Tribute: Peggy Batchelor 26 November 1916 – 18 July 2020 Peggy Batchelor passed away peacefully 18 festivals. This was the era of elocution July at 4 in the morning, in Leicester, at the lessons and many of Peggy’s pupils wanted magnificent age of 103. to speak the Queen’s English rather than Essex. Many pupils also found places in Peggy was the subject of a Local Face in London shows and further afield. Later, her October 2007, see https://wendovernews. pupils discovered that she could also teach co.uk/news/local-face-peggy-batchelor/ different accents. Her training as an actress which touched on her wartime experiences was thorough and a facility with accents is as a member of the Entertainment National always useful to someone who treads the Service Association (ENSA), including spells boards. The theatre and entertainment in the Far East entertaining the Forgotten industry are still well dotted with ex-pupils Army celebrated on VJ-Day, 15 August 2020. as actors and directors from the glory days of Ridley Studios. This Tribute appeared on Facebook aimed at the Southend area where she was a major As well as the work at the studios Peggy influence on speech and theatre for 30 years: and her staff also ran the Ridley Theatre Workshop on a Friday night at Chalkwell After working in Ealing with young people Schools which produced experimental work for a few years, in 1955 Peggy founded and as well as sell out shows once or twice a remained Principal of the Ridley Studios in year at the Palace Theatre and later at the Leigh Road, Leigh-on-Sea, named in honour Cliffs Pavilion. She also established the first of her Guildhall Professor, Frank Ridley. For Children’s Theatre in the Borough. Its past many, many years it was an establishment students became teachers as heads of Drama of excellence and its students a force to be at many local schools and some also became reckoned with in local music and drama renowned adjudicators here and abroad.
When a young actress herself, Peggy was one of the first to be invited to join ENSA at the start of WW2, bravely agreeing and going off on a troop ship to she knew not where. She exhibited the same faith in the importance of the arts when as an external examiner for Guildhall she volunteered to examine drama students in Northern Ireland throughout the Troubles. She married retired Air Commodore Arthur Clegg on 1 September 1984 and moved to Wendover. After his death she returned to performance including voiceovers for monsters in Dr Who and appearing as old women in Casualty. Finally she became too frail to look after herself so she moved to be closer to her step-daughters. Many who read this will have fond memories of Auntie Peggy and the Studios. If you would like to send them to petermonk1@aol.com he will ensure that they are forwarded to Peggy’s step-daughters Jennifer and Sue.
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Wendover News September 2020
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