chips - Monty what would you like? Cod? Plaice? Haddock?” “Anything will be fine sir” “Alright.” nodded the prime minister before speaking back into the telephone. “Two cod & chips, both with curry sauce, tell them to put plenty of scraps on & salt & vinegar on both - hang on, I’ll have a savaloy as well. Have them delivered to the usual place in half an hour. Oh & don‘t forget the little wooden forks” With that Mr Churchill hung up. “Follow me Monty.” The prime minister said as he stood up & pressed a bell push on his desk. He & Monty were ushered down some stairs by a burly looking fellow whom Monty assumed to be Mr Churchill’s bodyguard & exited number 10 through its famous front door & into a waiting limousine. By now it was dark & the first air raid sirens were beginning to wail, echoing forlornly across the city to warn the people that the German air force was on its way. It was only a short car ride to a tall anonymous looking building which, after alighting the vehicle, Mr Churchill & Monty entered. Once inside the lift took them all the way to the top floor before they made their way up two flights of stairs to the roof. It was a large flat roof which commanded an unparallel view across the city. Two wooden fold up chairs had already been set up & the prime minister & Monty were shown to them by another plain clothed security man. Once seated, Monty distinctly remembers the prime minister declining the offer of a steel helmet which compelled him to follow suit. Monty knew that up there they were exposed & vulnerable to all manner of threats including falling shrapnel, he also knew that Mr Churchill was fully aware of the dangers but was seemingly cocking a snook at the Luftwaffe & anything they threatened. The fish & chips were duly delivered after which the prime minister turned to his bodyguard & instructed him to withdraw to the air raid shelter. Soon, alone on the roof, the two men tucked into their feast. “The best fish & chips in the whole of London” Smiled the prime minister as he bit the end off his savaloy. “I must admit that they are nice sir, but they’re not a patch on the ones you can get in Elsecar.” Replied Monty. “Mm is that so?” Said Mr Churchill as he took a mouthful of scraps. “What are their mushy peas like?” “Just divine sir” Smiled Monty. “& the curry sauce definitely leaves this one in the shade.” Really?” Replied the prime minister. “I shall have to try them sometime.” By now the drone of aircraft engines was filling the air. “here we go.” Announced Mr Churchill as he licked the last of the curry sauce from the lid of the tub. Soon the crump of distant anti aircraft artillery was joined by the sound of bombs exploding “They’re after the docks again.” “Sir” Monty interjected “may I suggest that you take cover? I’ll stay up here & report to you what I‘ve seen afterwards” “Nonsense my boy,” Smiled the prime minister “if the Nazis think they are going to send me scuttling off to an underground shelter, they have another thing coming.”

Over the next couple of hours the pair watched the drama unfold before them, soon it seemed that the whole of the east end of the city was ablaze. The glow of a thousand fires under lit the clouds to cast an other worldly glow across the night sky for as far as the eye could see across the eastern horizon, search lights played to & fro amidst countless shell bursts as the noise of battle raged, ebbing to & fro on the wind. Eventually the drama had played itself out, the bombers leaving the scene the sounds of war were replaced by the all clear & the distant rattle of fire engine & ambulance bells. Lighting a cigar Mr Churchill finally said. “You know, we can’t let them win Monty. If we allow the Nazis to triumph then it is not only us but the whole of the free world that will be lost forever.” Monty simply nodded as the prime minister went on. “All of us are duty bound to do everything in our power to stop Hitler & his evil regime & I have a special task in mind for you. I want you to resurrect the Tin Hat troupe & take it to America.” “But sir” interjected Monty “I want to fight.” “Believe me my boy” Mr Churchill continued “you’ll be helping the war effort far more if you do as I ask. We desperately need to have the Americans on our side. You take the Tin Hatters over there, tour the country & make the same success of it as you did here & in France & I guarantee you will hurt the Nazis more than you could ever imagine. Just remember Hitler’s reaction to the Tin Hatters so imagine his fury when he discovers you are in the United States. As well as infuriating the little dictator & winning the hearts & minds of the general public, you will be generating much needed funds, funds which will be directed into the war effort. Well Monty, what do you say? Oh & remember this, I am not giving you an order but making a request.”  “It would be both an honour & a privilage to do your bidding sir. I just hope I’m up to the task.” Monty replied “Splendid,” Beamed Mr Churchill “I’m sure you won’t let anyone down. Remember what you have witnessed here tonight Monty, go over there & win the propaganda war for us.”

The band stand in Elsecar park where Monty gave his impromtu show

Some of Montys Army memorabilia

Monty in uniform

TO BE CONTINUED…………..