Phyllis Jane SMALE, BBC Radio "Soap Star" (General)

by Jefff , West London, Middlesex, Thursday, October 24, 2013, 20:59 (4042 days ago) @ slowhands

As shown above Phyllis Smale was born in Lydney in June 1897, from GlosBMD:

Child Surname Child Forename Father Surname Mother Surname Mother's Former Name Year District Office Register Entry
SMALE Phyllis Jane SMALE SMALE WIDDOWSON 1897 Forest of Dean Chepstow, Lydney 24 254

Phyllis was Baptised a little later in life, on the same day as her older sister Kathleen. From this site's PRs:

Record_ID: 120369
Entry_Number: 2059
Year: 1909
Month: Jan
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: SMALE
Child_Forenames: Phyllis Jane
Fathers_Forenames: Charles Blackwell
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lydney
Occupation: Grocer
Officiating_Minister: J.C.E.Besant
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: [J.C.E.Besant underlined]
Register_Reference: 851113
Page_Number: 258
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: S540

Also Baptised that day was father Charles & brother John:
Record_ID: 120366
Entry_Number: 2056
Year: 1909
Month: Jan
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: SMALE
Child_Forenames: Charles Blackwell
Fathers_Forenames: John Rase
Mothers_Forenames: Harriet Jane
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lydney
Occupation: Grocer
Officiating_Minister: J.C.E.Besant Vicar
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes:
Register_Reference: 851113
Page_Number: 257
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: S540

Record_ID: 120368
Entry_Number: 2058
Year: 1909
Month: Jan
Day: 10
Parents_Surname: SMALE
Child_Forenames: John Arthur
Fathers_Forenames: Charles Blackwell
Mothers_Forenames: Ann
Mothers_Surname:
Residence: Lydney
Occupation: Grocer
Officiating_Minister: J.C.E.Besant
Event: Baptism
Memoranda:
Notes: [J.C.E.Besant underlined]
Register_Reference: 851113
Page_Number: 258
Parish_Chapel: Lydney
Soundex: S540

Phyllis and Kathleen both attended the new Lydney Grammar School where they joined the Dramatic Society. A history of the society written about 1931 states,
"In 1904, at the first Speech Day, two pieces were presented by the drama group: “The Sleeping Beauty” and scenes from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
In the former, one notices amongst the cast the names of Kathleen and Phyllis Smale (Mrs. Luscombe of the B.B.C. radio series). Miss Phyllis Smale (now Mrs Forster of Bristol) tells me she left the school at the age of nine in 1906, so clearly only very young children took part in “The Sleeping Beauty”.

In later years Phyllis, an elocution teacher, ran the Phyllis Smale / Hicks-Smale Drama School(s ?) in Durdham Park Bristol. During these years she played a leading role in the early career of a famous British actress, as described below. By the end of WW2 Phyllis was also working regularly for BBC Radio, her most famous role was in the long-running radio serial "At the Luscombe's". This saga of family life in a West Country village first aired in September 1948 and was still running 1,000 episodes later in 1964. See her photo in this article http://www.turnipnet.com/whirligig//radio/luscombes.htm

As hinted above Phyllis married at Weston Super Mare, from FreeBMD:

Surname First name(s) Mother/Spouse/Age District Vol Page
---------------------------------------------------------------
Marriages Jun 1942 (>99%)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Forstar Harry Small Weston 5c 1417
Smale Phyllis J Forster Weston 5c 1417
Small Phyllis J Forster Weston 5c 1417

It seems they had at least one child, again from FreeBMD;
Surname First name(s) Mother District Vol Page
---------------------------------------------------------------
Births Dec 1944 (>99%)
---------------------------------------------------------------
Forster Harriet C Smale Bristol 6a 270