During the past week of Remembrance to commemorate all those who bravely fought in battle, I was heartened to see news of a poll the BBC conducted on its web site asking the public which members of the British black community would they most like to see honoured with an English Heritage Blue Plaque and why.

Receiving 22 per cent of the vote, the singing star Adelaide Hall came second in the poll for her efforts in entertaining the public during the Second World War.

Born in New York in 1901, Miss Hall (who was British by marriage) arrived in London in 1938 and subsequently lived in the UK until her death on November 7, 1993. Throughout the war years, as an officer in the entertainment corps, ENSA, she worked tirelessly, performing at practically every theatre and concert hall in the land, entertaining both civilians and members of the armed forces. Sadly, her contribution to the war effort (along with many other members of Britain's black community) is, more often than not, overlooked by historians.

During one famous incident in September 1940, when London received one of its heaviest Luftwaffe raids, Adelaide was starring at Lewisham's Hippodrome when, in the middle of her act, the air-raid siren sounded. Adelaide immediately stopped her performance and walked to the front of the stage to ask the packed audience if anyone would like to leave the theatre. Only a handful of patrons took up her offer, the rest remaining seated.

For the next four hours, with bombs exploding outside the building, Adelaide entertained the audience until the all-clear sounded at 3.45am. The following morning, her piano accompanist, Gerry Moore, commented that his fingers ached so much from playing he could hardly move his hands. Though Adelaide could barely speak, in defiant mood she returned to the Hippodrome stage the following evening to perform her act as scheduled.

Under various bold headlines, accounts of Adelaide's fighting spirit, via the ANP News Agency, flashed across the globe, reaching the front pages of many morning newspapers as far away as New York and Chicago.

Even though Adelaide was one of Britain's most famous and best-loved entertainers during the Forties and Fifties, many historians still choose to forget her contributions to bolstering morale during the Second World War. It's heartening to see her public has not forgotten.

-Peter Wilson, Park Crescent Terrace, Brighton