Comforts Fund (video)

Mexborough& Swinton Times – February 1st

Comforts Fund 

The hon. Treasurer of the Conisborough Comforts Fund, Mr. R. W. Birch has received a particularly interesting letter from a local man in the Forces, expressing thanks for the gift which he received from the fund at Christmas.  The writer is Gunner Cyril Ball, who is serving with the Royal Artillery in the South, and who lives at 2, Cusworth Street, Denaby.

After expressing his gratitude, Gunner Ball goes on to say that he worked at Cadeby Main Colliery for 28 years and was one of the first to arrive in France after the outbreak of war.

He was called out of the pit on August 24th 1939, to join his unit, and he was in France early in September, and stayed until the Dunkirk evacuation in June of last year.  He says he enjoyed his soldiering in France and at a seaside resort there was the only one who got up and sang a song for Jack Payne and his band, who were entertaining the troops at a concert.

Gunner Ball had for his accompanist that noted stage and radio star, Miss Peggy Cochrane, who asked him where he came from and expressed the hope that they would meet again in the future.

Needless to say, Gunner Ball is very proud of this experience, and in reply to Miss Cochrane’s query regarding his place of origin he said “Yorkshire, my lass, a good old Denaby-ite”.

Gunner Ball, incidentally, saw service in India from 1919 to 1923.

You Tube Video : Peggy Cochrane