The return of Bernard Nevin

Bernard has emailed an up to date list of his talks. I've cut it down to two (see below). Please let me know which you would prefer.

  • Date:29/5/2026 10:30 AM
  • Location Liverpool Central Library (Map)
  • More Info:4th Floor Meeting Room

Description

Margery Booth, the 'Knickers Spy' who sang for Hitler.
Margery Booth is a forgotten English Opera Star from the 1930's who was also an undercover wartime spy. Born in Wigan before moving to Southport, Margery was a young child with a notable singing talent  who eventually moved to London where she sang at the Royal Opera House. Marrying a rich German industrialist, she moved to Germany where she rose to acclaim in 1930's Berlin, singing at the Berlin Opera. Adolf Hitler became a personal fan, sending her roses after her performances, and dining with him one at least one occasion. She reported him as being ' perfectly charming'. This admiration from the Fuehrer was to later be vital for her survival.



But she was to become involved with British Intelligence, passing on secrets under the noses of the feared Gestapo, discretely hidden in her underwear, hence known as the 'Knickers Spy', a title given to her by the post-war media.. 

Margery sang in POW camps for British prisoners to bolster their morale but fell under the suspicion of the Gestapo, she was arrested and tortured but later released. As the war entered its final stages she managed to escape across Germany and was repatriated, giving evidence against UK Nazi collaborators such as Lord Haw Haw. 

However, her life and association with prominent Nazis meant that she was unkindly viewed on her return to the UK and particularly in the world of opera. Her bravery went unacknowledged and unrewarded and it was only by accident that her wartime secretive activities became known.

This is the captivating story of one woman's heroism and it highlights the role of other brave women in WW2 who's stories have not been told.

The Gladstones and the Merchant Princes of Seaforth

In 1800 there was no such place as Seaforth until the arrival of a Scottish merchant, John Gladstone.  Gladstone wanted to escape the smog and grime of inner City Liverpool and he chose a place on the banks of the River Mersey to build his family mansion.

This area was then described as "one of rare delight with its invigorating climate and fair comparison to the view of the Bay of Naples". This place was to become the home of William Gladstone, 4 times Prime Minister of Great Britain, and also the place where other prominent Liverpool businessmen would build their own oppulent homes.

This is the story of the rapid development of north Liverpool from where Gladstone would ride horseback along the 'golden sands and live among the rabbit warrens'.

The Gladstones were joined by other prominent families who attracted famous visitors such as Charles Dickens as the notable people of the Victorian era flocked to Liverpool, the 2nd city of the British Empire.

Not all these excursions were successful and the creeping expansion of Liverpool's docklands would soon encroach on these priveleged lives. A story of people who would change the banks of the Mersey forever.