An evocative original 1942 West End theatre programme, offering a remarkable little window into entertainment and everyday life in wartime London.
This programme is for the musical comedy Full Swing, starring one of Britain's best-loved theatrical partnerships, Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge, at the Palace Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue, London.
And this is far more interesting than simply being an old musical programme.
Printed right in the middle of the Second World War, its front cover carries an extraordinary A.R.P. notice dated 20 April 1942, telling theatre-goers exactly what would happen if an air-raid warning sounded during the performance.
The audience is reassured that an air-raid warning did not mean the performance would automatically stop. Anyone wishing to leave for home or an official shelter could do so, while those who stayed were recommended to remain inside the theatre.
It's difficult to imagine a more vivid little snapshot of London's wartime determination to carry on.
The programme also states that its usual magazine features had been suspended because of wartime paper restrictions — another everyday consequence of the war preserved on a piece of paper never intended to survive for more than 80 years.
On stage were Jack Hulbert as Jack Millett and Cicely Courtneidge as Kay Porter, supported by a substantial company including Gabrielle Brune, Kenneth Kent, Cyril Renison, Harry Budd, Thomas Gravetta, Douglas Barrie, Nora Swinburne, Charles Lamb, Truman Taylor and George De Warfaz.
Hulbert also produced the production, with dances by Buddy Bradley and Jack Hulbert.
The surviving advertisements are fabulous pieces of social history in their own right, with period promotions for Lyons Ice Cream, Gordon's, Schweppes, Huntley & Palmers, Ridgways Tea, Jenner's Pale Ale, Red Tower Lager and others.
There are even advertisements for other wartime London productions, including Ivor Novello's The Dancing Years at the Adelphi and Richard Tauber in Blossom Time at the Lyric — giving a wonderful glimpse of what somebody browsing London's theatre choices in 1942 would actually have seen.
Best of all, the programme still retains its wonderfully humble original 4d price tab attached to the cover.
This came from my late Grandma's extensive collection of theatre programmes and ephemera, accumulated over many years. The wartime programmes are becoming some of my favourite discoveries in her collection because they preserve something much bigger than the shows themselves.
Somebody went into the Palace Theatre while Britain was at war, paid fourpence for this programme and sat down to watch Jack Hulbert and Cicely Courtneidge perform, knowing an air-raid warning might sound before the final curtain.
And they kept the programme.
More than 80 years later, it survives.
For collectors of WWII home-front memorabilia, Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, wartime London, Palace Theatre history or vintage British theatrical ephemera, this is a superbly evocative original survivor.
Condition
Original 1942 programme with genuine age-related wear from more than eight decades of survival. There are folds, creases, marks, edge wear and some small nicks/tears visible in the photographs.
The original 4d price tab remains attached to the front cover, partly obscuring some printed text. Personally, I would absolutely leave this attached — it is part of the programme's history.
Please study all photographs carefully for exact condition.

❤️ Own a Little Piece of History ❤️
Thank you for taking a look at this item.
Every piece I sell comes from my late grandmother's remarkable lifetime collection, built over more than 70 years.
She began her career as an air hostess during the 1940s and 1950s, travelling the world and bringing home unusual treasures from every destination. Along the way she fell in love with my grandfather, a Swissair pilot, and together they shared a lifelong passion for collecting history, art, antiques and memorabilia.
In the 1960s she opened her own antiques business, a passion she continued until retiring at the incredible age of 92. She believed every object had a story worth preserving, whether it was a theatre programme, football programme, book, magazine or antique collected during her lifetime.
Today, I'm carefully cataloguing and rehoming her collection, ensuring each piece finds someone who will appreciate it for many years to come.
If you enjoy items with genuine history and provenance, please browse my other listings. New treasures are added every day, and every purchase helps keep my grandmother's extraordinary collection alive for future generations.
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