Edwina in ballet costume
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Edwina Brunt, Child Dancer and Actor Genevieve Horne (nee Brunt) Newspaper photos courtesy The Wiltshire Times August 2018 My sister Edwina Brunt was born in 1932 and she was a dancer and performer from an early age.[1] She appeared in a children's stage competition at The Palace Theatre, Bath, as a toe-dancer aged 3½ in April 1936. At four she won a prize for her fancy dress as a sailor boy in a party for Sunday School children of Box and Wadswick held by vicar Arthur and Mrs Maltin in 1936.[2] She later reprised the performance of The Sailor's Tap Dance at the Institute, Box Hill, in aid of the Methodist Church.[3] She had a natural ability for dance and performing in front of an audience. Described as a child artiste of very promising talent at the Neston Coronation festivities in 1937, she later won three certificates for the Under Seven Operatic and Classical Dance and first class for Character Solo Class at the Bristol Eisteddfod.[4] |
She delighted Box audiences before the Second World War, appearing regularly at different charity events for the Box Methodist Church, the Women's Institute New Year's Eve Party for over 60s, and, as war approached, Empire Day at the Box Schools.[5]
The Sailor's Tap Dance at the Institute, Box Hill in 1936
The picture below shows Empire Day at Box School in 1940. Edwina Brunt, aged 7, was the small policeman and next to her was the Budapest evacuee George Steiner, who lived with the family for a long while.
Living Bridge, 1938
In March 1938 an imaginative game of bridge was played in the Banqueting Room at Bath Guildhall in aid of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund. Each of the playing cards was alive and moved around the centre of the room - Edwina was the Ace of Spades. The cards were shuffled and dealt to players at the four corners of the room. The first game was won by Miss Lalonde and Miss Doris Harper who beat Miss Kathleen Harper and Miss Start. The game attracted a large audience - far larger than anticipated - and at the close players and cards were warmly applauded.
In March 1938 an imaginative game of bridge was played in the Banqueting Room at Bath Guildhall in aid of the Royal Medical Benevolent Fund. Each of the playing cards was alive and moved around the centre of the room - Edwina was the Ace of Spades. The cards were shuffled and dealt to players at the four corners of the room. The first game was won by Miss Lalonde and Miss Doris Harper who beat Miss Kathleen Harper and Miss Start. The game attracted a large audience - far larger than anticipated - and at the close players and cards were warmly applauded.
Other local shows followed including the Women's Conservative Association social events. In April 1939 Edwina charmed all with executing five dances and giving three encores, the last dance being a comedy "police dance". Her performance considerably outshone the mouth-organ duet also on offer.
The War Years
In May 1940 she accompanied Britannia (schoolgirl Joan Parsons) at the Empire Day Procession from Box Schools to the War Memorial, playing the role of Custodian of the Law. Teacher Mrs Dark played the piano and led the children in a number of national songs. Distinguished local residents included Revs Maltin and Holroyde, George Kidston, Doctor Martin and Arthur Shaw Mellor.
The War Years
In May 1940 she accompanied Britannia (schoolgirl Joan Parsons) at the Empire Day Procession from Box Schools to the War Memorial, playing the role of Custodian of the Law. Teacher Mrs Dark played the piano and led the children in a number of national songs. Distinguished local residents included Revs Maltin and Holroyde, George Kidston, Doctor Martin and Arthur Shaw Mellor.
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She illuminated the drab, grey society of wartime restrictions and was a local star performer, referred to in the middle of the war as Miss 1942 when she attended a New Year's Eve dance in aid of Box Swimming Club, arranged by HH Sawyer and R Chapman. She arrived with Old Father Time and was escorted away by a colour party of Box Boy Scouts, led by H Bates, L Francis and J Price, to allow dancing to begin.
During the war years, Edwina was particularly in demand as the local Shirley Temple, an acceptably innocent face to ask for more funds for charities. Always Mildred was there to guide and help her. Together they put on performances in support of charities such as the Red Cross and St John Prisoners-of-War Fund. Mildred worked hard with the Lita-Jane School of Dancing to give opportunities and entertainment for wartime children, usually fundraising for service comforts, such as funding the purchase of wool for warm clothing. In May 1943 a group of 32 children aged between 4½ and 13 years toured the village in fancy dress led by Stanley and Mildred. The finale was a whist drive with the auction of a banana, an orange and a lime (brought from India by Mr Reg Hewett. The event raised the amazing sum of £150 (£6,700 in today's terms) from the sale of national savings stamps. |
Above: Box Women's Institute sketch to raise funds for knitting wool for servicemen's comfort in 1941 featuring 9-year-old Edwina.
In some respects, there was even more need for entertainment after the war, when people expected their situation to improve but rationing and restraint continued for several years.
VE Days and Welcome Home Shows
The lack of available talent to celebrate the end of the war meant that local people had to put on their own entertainment to enjoy the moment. On VE Day plus 1 a fete was held on the Rec. Local people in fancy dress processed from Box Mill Lane around the village. Stanley, owner of nice knobbly knees, dressed up in a kilt, Kate Garland won first prize as Departed Spirit and Tim won the boys first prize as a Pearly King. Edwina was a coster (street seller) and I was pushed around in Janet Hinton's doll's pram as a 9-month-old.
The procession ended on the Recreation Field where the Pioneer Corps held a Sports event where almost the entire population of the village gathered. Later Edwina performed a comedy dance and fling at the Old Folk's Party organised by the Women's Institute to which convalescent soldiers had also been invited. Edwina met the impresario OD Harris, who gave her advice on acting.
A few weeks later there were more celebrations with Welcome Home fundraising and both Edwina and I went around many of the shows in Kington St Michael, Calne and Corsham Court in the summer of 1945.
VE Days and Welcome Home Shows
The lack of available talent to celebrate the end of the war meant that local people had to put on their own entertainment to enjoy the moment. On VE Day plus 1 a fete was held on the Rec. Local people in fancy dress processed from Box Mill Lane around the village. Stanley, owner of nice knobbly knees, dressed up in a kilt, Kate Garland won first prize as Departed Spirit and Tim won the boys first prize as a Pearly King. Edwina was a coster (street seller) and I was pushed around in Janet Hinton's doll's pram as a 9-month-old.
The procession ended on the Recreation Field where the Pioneer Corps held a Sports event where almost the entire population of the village gathered. Later Edwina performed a comedy dance and fling at the Old Folk's Party organised by the Women's Institute to which convalescent soldiers had also been invited. Edwina met the impresario OD Harris, who gave her advice on acting.
A few weeks later there were more celebrations with Welcome Home fundraising and both Edwina and I went around many of the shows in Kington St Michael, Calne and Corsham Court in the summer of 1945.
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Above Left: A rare photo of OD Harris with ventriloquist dummy. Odee was the compare for the whole show.
Above: Edwina on the left was the comedy teacher taking the children on a mystery tour in a sketch by children for children.
Above: Edwina on the left was the comedy teacher taking the children on a mystery tour in a sketch by children for children.
A second celebration was in August 1945 just before the end of all hostilities. The weather was inclement and the children from Hawthorn were conveyed by char-a-banc to Box Halt, where they assembled and processed to the Recreation Field. Oscar Drew Harris produced a children's review of Jack in the Box, which featured Edwina, and he put on a ventriloquist show with his puppet Shakespeare, assisted by Pauline Hutton. Dancing from 9pm until midnight featured Box's Own Victory Song "For ever and a Day", words and music composed by Marjorie Haywood of the Queen's Hotel and sung by Betty Franklin.
The Dwina Players
Mildred and Stanley renamed 2 Valens Terrace as Dwina and used the name for a dance and show group called the Dwina Players. Edwina was in her teenage years and taught dance to young Box children from the front room of her parent's house. The organisation structure also allowed Mildred to put on performances with little or no contribution from her daughter as the star.
The Dwina Players
Mildred and Stanley renamed 2 Valens Terrace as Dwina and used the name for a dance and show group called the Dwina Players. Edwina was in her teenage years and taught dance to young Box children from the front room of her parent's house. The organisation structure also allowed Mildred to put on performances with little or no contribution from her daughter as the star.
Mary Hinton in the driver's seat does a procession in September 1947
By 1949 Edwina was training for the theatre as a student in Bristol and she secured a position in a revue show touring England with Jack Gillam's revue Joie de Vivre which toured major cities from Manchester, York, London, Great Yarmouth and Cambridge. She appeared in the chorus of regional professional shows such as Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome in the winter of 1948-49 and as part of the Valentine Girls in Robinson Crusoe at Bath. More tours followed in 1950 and a resident stay of one year at Blackpool in the New Opera House appearing with headline star Cheerful Charlie Chester.
Cinderella at the Bristol Hippodrome Theatre with Edwina appearing in the front row, second left
Edwina's Later Career
With Edwina performing away, my mum focussed her attention more on my brother and me and the Dwina Players put on shows in support of the Box Methodist Church and other charities. In April 1951 she put on a show in the Methodist Church Schoolroom with performances from the Methodist Sunday School and the Players. I performed as Boy Blue and my cousin Diana Brunt as Alice Blue Gown.[6] Below: Edwina as a professional dancer 1949-50
With Edwina performing away, my mum focussed her attention more on my brother and me and the Dwina Players put on shows in support of the Box Methodist Church and other charities. In April 1951 she put on a show in the Methodist Church Schoolroom with performances from the Methodist Sunday School and the Players. I performed as Boy Blue and my cousin Diana Brunt as Alice Blue Gown.[6] Below: Edwina as a professional dancer 1949-50
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Like many childhood actors, Edwina never succeeded in breaking into the adult professional world and instead she married a local boy, Tony Kurpiel in 1952. That was the same year that we left Box and moved to Bath and my childhood in the village of my birth came to an end. But the family story continued with the birth of daughter Rozalia Genevieve (known as Posy), who herself became a distinguished child performer.
References
[1] Unless otherwise stated, references are from the family scrapbook
[2] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 29 August 1936
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 13 March 1937
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 27 February 1937 and Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 9 April 1938
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 12 February 1938, 14 January 1939 and 27 May 1939
[6] The Wiltshire News Picture Supplement, 6 April 1951
[1] Unless otherwise stated, references are from the family scrapbook
[2] Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 29 August 1936
[3] The Wiltshire Times, 13 March 1937
[4] The Wiltshire Times, 27 February 1937 and Bath Weekly Chronicle and Herald, 9 April 1938
[5] The Wiltshire Times, 12 February 1938, 14 January 1939 and 27 May 1939
[6] The Wiltshire News Picture Supplement, 6 April 1951