1939 – ENSA (Entertainments National Service Association) formed

The Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA) was an organisation established by Basil Dean and Leslie Henson. Their mission was to provide entertainment for the British armed forces personnel during World War Two. ENSA operated as part of the Navy, Army and Air Force. Many dancers, in uniform, and companies joined and worked for ENSA during the war – travelling to wherever they were told and needed. They had varying experiences, from the light to the serious, but always in the knowledge that they had provided at least a few hours of relief to thousands of troops. ENSA was also known amongst the forces – sometimes unkindly – as ‘every night something awful’.