In the days when I was a youngster, the family piano could be found in many households. My own home posessed one and alongside my siblings I learned to play by ear. When, in October 1942 I found myself in the army I was soon made aware that this was an asset and I found myself being called upon to play on many a battered "Joanna" in some of the most unlikely places. One amusing aspect of supplying music to one's comrades was the effect it had on my drinking habits...... let me explain. If I was playing in a NAAFI it was the custom that whenever someone bought a round of drinks one was also bought for the pianist and these were always placed at the top of the piano for consumption whenever the pianist stopped playing. Inevitably this resulted in a "catch-up" period when I was obliged to drink several pints at a time and this, for someone who had been a teetotaller in civvie street, sometimes resulted in my returning to camp in a rather uncomfortable manner. Fortunately it was also the custom for the piano player to relinquish his position whenever a new pianist arrived en site so that I was never actually obliged to drink all night. It's amazing what one thinks about in the early hours of the morning Ron
Buumping this merely to enquire if any other forum members had experience of "Joanna" thumping in un-named forces canteens ? Ron
Not me, Ron, but my Dad was a pianist who played "by ear" too, and he played in some kind of dance band during his service in the RN. And he would never say No to an alcoholic drink either
Mum was often a pianist at RAF Sutton Bridge during RAF 'parties' and that's where she also met Guy Gibson and his dog!
Ron, No musical talent personally and never set foot inside an army canteen, but my great-grandfather - who sadly died before I was born - was a pianist in ENSA ("Every Night, Something Awful") during the war. There's a framed picture of him somewhere in my mother's house. Perhaps I should do some military-based digging - I know nothing about him whatsoever except for the rather sad fact that his wife died very young, shortly after my own grandfather's birth. I find it tricky to picture anything beyond It Ain't Half Hot Mum - do you (or others) have any experience of the army's version of entertainment?
I'm fairly sure the series creator has linked to these great interviews of NZ Veterans before, but there's a rather wonderful musical surprise at the 1:14:00 mark here: http://www.newzealandersatwar.com/Couarage_And_Valour/wp-content/uploads/Courage_And_Valour_Episode_5.mp3 And here's the page it's extracted from: http://www.newzealandersatwar.com/Couarage_And_Valour/episode-5-cassino-part-two/
