Out of the firing line ... into the foyer : my remarkable story

War hero and '60s Soho doyen Bruce Copp has lived a unique life in which he has formed lifelong friendships with celebrities, swam regularly with a James Bond, hung out with Lenny Bruce and spent an unforgettable night with Marlene Dietrich. Serving in the army throughout the Second World War, he witnessed the deaths of his comrades, suffered a nervous breakdown and tried to commit suicide by walking into enemy fire. He miraculously survived and was subsequently mentioned twice in dispatches for bravery. Bruce describes his extraordinary experiences as a young gay man in the army and provides a unique insight into how homosexual relationships persisted with the tacit agreement of the authorities. After the war, Bruce went on to become an important figure in London's 'swinging sixties', running a series of successful theatrical restaurants, including Peter Cook's legendary The Establishment club, which attracted the icons of the era, most notably the Kray twins. Out of the Firing Line ... Into the Foyer is a fascinating memoir covering nearly 100 years of social history and personal experiences, all told for the first time. War hero and '60s Soho doyen Bruce Copp has lived a unique life in which he has formed lifelong friendships with celebrities, swam regularly with a James Bond, hung out with Lenny Bruce and spent an unforgettable night with Marlene Dietrich. Serving in the army throughout the Second World War, he witnessed the deaths of his comrades, suffered a nervous breakdown and tried to commit suicide by walking into enemy fire. He miraculously survived and was subsequently mentioned twice in dispatches for bravery. Bruce describes his extraordinary experiences as a young gay man in the army and provides a unique insight into how homosexual relationships persisted with the tacit agreement of the authorities. After the war, Bruce went on to become an important figure in London's 'swinging sixties', running a series of successful theatrical restaurants, including Peter Cook's legendary The Establishment Club, which attracted the icons of the era, most notably the Kray twins. Out of the Frying Pan...Into the Foyer is a fascinating memoir covering nearly 100 years of social history and personal experiences, all told for the first time War hero and '60s Soho doyen Bruce Copp has lived a unique life. With an address book brimming with celebrity names and numbers, he swam regularly with a James Bond, dined with Charlie Chaplin, hung out with Lenny Bruce and spent an unforgettable night with Marlene Dietrich. A reluctant hero, he served in the army throughout the Second World War where he dealt with prejudices towards homosexuality, witnessed the deaths of his comrades and tried to commit suicide by walking into enemy fire. He miraculously survived and was mentioned twice in dispatches for bravery before being transferred to British Counter Intelligence where his duties included tracking down high-ranking Nazis. After the war, Bruce went on to become an important figure in London's 'swinging sixties', running a series of successful theatrical restaurants including Peter Cook's legendary The Establishment club, which attracted such icons of the era as Michael Caine, Jean Shrimpton and the Kray twins. Out of the Firing Line ... Into the Foyer is a fascinating memoir covering nearly 100 years of social history and personal experiences. The truly unique story of a gay war hero who was forced to hide his sexuality for half of his adult lifeWar hero Bruce Copp has lived a unique life in which he has formed lifelong friendships with celebrities, swam regularly with a James Bond, hung out with Lenny Bruce, and spent an unforgettable night with Marlene Dietrich. Serving in the army throughout the Second World War, he witnessed the deaths of his comrades, suffered a nervous breakdown, and tried to commit suicide by walking into enemy fire. He miraculously survived and was subsequently mentioned twice in dispatches for bravery. Bruce describes his extraordinary experiences as a young gay man in the army and provides a unique insight into how homosexual relationships persisted with the tacit agreement of the authorities. Out of the Firing Line . . . Into the Foyer is a fascinating memoir covering nearly 100 years of social history and personal experiences, all told for the first time Cover -- Title -- Dedication -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Foreword By Dame Judi Dench -- Preface -- One Charabancs, Marigolds and Scrumpies -- Two A Modern Babylon -- Three Kiss Me Goodnight, Sergeant Major -- Four An Accidental Hero -- Five Cunning Linguists -- Six Hattie and Other Players -- Seven You are Offal, But I Like You -- Eight A Mermaid, a Dame and an Ostentation of Peacocks -- Nine The Establishment -- Ten Another Opening Another Show -- Eleven MI Casa ES SU Casa -- Twelve Swimming and Garlic -- Some Savouries -- Plates -- Copyright