Bill Pertwee

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Bill Pertwee MBE

Born	William Desmond Anthony Pertwee (1926-07-21)21 July 1926 Amersham, England
Died	27 May 2013(2013-05-27) (aged 86)^[1] Cornwall, England
Years active	1959–1997
Spouse(s)	Marion Rose (1960-2005;her death)
Children	Jonathan (b.1966)

William Desmond Anthony "Bill" Pertwee, MBE (21 July 1926^[2] – 27 May 2013) was an English comedy actor best known for playing the part of antagonist ARP Warden Hodges in the popular sitcom Dad's Army.^[3]

Early and personal life

Pertwee was born in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. His mother was Brazilian and his English father, James Francis Carter Pertwee, travelled the country as a salesman until he became ill and died in 1938, when Bill Pertwee was 12. The family moved home many times during Pertwee's childhood and he lived in Hereford, Glasbury, Colnbrook, Newbury, Erith, Belvedere, Blackheath, Storrington, Westcliff-on-Sea, Wilmington and Worthing. His education was disrupted by the moves and he attended many schools including an independent convent school, a small independent school, followed by Frensham Heights School in Surrey, Dartford Technical College and Southend College.

Pertwee's brother James Raymond "Jiggy" Pertwee was an RAF Whitley Bomber pilot who was killed in a crash on a hillside close to a disused quarry above Bank Foot, Ingleby Greenhow, following a leaflet drop over Dortmund, Germany, in June 1941.^[4]

Bill Pertwee left school during the Second World War and worked for a company that made parts for Spitfire cannons. He was declared unfit for RAF service as he was on medication following a swimming accident, but was a member of the Air Training Corps (UK Air Cadets). He later worked as an accounts clerk at the Stock Exchange and as a salesman for the clothing retailer Burberry in London.

Pertwee had a son, Jonathan James Pertwee (born in 1966), who has been in various TV programmes.^[5] He was godfather to one of the sons of Dad's Army co-star Ian Lavender. Following the death of his wife, he lived in Topsham, Devon. He was awarded an MBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours list for his services to charity. He was vice-president of the "Railway Ramblers"^[6] and a member of the executive committee of the Entertainment Artistes' Benevolent Fund ('The Royal Variety Charity').

He was a distant cousin of Michael Pertwee and Jon Pertwee, being the second cousin of their father, screenwriter and actor Roland Pertwee.^[7]

Entertainment career

Pertwee appeared in the radio comedy series Beyond Our Ken (1959–64) and Round the Horne (1965–67).^[3] He was also a warm-up act for many television shows.

His most prominent role was that of ARP Warden William Hodges in Dad's Army, which he played in both the original television series and the radio adaptations, as well as the radio sequel It Sticks Out Half a Mile, set after the war. Pertwee was president of the Dad's Army Appreciation Society and the author of the book Dad's Army – The Making of a Television Legend. In July 2008 he and other surviving members of the Dad's Army cast gathered together at the Imperial War Museum on the 40th anniversary of the show's first broadcast in 1968.^[8] He also made appearances on This Morning and BBC1's Jonathan Ross Salutes Dads Army at the time of the anniversary.

Pertwee appeared in two Carry On films – Carry On Loving (1970) and Carry On Girls (1973). His appearance in Carry On At Your Convenience (1971) was cut from the final film. Other film appearances include The Magnificent Seven Deadly Sins (1971).

On television Pertwee appeared in the final episode of It Ain't Half Hot Mum (1981) and an episode of Hi-de-Hi! (1986). He played PC Wilson in You Rang, M'Lord? (1988–93), another creation of Jimmy Perry and David Croft.

The subject of This Is Your Life in 1999, Pertwee was surprised by Michael Aspel at the Imperial War Museum. in 2006, he performed in the World Cup song, Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Jurgen Klinsmann?

References

↑ "Bill Pertwee, star of Dad's Army, dies aged 86". The Guardian. 27 May 2013. Retrieved 31 May 2013.
↑ "Dad's Army star Bill Pertwee dies aged 86", BBC News, 27 May 2013
↑ 3.0 3.1 Stevens, Christopher (2010). Born Brilliant: The Life Of Kenneth Williams. John Murray. p. 370. ISBN 1-84854-195-3. |accessdate= requires |url= (help)
↑ Reading Room Manchester. "Casualty Details". CWGC. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
↑ Bill Pertwee (1996). A funny way to make a living!-An Autobiography. Sunburst Books. ISBN 1-85778-268-2.
↑ "Railway Ramblers". Railway Ramblers. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
↑ "Bill Pertwee: Actor best known for his role as the curmudgeonly Warden Hodges in Dad's Army", The Independent, 28 May 2013. Accessed 28 May 2013
↑ Martin, Nicole (9 July 2008). "Dad's Army's Ian Lavender criticises falling TV standards". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 21 December 2011.

External links

Dad's Army

Characters

Television
episodes

Series 1	"The Man and the Hour" "Command Decision" "The Enemy Within the Gates" "The Showing Up of Corporal Jones" "Shooting Pains"

Series 2	"Operation Kilt" "The Battle of Godfrey's Cottage" "The Loneliness of the Long Distance Walker" "Sgt. Wilson's Little Secret" "A Stripe for Frazer" "Under Fire"

Series 3	"The Armoured Might of Lance Corporal Jones" "Battle School" "The Lion Has Phones" "The Bullet is Not for Firing" "Something Nasty in the Vault" "Room at the Bottom" "Big Guns" "The Day the Balloon Went Up" "War Dance" "Menace from the Deep" "Branded" "Man Hunt" "No Spring for Frazer" "Sons of the Sea"

Series 4	"The Big Parade" "Don't Forget the Diver" "Boots, Boots, Boots" "Sgt – Save My Boy!" "Don't Fence Me In" "Absent Friends" "Put That Light Out!" "The Two and a Half Feathers" "Mum's Army" "The Test" "A. Wilson (Manager)?" "Uninvited Guests" "Fallen Idol"

Series 5	"Asleep in the Deep" "Keep Young and Beautiful" "A Soldier's Farewell" "Getting the Bird" "The Desperate Drive of Corporal Jones" "If the Cap Fits..." "The King was in his Counting House" "All is Safely Gathered In" "When Did You Last See Your Money?" "Brain Versus Brawn" "A Brush with the Law" "Round and Round Went the Great Big Wheel" "Time on My Hands"

Series 6	"The Deadly Attachment" "My British Buddy" "The Royal Train" "We Know Our Onions" "The Honourable Man" "Things that Go Bump in the Night" "The Recruit"

Series 7	"Everybody's Trucking" "A Man of Action" "Gorilla Warfare" "The Godiva Affair" "The Captain's Car" "Turkey Dinner"

Series 8	"Ring Dem Bells" "When You've Got to Go" "Is There Honey Still for Tea?" "Come In, Your Time Is Up" "High Finance" "The Face on the Poster"

Series 9	"Wake Up Walmington" "The Making of Private Pike" "Knights of Madness" "The Miser's Hoard" "Number Engaged" "Never Too Old"

Specials	"Untitled Sketch" "Broadcast to the Empire" "Battle of the Giants!" "My Brother and I" "The Love of Three Oranges"

Spin-offs

Authority control	VIAF: 57895575 ISNI: 0000 0000 2159 243X

Persondata
Name	Pertwee, Bill
Alternative names	Pertwee, William Desmond Anthony
Short description	English comedy actor
Date of birth	21 July 1926
Place of birth	Amersham, Buckinghamshire, England
Date of death	27 May 2013
Place of death	Cornwall, England

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