Captain H.B.T. Wakelam, Elsie and Doris Waters, Gert and Daisy, John Watt, The Western Brothers with free MP3 download, Jay Wilbur with free MP3 download, Bertha Willmott, Marie Wilson, Anona Winn, Kate Winter, Sir Henry Wood, Marjery Wyn.


Captain H.B.T. Wakelam. Captain Wakelam was actually the first to broadcast a commentary on a Rugby International, the match in question being England v. Wales in 1927. He became one of the team of all-round commentators, covering not just rugby, boxing, cricket and tennis, but also other things entirely, such as Tidworth Tattoo. His speciality was always rugby, however.	Elsie and Doris Waters. This pair were better known as Gert and Daisy. They were born in London and with their brothers they formed a family orchestra when they were young. Elsie studied the violin. In the end, though, it was their comic sketches as Gert and Daisy which made them great, rather than musical prowess in its own right. They first broadcast in 1927, and made it a rule never to repeat a sketch. They wrote all their own material, both music and lyrics. Elsie was Gert, and Doris was Daisy. In order to get into character, they would even wear their "char-lady" clothes when appearing before the microphone in a radio studio.
John Watt. John Watt was a very busy man in 1930s radio. He had been an actor, and worked in newspapers, but came to fame in radio from a reasonably early start in 1927. His work covered writing, producing and compering radio shows. He had many successful series, such as "Guess Who It Is" and "One Crowded Hour". Unfortunately, with the passage of time, both his name and his shows are in danger of being forgotten. Perhaps his greatest contribution to broadcasting was delivering very good "bread and butter" output, and perhaps this is why he is not better remembered. John only discovered his talent as a compere because one of the shows he was producing had run out of budget before the compere had been appointed or paid. He had no choice but to do the job himself, and he ended up making a good career out of it.	The Western Brothers. Kenneth and George Western, the famous Wireless Cads. They started out their careers together. They went through life teaching each other things. They taught each other to sing, they taught each other to write, and they even taught each other to fly. As early as 1926 they wrote a revue called "Vaudeville Vanities", and were asked to put on a turn of some of their musical numbers at a Sunday concert at the Palladium. There was nobody to do it except themselves, and they carried on from there. Their "coat of arms" included the old school tie, and the motto was "Adsum Ard Labor". Their songs would burlesque anything from the government of the day to world events, and even the old school tie. Hear The Western Brothers: After All That Western Brothers Links: The Definitive guide to the Cads
Jay Wilbur Jay Wilbur was born in 1898 in Bournemouth, where his parents worked for the Carl Rosa opera company. He took to the stage at every possible opportunity from an early age. He learned to sing and play the piano. After a spell as a coppersmith when conscripted to the first world war in 1916, he formed and led bands in many places around the world. Eventually he settled back in the UK, and ran session bands for several of the smaller record labels, normally under one of a range of pseudonyms. Eventually, in the 1930s, he was credited as Jay Wilbur on a long string of records from the Rex label. His bands were also booked for broadcasting. By this time, he had missed the chance to become as famous as Ambrose or Carroll Gibbons, even though he was just as prolific and made good records. For this reason, Jay Wilbur is the overlooked band leader of the Dance Band days. After the war he lived in several places around the world, and died in Capetown in 1970. Hear Jay Wilbur: It's a Hap- Hap- Happy Day Jay Wilbur Links: A Biography Has anyone got a picture of Jay Wilbur they can let me have?	Bertha Willmott. Bertha Willmott was the radio comedy girl with a voice. When she was a girl at a Convent School, the nuns started her training, which continued at the London School of Music. At fourteen she was well known for her Irish songs in costume. During the first world war she appeared in "Razzle Dazzle" at Drury Lane, and spent much time singing to the soldiers. It was at this time that she made the change to comedy, and in 1924 made her first broadcast, in variety from Savoy Hill.
Marie Wilson. This distinguished violinist was born at Epping Forest in 1903. She was one of the very few women who had ever acted as the leader of a crack Symphony Orchestra. She stood in for Charles Woodhouse in front of the Queens Hall Symphony Orchestra in 1933. She started to play the violin when she was four. At first her father taught her, and then she went to the Royal College of Music. Her first broadcast was with the Wireless Orchestra in 1926.	Anona Winn. Anona Winn was described as charming and petite. She was one of the busiest and most popular radio revue artistes. She was born in Sydney, and she was reading for the Bar when Melba heard her and offered her a scholarship. After singing in the leading concert halls of Melbourne and in musical comedy, she moved to London and appeared in "Hit The Deck". She began broadcasting in 1928. In Australia she was the first artiste to broadcast, and was in the first revue ever televised.
Kate Winter. "The Silvery Voiced Soprano of the Air." She originally wanted to become a professional piano player, but instead became a school teacher. Her cousin started her voice training. Later she studied at the Royal College of Music. When she got married, she gave up school teaching and took up singing. Sir Henry Wood coached her and later she was able to sing under him at a Promenade Concert. She began broadcasting in the very early days at Marconi House.	Sir Henry Wood. Sir Henry Wood was the top conductor of classical music in Britain in the 1930s. He had started young, as organist at St Mary's, Aldermanbury, at just ten years of age. Four years later he gave his first public organ recital at South Kensington, and became a student at the Royal Academy of Music. In 1887 he began to conduct, at a suburban musical society. When he was twenty five he conducted the first Queen's Hall Promenade Concert. He was knighted in 1911, and began broadcasting about 1927.
Marjery Wyn. Born in Leeds, Marjery came south to begin her career in a concert party at Westcliff-on-Sea. She returned to Yorkshire to be principal girl in "Babes in the Wood" at Huddersfield, and followed this with musical comedy work. She caused uproar in the revival of "The Lady of Rose" by appearing as a West-End leading lady without having previously had West-End experience. She went on to have many more great parts, and started broadcasting about 1931.