The death has been announced of Berry Durex, the last surviving member of the celebrated wartime singing trio, the Durex Sisters.
Paying tribute, Prime Minister David Cameron reminded reporters ‘Betty and her sisters, arguably contributed more to the war effort than Vera Lynn,’ whilst Ed Miliband commented ‘It was said that her image was in every pub toilet in the land. And there aren’t many people who can claim that.’
Bravely touring the camps throughout the Second World War and popularly known as the ‘Rubber Sisters’, the girls, Betty, Debbie and Boo Boo, were the singing sensation of the Second World War, promoting good sexual health to Allied troops by singing songs to remind squaddies of the dangers of venereal disease, as STD was known as at the time.
With tunes such as ‘Keep one in your pocket for me’ and the cheeky “When I asked you to bring slippers, I didn’t mean footwear” the hits kept coming for the spunky girls.
After the war, the sisters released a number of non-propaganda records, but they were never able to shake off the immediate association made with their public health promotions of the war years. Their biggest post war hit was ‘Might realise my dream’ in 1949 but even this became known as ‘Might make my dick go green’ in the ex-servicemen’s clubs.
At the height of her success Betty married England football captain Johnny Baines and the glamorous couple were often featured in the newspapers and magazines. Their fame was very similar to that enjoyed latterly of Victoria and David Beckham, although, unlike Posh and Becks, Johnny was a fine footballer and Betty a superb singer.
The philandering Baines later admitted that he was ‘often ribbed by his team mates because he married a Durex girl,’ but that hadn’t stopped him from having four children with Betty and, according to rumour, preventing countless others due to his sensible deployment of the product endorsed by his wife.
A Durex Sisters greatest hits album entitled ‘Packet of Three” is now available from vending machines nationwide.
