Irene Chambers

Clacton 1951

It was summer of 1951.  I was 22 years old and a week at Butlins sounded like a dream. 

There were three couple in our group and we travelled from the east end of London to Clacton by train. 

We loved the little cabins assigned to us,  all the comforts of home.  There was so much entertainment going on that it was hard to choose.  I remember one silly little guy by the name of Arthur Askey who had the audience rocking with laughter, but of course, the high-light of the week was the Carnival day and the big parade.  I was lucky to have been chosen as a Butlin Beauty and we had a lovely float in the parade.  Unfortunately we were behind the swimming pool float who deemed it rather fun to give us the odd hosing down.. Some of us "beauties" were chosen to be represented in a newspaper contest.  I never did find who won.

 I remember Frankie Howerd appearing at a show.  Coincidentally, he happened to be staying in the same hotel as us in Barbados in 1970, but he wasn't a very nice man. 

I remember enjoying the lovely sounds of the big band music.  I can still hear the strains of Ted Heath and the great singer Paul Carpenter. 

There was also a wonderful hypnotist show.  Several people were invited up to the stage, where the hypnotist had them doing a number of comical turns. 

All in all it was a super wonderful week, good food, good stuff all around.

To put it in a nutshell BUTLINS YOU'RE THE GREATEST.

Submitted by:  Irene Chambers (nee Davis)