The War - 1939 to 1945

The 1939 census reveals Jack wasn't around in the UK so I assume that's because he was still in Switzerland working in an hotel and learning to speak German. Something his employer the Bishop had organised I think. He claimed to have been a gigalo whilst there. He clearly had to return to Hartlebury due to the outbreak of war. His war was spent in Worcestershire. He went to enlist in the RAF and as he was not fit for active service (those dodgy lungs again) was stationed with 25MU (Maintenance Unit) Hartlebury and in the Wyre forest where they stored aero engines and other important bits of machinery. During research I came across the photo above of 25MU from the Imperial War Museum archive and I and my siblings are convinced that dad is the guy on the left "acting" for the camera.

He got married in 1940 to Dora (who I think also worked at the Castle), who he said told him she was pregnant but turns out she wasn't and the marriage wasn't on very firm ground from then on.

It was during this time that he joined the RAF amateur dramatic society and his stage acting career began. Towards the end of the war following on from his service acting he was cast as the lead in an amateur production of Rebecca for RADS (Royal Airforce Dramatic Society?) at The Playhouse Theatre in Kidderminster by the producer Lois Johnston, a RADA trained actress who was at home in Kidderminster having done a season at the RSC in Stratford and was twiddling her thumbs. This led on to work with the Nonentities company with Kenneth Rose.

With his marriage over he and Lois began dating and he dedicated many of the poems he was writing to her.