BUTLINS SKEGNESS 1956

TONI SEABORN

Memories of My 1956 Season as a Butlins Skegness Redcoat

TONI SEABORN
.

As I was a dancer first and Redcoat second, the Redcoat duties paid for our bed and board on site. I was contracted to do 15 hours Redcoating a week, 2 shows a night, for which I was paid the princely sum of Ł7 pound a week.

Toni Seaborn, Ann Marcus, Jean Belmonte, Brenda Oliver, and Jean
anon Nanette Jackson.


What a difference between the amount of bare leg we were allowed to show ON-stage, compared to how much we were allowed to show OFF-stage. [In the photo on the right I think I may be doing the action to fit the actual lyric of the song: "You do the Okey Cokey," just before the bit when you turn around. Either that, or the guests have been plying me with drinks.]

Butlins did well on the Ł7 pound a week deal. As you most likely know, if we were in Reds it was considered we were on duty. However, bearing in mind the length of the camp, and staff chalets were at the far end, there was never time between duties to go back to the chalet, change out of Reds, and come back for a coffee and then back to the chalet to change back to Reds and be back to, say, the ballroom for the next duty. So, although we would be taking a break in the café, we had to sit with Campers all the time, so we ended up doing a lot more than 15 hours.
And conditions were to get worse. When it came to mid-season, we had to live in the dressing rooms in the Gaiety Theatre, as they let our staff chalets. We lived in the theatre for a whole month.

That's me on the far left. [One step more and I would have been out of shot.]

It's funny to see all the men in shorts and short-sleeved shirts, while the ladies in the background are in their Sunday-best clothes, as if they are off to church, which leads me to think we are leading the Sunday morning "Parade of Houses."

Not too sure why we are posing with these two sets of parents and their children.
The rosettes the girl and boy are wearing are for KENT house, whereas my fellow-dancer has one for WINDSOR house.
We changed houses, depending on the time of season, as some remained closed when the Camp wasn't full. In the previous photo we were in YORK house.

Most likely a publicity photo to convince all the single boys that Butlins was the place to come if you wanted to meet beautiful girls.

I believe all the girls were staff.

I am second board up, at the water’s edge.

WHO'S ON SECOND?

As you can see from the letters on our tops this is the "Who’s Who" show.
Dancer Nanette Jackson is the “S”, and I am the second “H.”
Behind Nanette is Uncle Boko.

LIFE AFTER BUTLINS

Climbing the Show Business Ladder

After leaving Butlins I danced in a couple of London Revue shows, before finding my life-long partner, and touring the world as:

YURI & TONYA.

You can learn all about us on our YouTube video:

YURI & TONYA
Our Life on Stage

What My Season at Butlins Did For Me.

I was only 16. Yes, I know I should have been 18. I guess, that was the summer I grew up fast.

I made some very good friends, amongst the staff and the punters. Most importantly I learnt how to deal with people: the very young, the old, the funny, the stroppy, and not forgetting the wise guys. This stood me in good stead for my future careers, starting with travelling the world in show business

Towards the later end of my working life we worked in schools, and I was often complemented on my ability to bring the kids up, and calm them down, thus leaving them in a controlled state for the teachers. This resulted in my husband Yuri and I returning to schools on a regular basis.

Our last show business venture was when we ran a circus school ourselves, which is where my grounding with Butlins again stood me in good stead, as I had to deal with all sorts of students from 7- to 80-year-olds, and from all walks of life. So, a very good season for me in many ways.

Tonya
Toni Seaborn (now Antoinette Marjorie Gridneff. aka: TONYA)

written 4 August 2025