No Petticoats Here: Louise Jordan

Victoria Hall, Settle

A CENTURY on from the events and in our third year of "national remembrance" there is perhaps a danger that we feel we already know all we want to know about The Great War.

If this chimes with you, then I suggest you make sure you attend a performance of this striking production.

'No Petticoats Here' doesn't just re-tell the story of women of the time, it literally turns all your preconceived notions on their head and challenges you to re-evaluate your knowledge and commitment to the idea of remembrance.

This is social history at its most powerful, a remarkable combination of research and creativity so that the stories are retold in original songs, soundscape and haunting pictures reinforced by the flawless voice of Louise Jordan.

Combining clarity and purity of tone with a genuine affection and respect for her subjects, her songs reflect with great accuracy the complex period and the bittersweet nuances of the lives of the women of this period.

It would be a very hard heart indeed that did not melt at the sound of Vera Britain's "Perhaps" or feel a chill at the fate that awaited the freewheeling, free spirited Dorothy Laurence who in her desire to be a journalist spent ten days and nights under fire on the Western Front disguised as a man, only for her stories to be regarded as lunatic ramblings in later years, leading to a 40-year commitment in an asylum.

The stories told in this incredible performance are not of well-known heroines, and indeed many are anonymous, such as the "surplus women" left without any chance of marriage as a result of the slaughter of a generation of men but determined to lead fulfilling lives or the munitions workers who saved the country but in breathing in the toxic fumes at work ruined their own fertility.

The songs cover many styles, creating a diverse performance which both educates and entertains as well as showcasing the remarkable song writing talent and musicianship of the central performer.

Opening with the waltzing "Pride of the Army" we are introduced to the redoubtable Ada Yorke, staff matron in Chief of the Southern Command of the British Army.

Throughout the evening Louise Jordan was supported by local choir, Settle Voices, who provided backing in more lively numbers and added a sense of authenticity to the chorus of drinking songs and the exhortation to "toil women toil". However it was the poignant "Who Will Remember" that will probably stay longest in the memory and I'm sure that many in both choir and audience will recall its message in the years to come and help to ensure these stories are retold.

Gill O'Donnell