A CHARITY concert held at the Strand Hall in Builth Wells earlier this month celebrated the memory of local wartime heroine Violette Szabo.
Her daughter, Tania Szabo, was the guest of honour and gave a very moving and emotional tribute, explaining all about her mother’s life and secret work behind enemy lines.
Violette was a spy and secret agent for the Anglo-French Special Operations Executive, until she was arrested and executed in 1945, during the Second World War, at the age of just 23.
The concert was held to celebrate Violette, in addition to marking D Day, as well as being in aid of Builth Wells Community Support.
The Surrey Police Band started the concert with the rousing ‘La Marseille’, followed by the ‘Dambusters March’.
Throughout the event, they also accompanied the Vintage Class Singers, three ladies who wore dresses appropriate to the time and sang a varied selection of wartime songs, which the audience were able to join in with.
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Steve and Sue Mace performed several energetic popular dances of the era, including ‘The Jitterbug’, while Welsh Soprano Lauren Elizabeth Williams sang a beautiful selection of fashionable songs of the time.
A parade of banners inside the hall took place, including the Builth Wells branch of the Royal British Legion and other local groups, all proudly wearing their uniforms and medals.
There were also impersonators and look-a-likes from the wartime period, including
Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother), Winston Churchill and General De Gaulle in full costume, plus many others.
There was also a display of army and war items from the period and soldiers in authentic uniforms, including guardsmen and Royal Navy wrens. Two Chelsea Pensioners were also in the audience in their familiar bright red tunics.
A piper played a lament on the bagpipes and the English and Welsh national anthems brought the afternoon to a successful conclusion, which raised £1,350 for the community support.
Thanks go to Kelvin Jenkins organiser, and all who performed and supported this event.
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