If you have just been enjoying the BBC’s 40th anniversary celebration of Dads Army then you will have loved the appearances of the surviving cast members such as Jones ( Clive Dunn ), Pike (Ian Lavender), Hodges (Bill Pertwee ), The Vicar ( Frank Wilson ), Mrs Fox (Pamella Cundell ) and of course the brilliant writers of the show, David Croft and Jimmy Perry.
It was a great show even though we learned that the American’s actually tried to do their own version of Dads Army – but that is something best ignored…
But there was one person who was not mentioned and I thought this was a rather sad exclusion because this particular man introduced the show each time we sat down to enjoy it with his very distinctive voice…the man who sang the Dads Army theme song.
This man was Bud Flanagan. A veteran of the English stage and screen he was born in 1896 and made his name as the partner of Chesney Allen in the comedy duo Flanagan and Allen.
He was actually enjoying his retirement, though in ill-health, when in 1968 he was asked to record a theme song for a new BBC comedy show about a group of elderly men who joined the Home Guard when it was implemented in England in 1941. Dads Army.
Bud Flanagan and Chesney Allen were a very popular pre and post-war comedy duo who starred on stage, screen and eventually television. One of their biggest hits was a song ‘ Underneath the arches ‘ which highlighted their own particular style of performing – Bud Flanagan would sing the melody while Ches Allen largely narrated the lyrics. It was very effective and quite unique.
Here are some of their famous songs:
* ‘Shine on Harvest Moon’
* ‘We’re Gonna Hang Out the Washing on the Siegfried Line’
* ‘Run Rabbit, Run’
* ’Down Forget Me Not Lane’
They were also part of the legendary comedy team known as The Crazy Gang.
Bud Flanagan was asked to record the theme song by the writers of Dads Army, Perry and Croft, because the theme for the show was so like the old war-songs he used to sing on his recordings.
This song - ” Who do you think you are kidding Mr Hitler ” – was to be Bud Flanagan’s last legacy to the public who had loved him for so long. He died, on October 20th 1968, soon after recording this most memorable song. Today a new and younger generation have discovered this gem of a TV series and Bud Flanagan’s name still lives on. This one song alone will always ensure this.
His longtime partner, Ches Allen, died November 13 1982 at the age of 89.
Blue Memorial Plaque on 12 Hanbury Street, Whitechapel, London where Bud Flanagan was born in 1896.
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