Desert Island Discs

Raymond with Prince Bira

Raymond with his large blue umbrella pictured

at the Brooklands racing circuit in 1937

with Prince Bira of Siam.

Raymond

Mays

makes his choice

for

Desert Island Discs

October 1969

A recording survives of Raymond Mays taking part in the popular BBC radio programme Desert Island Discs more than 30 years ago and has been preserved in the Heritage Centre at Bourne where an entire room is devoted to his life's work.

It is an eerie experience hearing someone now dead talking about their favourite music but Mays comes over as a charming man, urbane, nostalgic, and totally dedicated to his lifestyle as an ex-racing car driver and builder of fast cars, but less a businessman, someone more at home in the dress circle of the Drury Lane Theatre rather than sitting round the boardroom table running a company.

The programme was broadcast on 25th October 1969, with the famous Roy Plomley as the interviewer, and the music Mays chose reflected that period of his life in the twenties and thirties when he haunted stage doors and rubbed shoulders with the actors and actresses who trod the boards and gave so much delight to thousands in the musical comedies in which they performed. Those who captivated him on stage became his friends and came to stay for weekend parties at Eastgate House, his lifelong home, and until he died in 1980 at the age of 80, he never lost this love of the theatre that was reflected in his choice of eight records which he had selected to be with him were he ever to be cast away on a desert island.

Mays said that he was a musical person who once played the piano a little but now played records more and added: "I have made my choice to bring back so many sad and happy memories of many delightful times through the years."

The records he chose were:

Roses of Picardy sung by the comedian Fred Emney. "It was a popular tune in its hey-day when I was a young man during and after the First World War and you would often hear it played in London in public and even by the band of my regiment, the Grenadier Guards."

Love will find a way from the stage show The Maid of the Mountains and sung by José Collins. "This means a lot to me. I first saw her in the show at Daly's Theatre with my parents when I was a schoolboy and I was captivated and in the years that followed, while at Cambridge and in the army, I saw it 84 times, always with José Collins, and she later became a very good friend. I was a terrific admirer of hers."

Raymond in the army

The young Raymond, captivated by London's West End theatres

I love the moon played by Russ Conway, a song written for the musical comedy star Phyllis Dare. "I loved the tune and the words. Happy memories and Phyllis became a great personal friend."

Somewhere over the rainbow sung by Judy Garland. "This brings back a lot of sentimental memories for me. I liked it from the very moment I saw a very young Judy singing it in the film The Wizard of Oz and it impressed me forever."

I can give you the starlight sung by Mary Ellis from Ivor Novello's stage production of The Dancing Years. "I first went to see this show just before the war. I knew and admired Ivor Novello and often went to see it at Drury Lane. During the war my mother used to send Mary eggs because she couldn't get any. The producers would sometimes cut this particular number from the show but whenever I went to see it, I would send a little note round to the stage door to say that I was in the audience and would she sing it and she always did."

A stranger in paradise from the London stage production of Kismet sung by Richard Kiley and Doretta Morrow. "A beautiful song that I never tire of hearing. I love the melody and the words and it was played by orchestras around the world and if they did not, I always used to ask them to."

Tea for two from the show No, No, Nanette sung by Binnie Hale. "This always brings back fond memories of Binnie, a lovely person and a very good friend."

The Merry Widow Waltz from the London stage production of Franz Lehar's musical comedy and sung by June Bronhill. "My favourite composer and I was lucky enough to see him when I attended one of his opening nights at the Princes' Theatre. A wonderful experience and one that I have never forgotten."

Asked about his chances of survival on a desert island, Mays admitted that he had few of the necessary skills and would not be a practical man when it came to building a hut although he had some knowledge of fertilisers through the family business and could probably raise a few crops. He was not a brilliant swimmer or very good at fishing and so he would probably keep a weather eye open for a passing ship in the hope of being rescued. The book he chose to have with him, apart from the Bible and Shakespeare, would be about the theatre that would sustain his memories of the many happy times he spent there and so his selection was: Gaiety: Theatre of Enchantment by W McQueen Pope.

Castaways appearing on this show are allowed one luxury to which Mays replied: "I can't bear getting wet and so I would like an umbrella, a large blue umbrella, similar to that I used to take to the motor racing circuits around the world which was big enough to prop on the bonnet of a car to check the spark plugs when it was raining."