Magic at War

On the evening of 14 May 1940, four days after Germany invaded France and the Low Countries, newly appointed Secretary of State for War, Anthony Eden, gave a speech on the B.B.C. Home Service: “ Since the war began, the government have received countless enquiries from all over the kingdom from men of all ages who are for one reason or another not at present engaged in military service, and who wish to do something for the defence of their country. Well, now is your opportunity. We want large numbers of such men in Great Britain, who are British subjects, between the ages of seventeen and sixty-five…to come forward and offer their services…The name of the new force which is now to be raised will be ‘The Local Defence Volunteers'". And so, the L.D.V. (later renamed the 'Home Guard' by Winston Churchill) was formed. Within 24 hours, a quarter of a million men signed up.  Home Guard armband (Source: Imperial War Museum) The L.D.V. – or Home Guard – consisted mainly of tho...

Famed  Nineteenth  Century magician and illusionist, Jean-Eugene Robert-Houdin, once wrote, " a magician is an actor playing the part of a magician ".  During wartime, mov ies provided war-weary audiences an escape from the turbulence and sacrifice of war, while also providing an opportunity for nations to boost morale, through government-funded propaganda films.  Some  World War Two-era magicians were also actors, appearing in movies made between 1939-1945 to entertain the public. The most famous of these was James Stewart. Before becoming a world-famous movie star, Stewart started out as an amateur magician, partnering with fellow magician Bill Neff. He was a member of the International Brotherhood of Magicians and contributed several tricks to magic magazines. Turning to acting, Stewart appeared in more than 90 films, television programmes, and shorts.  He starred in 12 films between 1939-1941, including Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), It's a Wonde...