Gertrude E. Jennings (1877 – 1958) – British actress and playwright

With thanks to Historian Debbie Cameron for this information

Born in 1877, Gertrude’s parents were Louis Jennings, a journalist who became Editor of the “New York Times” from 1870 until 1876 and who later became MP for Stockport, and his wife, Madeleine Louise Henriques, an American actress known for her work at New York’s Wallack’s theatre. Gertrude began her theatrical career as an actress, performing in New York under the name Gertrude Henriques and then touring in productions of English classical works with the Ben Greet Players. In the UK, Gertrude  lived in South West London (The Boltons) and began her theatre career as an actress before taking up her pen to write plays. Her 1912 play, “A Woman’s Influence” brought her recognition within the Actresses Franchise League and it became one of the organisation’s most popular and frequently performed plays.

Gertrude played a very important role in the women’s’ theatre movement in the early part of the 20th century. She had the sheer guts and determination to take a theatre company to France to entertain the troops there during the First World War.

When war broke out in 1914, the Actresses Franchise League disbanded and activists such as Lena Ashwell – manager of the Kingsway Theatre London – led the drive to provide entertainment to the troops. By 1917 there were 25 companies performing over 1400 shows a month. Material was drawn from classic and contemporary writers such as Shaw, Sheridan and Barrie, with Lena Ashwell being particularly enthusiastic about taking Shakespeare to the front line soldiers.

Gertrude Jennings formed her own company and travelled to France to entertain the troops.  In 1914 Samuel French published a collected volume of her plays under the title “Four One Act Plays”. The plays were also performed for the home front in London with full professional casts. “No Servants”, for example, was performed in April 1917 at the Princes Theatre with Lilian Braithwaite starring in the lead role as Victoria.

“Five Birds in a Cage” opened on 19th March 1915 at the Haymarket Theatre, then returned as part of the evening bill on April 20 and ran for 284 consecutive performances. The play was broadcast on the wireless (radio) in the first year of the British Broadcasting Corporation’s wireless broadcasts on 29th November 1923, with subsequent productions on 11th April 1924 and 23rd July 1926.

Gertrude died in Midhurst, Sussex, UK in September 1858.

Sources:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1468972083412699/

https://everydaylivesinwar.herts.ac.uk/2016/03/gertrude-jennings-human-comedy-human-conflict/?fbclid=IwAR3ZkveXLAXHJ8c1DJYy_4MKaIy-G0a_sBkiOdmGe0cbpdUUWWtCcOVMxFM

https://ww1richmond.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/who-was-gertrude-jennings/?fbclid=IwAR2n8pyIRJHr-o5Ii7qpwDQFp8XD5jizDKJBjdtXobHeV5ZrWPOp4kyCSEc