Page 125 - Redditch People

Redditch People

age of ten her mother took her to see the well-known coloratura soprano, Mavis Bennet,
who started to teach Millicent.

In 1935, at the age of ten Millicent was one of the outstanding features of the Cheltenham
Festival and won the under twelve vocal solo class and entered by mistake the twelve to
fifteen class and though she had been given the highest marks she was disqualified
because of her age. Then later in the week though the youngest competitor she had won
the under seventeen’s competition and won by 92 points, eight more points than the girl
who was second.

She won many awards and performed at different venues over the next few years.
Classed in several newspapers as a child genius or prodigy and also became a
broadcasting and gramophone record star. At the age of fourteen some compared her to
Deanna Durbin who was a Canadian born American actress and singer, of a similar age.

In 1944 Millicent Phillips was Redditch carnival queen

Millicent moved to London and joined ‘Bandwagon’ a talent show and voted by the public
as the winner. She toured and appeared in many of impresario Jack Hilton’s shows.

In 1948Millicent was one of the performers of the first stage presentation of Flotsam’s
Follies a radio series which was celebrating its 75th programme and this was at the ‘White
Rock Pavilion,’ Hastings. When she returned to the pavilion with the Flotsam Follies, for
a Sunday concert in June 1949, an unknown Tony Hancock was one of the performers
mentioned.

Over the years she performed with Billy Cotton, Jack Payne, Ivy Benson and Arthur Askey.
She also entertained the troops during the war.

After retiring she moved to Harrow in Middlesex but moved back to her hometown of
Redditch in 2003.

Parlaphone record, Wishing (Will Make it So)
– September 1939

(Source: Parlaphone Records –
www45worlds.com)

© RLHS 2015 Page: 125