Mary Sansom

[1] As a young singer Sansom won awards at the Bristol Eisteddfod and joined the local amateur operatic society, quickly graduating to leading soprano roles.

[1] She began her career with the company singing in the chorus and the small parts of Celia in Iolanthe, Zorah in Ruddigore and Fiametta in The Gondoliers.

They performed together in principal roles on only one occasion, when John Reed was unwell and Barratt played the Learned Judge in Trial by Jury with Sansom as the Plaintiff.

[1] In August 1959 Sansom was promoted to regular principal soprano in the roles of Yum-Yum in The Mikado, Phyllis in Iolanthe, Rose Maybud in Ruddigore and Lady Ella in Patience.

[4] In September 1961 she handed over the role of Yum-Yum to Jennifer Toye and in November of that year took on Lady Psyche in Princess Ida and Elsie Maynard in The Yeomen of the Guard.

This led to the establishment by Sansom and her husband of Barretts of Bath, a firm providing costumes for hire to amateur operatic societies.