The Tiller Girls
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The Tiller Girls
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Ex-Tiller Girls We are often contacted by Ex- Tiller girls some keep in touch regularly should you be an ex dancer or the family of a dancer please email with any information or photos you may have. Lily Smart Irene Starr Eileen Lindsay Constance Coury ---------------------------------------------------------- Lily Smart. We think Lily is the oldest living Tiller Girl. We recently had an email form a lady by the name of Joan Johannes, she has told us about the lovely Lily who's photos you see on this page. Lily started dancing with the Tiller Girls around 1911 she is still a spry lady and lives in her own house taking care of herself, she even plays bingo a couple of times a week, she is wonderful and has so many stories of her days as a dancer, she danced at the Follies in Paris and still remembers the address that the girls stayed at, Lily originally from England now lives in California. Lilly celebrated her 105th birthday in April 2009 and is possibly the oldest Tiller Girl surviving today. At 18, an Lily left her home in Manchester, England. She boarded a ship called Zeeland with the Tiller Girls on Aug. 6, 1922. She performed with the Tiller Girls in shows on Broadway and stayed on in America. She later joined the then new Rockettes training them in the Tiller Routines.
Lily stayed in New York for 19 years, she met trumpet player and first husband Frank Witriol. The pair eventually moved to California when it became difficult for to find work in New York. Frank died in 1946 and five years later Lily married again to Mr Christian Morrill and moved to Arcadia working at the Santa Anita Race Track. Lily has out lived two husbands and continues to live in Arcadia, she is still full of life and enjoys a glass of wine. We are hoping that Joan will be sending us some more information and photo's of Lily during her dancing years. Updated information on Lily April 2008 Hello Bernard, I know that it has been a long time since we had contact but thought that I would let you know that I had a phone call from Lily [nee Smart] today, she was absolutely thrilled that an old friends daughter found her on your site and somehow contacted her, "Lily was 104 last 30th March" and is still doing well. I am going to see her next week and I think I will ask her if I can have a photo of her from her Tiller days, I will send you a copy and maybe you can post a then picture of her as well, I still think that she is probably the oldest Tiller girl still living, she still lives in her own place and is out and about just about every day but she has given up playing bingo, her eyes aren't as good as they were but she still goes on bus trips to the casinos, truly a remarkable lady. Sincerely Joan Johannes. Updated information on Lily March 2009 Hi Bernard, Joan Johannes.
Lily with Joan's grandaughter Jessica Update on Lily 05/03/2010 Hi Bernard, I took this picture of Lily and my daughter Rachel at Thanksgiving, as you can see, she was in fine fettle, she loves a glass, or two, of wine!
Unfortunately she is in hospital at the moment and going to have surgery this morning. She tripped when she got out of bed and broke her hip, they are going to put a pin in it and she will be off her feet for a while, she wont be up to visitors tomorrow so I will go see her on Sunday, they are keeping a very close eye on her because of her age and when I called to check on her a couple of hours ago they told me that she was sleeping peacefully, her 106th birthday is on March 30th, I had just started planning what we were going to do this year, probably have to be something quieter as she wont be walking and I don't think that she will be able to manage crutches and she will probably be in a chair. I will keep you posted, she is very much in my prayers at this time. Joan. We all wish Lily the best and a speedy recovery.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Irene Starr Irene Starr 1950,s Tiller Girl
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Eileen Lindsay
Emma who's mother was a Tiller girl through the 1960's to early 1970's has emailed with some photos and a little about her mother. Her mother Eileen is trying to locate some old friends that she used to dance with you can find this on the contacts page. While talking I realised that I should have something about Eileen on this page. I will just paste in Emma's own words. I have my Mum’s letters from Miss Barbara from when she was 15, saying that if she could grow a little taller she would be invited to dance with Tillers, and fortunately she did grow over the next few months, and was with Tiller Girls from 1962 to 1974. She left when I was a baby, she did take me with her for a season or two, and used to leave me with the wardrobe mistress while she was on stage. Would that make me one of few Tiller babies ha ha? I enclose another picture of her from her dancing days.
She taught keep fit for a while after dancing while I was growing up, and now works for Royal Mail. She will be 60 next May, and I am very proud of her. I love to hear all the stories of life with the Tillers, and think you should do an area of your website for children and relatives of these great ladies! (Might be an Idea Emma!) Not sure if my mum would approve of me putting a picture of her doing the Can Can when I was a boy though! I may do it just for fun! ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Constance Coury Reproduced by kind permission The Telegraph 14/10/05
Constance
Coury, Obituary Constance Coury, who has died aged 106, travelled the world as one of the early Tiller Girls in the aftermath of the First World War; having established a wealthy lifestyle in Egypt, she was later forced to return to England almost penniless because of the revolution. One of five sisters and four brothers, she was born Constance Ada Pearce at Barkingside, east London, on January 27 1899. Her father, Edward, was a railway worker, and she displayed an early passion for dancing while playing in the family's garden with children from the neighbouring Barnardo's home. As a child she suffered two tragedies in quick succession: her mother, Ada, fell ill and died shortly before the outbreak of the First World War, and only a few months later her youngest brother, eight-year-old George, was run down by a bus. Later that year Constance and her eldest sister, Betty, went to the London Palladium to meet John Tiller, the impresario whose well-drilled all-girl dancing troupe was becoming a sensation. The two girls did not have an appointment, and Constance was just 5 ft 2 in tall. However, their persistence paid off; both were recruited to study at the Tiller School of dancing, and began performing all over the country. Constance's first foreign trip came in March 1919, when she was sent to entertain American soldiers in Paris. It spelled the end of Betty's dancing days, as she fell in love with and married one of the GIs. Another sister, Helen, signed up in Betty's place, and she and Constance joined a Tiller tour which took them to France, Greece, Italy, Turkey and Egypt. When they reached Alexandria in October 1920, both sisters contrived to meet their future husbands, and settled down in the Egyptian city. Constance married Michael Coury, who was half-Lebanese and half-French, and ran a successful business buying, selling and classifying cotton. International trade was booming in the post-war period, and the couple enjoyed an affluent lifestyle. The Second World War, however, was to have a detrimental effect on their fortunes. Constance was separated from her sons for seven years from 1938, and Michael's business collapsed soon after peace was declared, as customers defaulted on massive debts built up during the conflict. He managed to find a well-paid job with another cotton merchant, but in November 1954 Nasser assumed power, having overthrown King Farouk, and almost immediately severed Britain's 72-year association with Egypt, confiscating foreign-owned property and nationalising banks and industries. Constance's sister Helen and her husband Harold fled the country in 1956, when Nasser seized back ownership of the Suez Canal, prompting an abortive invasion by the French and British. By this time Michael Coury was suffering from serious heart problems. He lost the use of his legs and, nursed by Constance, remained in Alexandria until his death in 1968. Aged nearly 70, and with little left to keep her in Egypt, Constance resolved to return to Britain, where her four children were living. It was still prohibited for foreigners to take property out of the country, so all the Courys' possessions were auctioned off at a fraction of their value. Constance arrived home with virtually nothing. Over the following decade, however, Constance found a way of gaining access to some of her previous wealth: on visits to Egypt she would go to her bank vault and swap expensive diamond rings for cheap fakes, before smuggling the genuine articles back in her luggage. She retained from her days in Egypt a passion for haggling, and delighted in embarrassing relatives and friends by attempting to strike deals in stores such as Marks & Spencer and John Lewis. As her longevity became evident, she developed a disregard for healthy eating, insisting on large helpings of full-fat cream, often unaccompanied by any pudding. On her 100th birthday, Tony Blair sent her a bottle of whisky; as she drank only sherry, she gave it away. Constance Coury is survived by her four children, 10 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren, and one great-great granddaughter. John Buchanan, Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2005.
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Lily
aged 7 in Sinbad the Sailor
Lily
in the 1920's New York. 
