Welshpool resident and organiser of the town’s annual 1940s Weekend will be taking part in the annual Remembrance Parade in London.

As people and groups from across the UK take part in the annual Remembrance Parade in the capital, one of the people taking part will be Welshpool’s own Alan Crowe, who will be marching in remembrance of the Entertainment National Service Association (ENSA).

The ENSA was established in 1939 to provide entertainment for British armed forces personnel during World War II and according to Mr Crowe, their presence in the 2024 parade will be the first time they have been officially honoured as a group in remembrance.

He said: “I was involved with the appeal to get the Royal British Legion to allow us the ENSA to be part of the parade and it is an extreme honour to be part of this annual parade.

“My hope is that our being part of it will raise the profile of the role that ENSA played during The Second World War.

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“During the war, entertainers may have been civilians but they still gave their time and talent to the war effort. They were even given a uniform and rank when overseas.”

Some of the people taking part in the parade as part of the ENSA Memorial Appeal include actress Carol Drinkwater, whose father was part of the RAF Gang Shows, Susie Cliff from Cockermouth representing her mother who entertained the troops out in Burma.

They will also be joined by 94-year-old Alan Woolven, who at 14 years old worked for ENSA entertaining at Forces Bases on the South Coast of England.

Mr Crowe added: “We remember so many people who were part of the war effort and those who entertained troops and civilians during those dark days deserve to be remembered as well.

“It wasn’t just bombs and bullets that influenced the war, it was songs and laughter that helped people when things were at their bleakest.”