Query: Songs from Patricia Preece in 1950 aged 14

Subject: Patricia Preece aged 14
From: The Sandman
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 02:43 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gacFiI6cZ3g
Here's the 14 year old Patricia Preece singing two English folk songs from the canon of Cecil Sharp the folk song collector "The Farmyard - Robin-a Thrush" from a 78 rpm shellac record released around 1950.
is she still alive ? did she carry on singing in later life ?

Subject: RE: Query: Songs from Patricia Preece in 1950 aged 14
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 14 Jul 26 - 07:04 PM

The same question has been asked on the Facebook group
The Ballad Tree: Traditional Folk Ballads and Songs.

I found a Facebook page which researches the surname Preece and posed the question there.

An Ian Preece posted a reply on the Ballad Tree.

Patricia was born 8 June 1935, in Leamington, the 11th and final child of Arthur Preece and Elsie May nee Reading.
She married Ted Harris at Olton (near Solihull) 19 January 1954.
Her father Arthur was a labourer, born in 1893, although at the time of the 1921 Census he was actually working on a farm near Malvern and living in Welland with Elsie and their daughter Marjorie.
I have had a look in various records, and cannot locate Patricia’s death, though I know she is now deceased as her name appears unredacted in the 1939 Register (this is only the case if the person is known to be deceased).
From the attached newspaper extract (Evening Despatch 5 June 1953)* it seems she produced a lot of music when she was young.
It is possible that she had children, but I’ve not been able to confirm any of the entries in the indexes, Harris and Preece both being relatively common names.

* WELL-KEPT secret until today is the engagement of Mr. Ted Harris, 34-year-old Midlands publicist for Associated British Pathe, and Miss Patricia Preece, of 168, Tynedale Road, Tyseley. Her 18th birthday is on Mon-day.

Miss Preece, charming and well known -singer of folk songs, next week makes a recording for her 92nd broadcast.

She has recently returned from a singing tour of Northern Ireland.

A brilliant musician, Mr. Harris was organist at one of London's largest cinemas before the war. During the war he served in the R.A.S.C. in France, the Middle East, and Germany, and reached the rank of major.


The Ballad Tree post :
www.facebook.com/groups/2089437891184119/posts/27269728916061669/

Subject: RE: Query: Songs from Patricia Preece in 1950 aged 14
From: The Sandman
Date: 15 Jul 26 - 02:49 AM

thankx