The Diamond Troupe was the concert party of the 29th Division, a First World War infantry division within the British Army. Also known as the "Incomparable Division", the 29th was formed in 1915 by combining units that had previously been acting as garrisons about the British Empire. The division fought throughout the Gallipoli Campaign and, from 1916 to the end of the war, on the Western Front in France.
Concert parties were an integral element of the war effort, and by 1917, virtually every division had at least one. They mirrored the Pierrot troupes of music halls and seaside resorts, offering soldiers a respite from war, reminding them of home, and providing a neutral outlet to air grievances about "food, conditions, and sergeants".
The Diamond Troupe was one of a small number of concert parties to achieve considerable notoriety, both on the battlefield and at home. Its success was due to a combination of factors, not the least of which were the fame of the division itself and the exceptional performances of many troupe members, especially by what historian Larry J Collins described as "the show-stopper": the female impersonator. The troupe's music director, Robert James Stannard, wrote in his diary that "…the biggest hits were [Alec] Hill with his fine singing, Queenie [the troupe’s female impersonator], who deceived a great many of the audience and Larry Nicol, the trick cyclist…"
Jason Wilson, in his history of the well-known Canadian concert party, the Dumbbells, singled out the Diamond Troupe as being one of the "notable concert parties of the British Expedition Forces" – an assessment presaged in the 1919 edition of The Stage, where the Diamond Troupe, along with the Australian troupe, Anzac Coves, were praised for having earned their applause "… by legitimate artistic means, and not on account of the increased wartime popularity of khaki or blue".
Formation
The Diamond Troupe was formed in April 1917 in Arras, France, where the 29th Division’s headquarters and various details were billeted. There, amidst ruins and the sound of distant shelling, the first voice trials took place. Out of 60 candidates drawn from every unit in the division, eight were initially selected. Most if not all troupe members had had some previous experience in the performing arts; and all had served either in the trenches or within striking distance of enemy guns. One member, Pte. Neville Giordano (1892–1958) from Cambridge, had been part of the division's historic landing on the Gallipoli Peninsula on 25 April 1915.
The name “Diamond Troupe” was inspired by the 29th Division’s logo, a red half-diamond, and by the tactical superiority of the diamond formation in a military advance.
Members
Maintaining a full cast was a persistent challenge for all concert troupes, given the movement of battalions and the ever-increasing casualty list. While members of the Diamond Troupe were exempt from front line duty, contemporary photographs and published cast lists do suggest some variation in the group’s composition.Frederick Pollard was wounded in January 1916 at the Battle of Loos; Pte. Larry Nicol was wounded at St. Jean on 4 July 1917. The following table includes all individuals (musicians and stage performers) ever reported as troupe members:
Name Regiment/Regimental Number Date joined 29th Division Pte. Neville George Romolus Giordano (1892–1958) Royal Army Medical Corps, No. 2105 March 1915 L/Cp. Robert James Stannard (1891–1960) Royal Fusiliers, No. 11481 November 1915 Pte. William Threlfall (1895–1940) Royal Army Medical Corps, No. 2140 February 1916 Pte. Alec [Alexander] Hill (1894–1969) Middlesex Regiment, No. PS/2213 May 1916 Pte. H. Palmer Middlesex Regiment May 1916 Pte. Frank [Francis] Pollard Inniskilling Fusiliers, No. 28698 July 1916 Pte. Arthur Sykes (1891–1961) Border Regiment, No. 23781 July 1916 Pte. Jock McKinley King’s Own Scottish Borderers, No. 15263 August 1916 Pte. Hubert John Henry Holmes (1888–1972) South Wales Borderers, No. 202467 March 1917 Pte. Larry [Lawrence] Nicol (1894–1968) South Wales Borderers, No. 45781 April 1917 Pte. George Hangle (1884–?) Labour Battalion, No. 193731 May 1917 Pte. H. McArthur Border Regiment May 1917 Pte. J. Morris Border Regiment June 1917 Corp. Eric John Dean (1892–1967) Hampshire Regiment, No. 306627 August 1917 Mark MenyThe only reference to the name Mark Meny is found in a photograph donated to the Imperial War Museum in January 1934, by former Diamond Troupe member Eric John Dean. Supporting the stage performers were several "stage hands" whose responsibilities extended from lighting to costumes and carpentry. They included L/Cpl. Frank R. Williams (Scenic Artist), Privates J. Price, F. Ball and J. McKinnon (Electricians), Dr. Evans (Carpenter), Pte. W. Brinsley (Costumes), Pte. J. Ross (Engineer) and Pte. Wilson (Assistant).
Finally, no account of the Diamond Troupe would be complete without acknowledging its commanding officer, Lt. Col. Ernest Trevor Langebear Wright, DSO (1880–1965). A veteran of the Gallipoli landing, Wright assumed command of the troupe in August 1917, following the departure of its former commander, Major John Graham Gillam (1884–1965).Gillam was awarded the Distinguished Service Order by King George V during the 1917 Birthday Honours. Gillam is perhaps best known, however, for his first-hand account of the Gallipoli campaign, which he published in 1918 under the title of Gallipoli Diary. He also published Gallipoli Adventure in 1939 and The Crucible, a biography of Joseph Priestley, in 1954. In 1925, he married Sheilah Graham, future Hollywood gossip columnist and mistress of F. Scott Fitzgerald. They divorced in 1937. Wright was an exceptional leader who possessed authority, organizational skills and the respect of those who served under him. It was he who organized the troupe’s singular performance in London in January 1918, foregoing his home leave to supervise the event.
Performances While no complete listing exists of all the Diamond Troupe's performances, certainly the most comprehensive can be found in Capt. Stair Gillon’s The Story of the 29th Division. A record of gallant deeds. His account, along with documentation now housed in public and private collections, reveals a busy schedule performed right across the Western Front—from Boulogne in the west, to Cambrai in the east.Two important repositories of Diamond Troupe materials include London’s Imperial War Museum and the University of Bristol's Mander and Mitchenson (Theatre) Collection.Performances were given at the following locations during 1917: Proven, Belgium (August/September); Berles-au-Bois, France (October/November); Cambrai, France (November); Péronne, France; and Wimereux, France (December). During 1918, performances were given in London from January 21–26; Abele, Belgium (January/February); Poperinghe, Belgium (February); an unknown location in France on March 19, 21, 23; Steenvoorde, France; Vlamertinghe, Belgium; Boulogne, France; Wallon-Cappel, France; Saint-Omer, France on June 8; Hazebrouck, France (June, August); Roubaix, France and Poperinghe, Belgium (October); Tubize, Belgium on November 22; and in Wermelskirchen, Germany (December).
Like their counterparts in other divisions, the Diamond Troupe was supported financially by the 29th Division. As a result, the revenues from admission fees typically went to charities such as the Division’s Benevolent Fund, which supported the families of soldiers and non-commissioned officers either killed in action or disabled. At most public performances, such as those held in 1918 in Saint-Omer, audiences had their choice of open or reserved seats, with officers paying double the amount paid by other ranks.
Royal Court Theatre, London The troupe’s most publicized performance took place during the week of 21–26 January 1918 at London's Royal Court Theatre. Entitled "A Show from the Trenches", the troupe showcased their efforts to "alleviate the lot of the men in the trenches" while also raising money for the Benevolent Fund. Accounts of the shows, both matinee and evening, were widely reported in the press, particularly the matinee of Thursday the 24th, which was attended by the Queen Mother Alexandra and her daughter, Princess Victoria. An amusing personal account of the event is contained in Stannard’s diary. In it, he reported that the Queen "… sat in a box just opposite me … and although she sent a message after the show saying how greatly she had enjoyed it all she didn't appear to be enjoying herself a bit".
In the end, the show was a great success, having netted the Benevolent Fund a profit of £750. Audiences included the rich and famous, including what one newspaper described as "parties of stars”—renowned stage actresses, celebrities, and the wives of senior politicians and officers—who volunteered their time to sell programmes.At the matinee performance of Monday, 21 January, the "stars" included such well-known actresses as Doris Keane, Viola Tree, Gladys Cooper, Eva Moore and Renee Kelly. According to the Daily Mail, many talent scouts were also to be seen. The theatre manager even asked the troupe to extend their contract by another week and the Ministry of Munitions requested that they be allowed to tour various munition centers. In both cases the War Office refused, arguing that the troupe was needed back with the division.
Repertoire
The London performances were representative of the troupe’s broader repertoire—an eclectic mixture of acrobatics, music and monologues, very much in line with the vaudeville performances of the time. The Royal Court Theatre programme highlighted a number of duets between the female impersonator, "Queenie" (played by William Threlfall), and troupe members Arthur Sykes, Alec Hill, and Jock McKinley. The program also included a trick cycling act by Larry Nicol; solo musical performances by Scottish comedian Frank Pollard; and several theatrical sketches and monologues by Neville Giordano.
Much of the troupe's musical repertoire included well-known, contemporary compositions such as W.T. Wrighton’s Sing me an English Song, Philip Braham’s We’ll have a Little Cottage (1917), Weatherly and Wood’s Roses of Picardy (1916), Thomas J. Hewitt’s Alone in Love’s Garden (1912), and Davy Burnaby and Gitz Rice's A Conscientious Objector (1917).
The repertoire also included original productions—designed, written and in some cases composed for the troupe itself. The troupe’s first commanding officer, Major John Graham Gillam, excelled at producing operatic scenes, many of which (such as Faust) Hill and Sykes would routinely play to great acclaim. Another key contributor to the troupe’s repertoire was officer Lancelot Cayley Shadwell, ASC, (1882–1963) who Gillon described as a “lyrical bard … [able to] supply the light, topical, frivolous comic matter, so dear to the average Briton”. Typical of this genre were two songs, In these Hard Times and 365 Days. Shadwell also set to music by Robert James Stannard, the Harlequin and Columbine scene, which Gillon described as “… probably the most finished production of the troupe”.
Song of the 29th Division
In 1917, Lancelot Cayley Shadwell wrote the lyrics to what would become the Divisional anthem, the Song of the 29th Division. It is sung to music by Wilfred Ernest Sanderson (1878–1935) a composer, organist and, in all likelihood, associate of the troupe's music director, Robert Stannard. During the war, performances of the Song of the 29th Division were sung exclusively by baritone Alec [Alexander] Hill.
The wartime journalist and author, Sir Philip Armand Hamilton Gibbs, described the stirring effect the song had on those in the division. There was, he said, “… a hush when the song was sung, for it brought back to some of the men who heard it the days of the battle in the Dardanelles and in the fields of the Somme or the quagmire of Flanders where the ghosts of brave comrades were.”