Sir Harry Secombe
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Sir Harry Secombe CBE |
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| Born |
Harry Donald Secombe 8 September 1921 Swansea, Glamorgan, Wales, UK |
| Died | 11 April 2001 (aged 79) Guildford, Surrey, England, UK |
| Cause of death | Prostate cancer |
| Nationality | Welsh |
| Education | Dynevor School, Swansea |
| Occupation | Singer, actor, comedian |
| Years active | 1946–2001 |
| Television |
The Goon Show (Radio) The Harry Secombe Show, Secombe And Friends, Highway (TV) Sunday Morning with Secombe (TV) |
| Spouse(s) | Myra Atherton (born 1924, married 1948) |
| Children | Jennifer, Andy, David and Katy |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Secombe Gladys (née Davies) |
| Relatives | Fred Secombe (brother) |
Sir Harry Donald Secombe, CBE (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh comedian and singer. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme The Goon Show (1951-60), playing many characters, but most notably, Neddie Seagoon. An accomplished baritone, he also appeared in musicals and films - notably as Mr Bumble in Oliver! (1968) - and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows incorporating hymns and other devotional songs.
Secombe was born in St Thomas, Swansea, the third of four children of Nellie Jane Gladys (née Davies), a shop manageress, and Frederick Ernest Secombe, a grocer. From the age of 11 he attended Dynevor School, a state grammar school in central Swansea.
His family were regular churchgoers, belonging to the congregation of St Thomas Church. A member of the choir, Secombe would – from the age of 12 – perform a sketch entitled The Welsh Courtship at church socials, acting as "feed" to his sister Carol. His elder brother, Fred Secombe, was the author of several books about his experiences as an Anglican priest and rector.
After leaving school in 1937, Secombe became a pay clerk at Baldwin's store. With war looming, he decided in 1938 that he would join the Territorial Army (United Kingdom). Very short sighted, he got a friend to tell him the sight test, and then learnt it by heart. He served as a Lance Bombardier in No.132 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery. He would refer to the unit in which he served during World War II in the North African Campaign, Sicily, and Italy, as "The Five-Mile Snipers". While in North Africa Secombe met Spike Milligan for the first time. In Sicily he joined a concert party and developed his own comedy routines to entertain the troops.
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