Digital Transgender Archive

Two British prisoners of war, one in drag, posing for "The Timbertown Follies", at a prisoner of war camp in Groningen. Photographic postcard, 191-.

The Timbertown Follies. Interned in Holland. "Miss" P.R. Morgan and A.H. Bennett

Part of James Gardiner Collection: photographs of military, naval, and prisoner-of-war camp drag.

The man in drag stands next to a piano, wearing a white dress; the other man in drag leans on the front of the piano dressed as a pierrot. Two stars of the Timbertown Follies, 'Molly' (or Mollie) Morgan and A.H. Bennett. 'Molly' Morgan is typical of several extremely talented performers who went on to perform professionally as female impersonators in touring revues after the war was over, and well into the 1930sThey are dressed up for one of the many revues staged by some of the 1,500 or so members of the First Royal Naval Brigade, interned as prisoners of war in the camp outside Groningen, northern Netherlands, from 1914 to 1918, which they nicknamed HMS Timbertown. As they were not involved in any conflict and were housed in reasonable comfort with time on their hands, they were able to stage some very elaborate and professional theatrical revues which became famous back in the UK. Their performances included pastiches of many of the revues and musical comedies produced in England at this time