| When Bombardier Arthur Butler of the 122nd Field Regiment Royal Artillery transformed himself into Gloria D’Earie she became ‘exquisite’. She made all her own costumes and moved and spoke just like a woman. Butler was a professional female impersonator and widely regarded as the best in Changi. His act was so convincing that some men found it too painful: they would rather not be reminded of what a woman looked like as it made their separation from wives and sweethearts harder to bear. (Source: The Barbed-Wire University: The Real Lives of Prisoners of War in the Second World War by Midge Gillies) |
Is this “Changi” a place in Singapore?
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DeleteNotorious Japanese prison camp for Allied POWs, now the site of Singapore's biggest airport
DeleteIt's good to know such a great femulator once graced the shores of my home country, even though it's sad that she was there as a POW…
DeleteThis really reminds me of a character in the book 'King Rat' by James Clavel (part of his 'Shogun' series). A British POW in a WWII Singapore camp starts femulating for a role in a play and eventually moves into that role full time, taking a male lover. Unfortunately, her friends disown her when the camp is liberated and she drowns herself.
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