Elizabeth Maud Edwards

Elizabeth Maud Edwards (1906-1991), known throughout her career as Maudie Edwards, was born in Neath, Wales . A popular principal boy in pantomime, she was a versatile comedy performer with a career spanning theatre, radio, television and film. She first performed at the age of 4 with her father and older sister, May, in a show entitled ' Ned Edwards and His Two Little Queenies ' at Vints Palace Theatre, Neath . She later established her own repertory company, the Maudie Edwards Players, based at the Palace Theatre, Swansea .

Known as 'the voice of Wales', she became a popular radio personality on programmes including " Welsh Rarebit ", " Variety Bandbox " and " Worker's Playtime ". Her performances were often in the music hall style, making use of her talent for regional dialects and her singing voice. As well as performing material written and adapted for her by writers such as Lew Jacobson, she also wrote some of her own material, most notably the words and music for the song " Barmitzwah Boy ". Her skill for entertaining was made use of during the Second World War, when she was employed by the Entertainments National Service Association ( E.N.S.A. ) to entertain the troops.

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