The Harry Secombe Archive comprises personal papers and memorabilia documenting the career of one of Wales’s best-known all-round entertainers.
Born in Swansea, Sir Harry Donald Secombe CBE (1921-2001) was one of four children of Gladys and Frederick Secombe. He started work as an office boy at Baldwins Limited, Swansea at age of 16. In 1939 he was called up to the army, serving with No. 132 Field Regiment of the Royal Artillery, seeing active service in North Africa and Italy.
It was during the war that he began his career on stage, performing a comedy shaving act as part of a concert party that also featured Spike Milligan in the band.
When the war ended Harry took his act to the Revudeville at the Windmill Theatre, London.
It was at this time that Harry met Michael Bentine who, through his agent Jimmy Grafton, was introduced to Peter Sellers. Together with Spike Milligan, the quartet would go on to create The Goon Show. His operatic Tenor voice and comic characters would see him catapulted to stardom, performing alongside the world’s greatest names in showbusiness.
The seventeen scrap books 1946-1969, record his most productive years in showbusiness.
The archive includes many scripts from stage, radio and television productions such as "The Goon Show", "Secombe and Friends", "Sunday Night at the London Palladium", "Pickwick" and book manuscripts including his autobiographies “Arias and Raspberries” and “Strawberries and Cheam”, and comic novels, “Twice Brightly”, “Goon Abroad” and “Welsh Fargo”.
Throughout his career Harry put together an extensive collection of programmes from shows in which he appeared, many of which have been signed by his co-stars.
Harry was well known for his speeches at charity events, humorous cartoons and caricatures, all which feature in the collection.
One of his most prized possessions was a letter from Prince Charles, congratulating him on his Knighthood, in which he is addressed as Sir Cumference.
The large collection of photographs, including productions of "Pickwick" and “Oliver!”, many stars of showbusiness, and Royalty have been transferred to NLW photographic collections. Three portraits have been transferred to NLW framed works.
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