Percy Merriman

Percival Harry Merriman (11 June 1882[1] – 1966) was an English musician and songwriter.

During World War I, he served in the 60th Division, Civil Service Rifles. While convalescing, in 1917, he became a member of The Roosters Concert Party,[2] named after Captain G U B Roose, the Commandant of their base in Salonika, Summerhill Camp.[3] They turned professional, made their first radio broadcast in 1923, and operated for another two decades. For them, he wrote sketches and songs, the latter including "Old Comrades Re-Union" (1930).[4]

He appeared as a "castaway" on the BBC Radio programme Desert Island Discs on 17 August 1964.[5]

His son Eric Merriman was a comedy scriptwriter, writing Beyond Our Ken for Kenneth Horne and Kenneth Williams.

References
  1. 1939 England and Wales Register
  2. Knight, Jill (2005). The Civil Service Rifles in the Great War: 'all Bloody Gentlemen'. Leo Cooper Ltd. ISBN 978-1844152537.
  3. "Roosters". IPS-Compendium. Institute of Professional Sound. Retrieved 28 July 2014.
  4. "78 RPM - The Roosters Concert Party - Old Comrades Re-Union - Part 1 / Old Comrades Re-Union - Part 2 - Regal - UK - MR 173". Retrieved 28 July 2014. (note record's label)
  5. "Desert Island Discs - Castaway : Percy Merriman". BBC Online. BBC. Retrieved 27 July 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.