THANKS to Elaine Pickersgill of Portland for getting in touch with these pages to tell us about her experience as an extra in Petticoat Pirates.

Elaine, 72, was an extra in the film, which starred Charlies Drake, and was filmed in Weymouth.

In 1960 Elaine was working as a tracer in the drawing office of the admiralty on Portland.

She said: "There was an advert in the paper for extras and we were invited to go to a hotel where they asked us a few questions and I got the part.

"I ended up taking a week off to go on board a ship and have a part as an extra."

Elaine played a Wren in the movie.

She said: "We were on board in a frigate, I had to wear a bathing costume and then in another bit I was in a close-up chopping meat.

"I remember seeing Charlie Drake and the other star Anne Heywood. I didn't really take to Charlie Drake but I remember thinking Anne was very glamorous.

"Some of the people in the drawing office where I worked came down to see what we were doing."

Elaine, who is a teaching assistant at St Mary's School in Charminster, has a copy of Petticoat Pirates on DVD.

She said: "I don't really think much of it as a film, but I would be very interested to hear whether there are any other extras around.

"I think there was about 20 of us in total."

n Returning to film buff Mike Lee's encyclopedic knowledge of movies, we must touch upon more of the many films shot in Weymouth and Portland that we haven't mentioned yet.

The film Ring of Spies revolved around the Portland Spy Ring case in 1961.

For those who don't know, the Portland Spy Ring was named after the naval base from where Harry Houghton and Ethel Gee conveyed secret information to the Russians. The Ring was active from the late 1950s to 1961 and passed secrets to the Russians during the Cold War.

Harry Houghton, a clerk at Portland and his girlfriend Ethel Gee were involved. They were sent to prison for 15 years.

It starred Bernard Lee as Harry Houghton and there is information of the story at the Elm Tree pub in Chickerell where Houghton and Gee entertained friends and was finally followed after spending more than he earned at the pub and on a property in Meadowview Road, Upwey.

Three members of the Dorset Postcard Club have memories of the film.

Jeff Mowlem was a postman at the time and recalls that all post for Harry Houghton, who was living in Meadowview Road, had to be intercepted and returned to the postmaster before it was delivered.

He said: "At that time we had no idea of what was going on until the story broke."

Andy Hutchings, who was employed at the AUWE, Portland, remembers that when British Lion, the film company, was coming to do exterior shots of the premises there was a directive from the management that no employees were allowed to speak to the crew under the Official Secrets Act.

Another club member John Willows was a paperboy in Ruislip and delivered papers to the house next door to the Russian Agents the Krogers while surveillance was taking place from a house opposite.

John said: "It is quite probable that I was watched too."

*Contact Looking Back if you were an extra in Petticoat Pirates.

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