The Starita Players was the name given to a local Amateur Dramatics group. They feature in a number of Market Lavington Museum photos, sometimes in costume and at other times in normal clothes. This photo dates from 1944 – during the Second World War. This might explain why there were many more women than men.
This photo was a gift, to the museum, from Mrs Vear who appears on the photo under her maiden name. Mrs Vear has done a fine job of captioning the photo. Would that we were all so thorough.
The Starita Players in 1944 - a photo at Market Lavington Museum
On this photo the people are:
Back row from left to right
- Mrs Head
- Bert Sainsbury
- Mrs Perrett
- Bill Harding
- Beryl Cowdry
- Harry Hobbs
- Queenie Sainsbury
- Alan Baker
Middle row from left to right
- Joyce Manning
- Mr Mabbett
- Mary Shore
- Harry Perrett
- Mrs Musgrove
- Harry Rainbird
- Jean Shore
Front row from left to right
- Grace Basley
- Betty Shepherd
- Gillian Barrett
- Eileen Perrett
- Daphne Cooper
- Joyce Trimble
- Jean Potter
As ever, we’d like information at the museum. Anything you can share with us about these people is information we can then share with others. So do get in touch if you can tell us anything about these amateur thespians.
Tags: drama, Market Lavington, Museum, photograph
Market Lavington Museum 
May 17, 2011 at 7:39 am |
A relative of mine Neil Munday was an enthusiastic participant in amateur musical productions in Australia. He had a good tenor voice. During one production he met Adelia Ricketts and her cousin Queenie Sainsby (but perhaps this was a typo and was really Sainsbury). Queenie became quite a well-known actress at the time (apparently). Neil was one of the early arrivals at Gallipoli where he served as quarter master. He was invalided out with enteric fever, first to Egypt and then out to Australia. His postcards that he sent whilst he was away at war were about Adelia, he was very fond of her, but she died. Neil never married and was sent to Busselton in Western Australia, because they thought the climate would improve his health after the war, but he died out there alone. They sent a lot of returned soldiers out there to recover. I’m interested to know more about Queenie (if it is the same one!) and if anyone knows anything about Adelia too. Thanks!
May 18, 2012 at 5:26 am |
[…] Some of the cast are well known to us on these pages, but we are always keen to know more, so do let us know if you can tell us more about these people – some of whom can be seen in a photo on this page. […]