They mirrored the Pierrot troupes of music halls and seaside resorts, offering soldiers a respite from war, reminding them of home, and providing a neutral outlet to air grievances about "food, conditions, and sergeants".

Its success was due to a combination of factors, not the least of which were the fame of the division itself and the exceptional performances of many troupe members, especially by what historian Larry J Collins described as "the show-stopper": the female impersonator.

[8] While members of the Diamond Troupe were exempt from front line duty, contemporary photographs and published cast lists do suggest some variation in the group’s composition.

His account, along with documentation now housed in public and private collections, reveals a busy schedule performed right across the Western Front—from Boulogne in the west, to Cambrai in the east.

As a result, the revenues from admission fees typically went to charities such as the Division’s Benevolent Fund, which supported the families of soldiers and non-commissioned officers either killed in action or disabled.

At most public performances, such as those held in 1918 in Saint-Omer, audiences had their choice of open or reserved seats, with officers paying double the amount paid by other ranks.

The Royal Court Theatre programme highlighted a number of duets between the female impersonator, "Queenie" (played by William Threlfall), and troupe members Arthur Sykes, Alec Hill, and Jock McKinley.

The program also included a trick cycling act by Larry Nicol; solo musical performances by Scottish comedian Frank Pollard; and several theatrical sketches and monologues by Neville Giordano.

Wrighton’s Sing me an English Song, Philip Braham’s We’ll have a Little Cottage (1917), Weatherly and Wood’s Roses of Picardy (1916), Thomas J. Hewitt’s Alone in Love’s Garden (1912), and Davy Burnaby and Gitz Rice's A Conscientious Objector (1917).

The troupe’s first commanding officer, Major John Graham Gillam, excelled at producing operatic scenes, many of which (such as Faust) Hill and Sykes would routinely play to great acclaim.

Another key contributor to the troupe’s repertoire was officer Lancelot Cayley Shadwell, ASC, (1882–1963) who Gillon described as a “lyrical bard … [able to] supply the light, topical, frivolous comic matter, so dear to the average Briton”.

Shadwell also set to music by Robert James Stannard, the Harlequin and Columbine scene, which Gillon described as “… probably the most finished production of the troupe”.

In desert sands of alien lands Sleep our bravest and our best; There's a Turkish hill where the flowers wave still O'er the graves where our dear lads rest.

And wherever the red war trail's agleam, And the battle thunders waken, There's a tale to be told of a soul of gold Who trod Death's path unshaken.

Two members, however, chose to remain—William Threlfall and Alec Hill—and both were subsequently absorbed into a new troupe comprising fragments of the former concert parties of the 87th, 88th and 89th RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) Field Ambulances.

The Diamond Troupe was typical of many concert parties in that its members, even before the war, had been active in the performing arts as singers, actors, or musicians.

The troupe’s musical director and pianist, Robert J. Stannard, attended Westminster Abbey Choir School and sang at the 1902 coronation of King Edward VII.

He played in gigs as far afield as the Isle of Man and Saarbrücken with groups such as the Estrella Quartette, Sam Lawson’s “Elite” Orchestra, and Jack Briggs and his Band.

Ship manifests show him almost constantly at sea, with stops in Liverpool, Glasgow, Southampton, Boston, New York, Havana, and occasionally the Mediterranean.

In February 1920, the Cambridge Daily News praised his role as Lord Fancourt Babberley in "Charley’s Aunt"; and spoke highly of his recent successes in Stanley Houghton's (1881–1913) "Hindle Wakes" and "The Younger Generation".

During World War II, he, along with Kathleen Ferrier, Ena Mitchel and Albert Bettany formed a quartet that played to hospitals and camps across Scotland, the Midlands and North East.

[24] At Sykes' funeral in 1961, the Dean of Carlisle Cathedral praised him as “… a man who used an outstanding voice to the end of his life for the glory of God and to the service of his fellow men….”[25] Given the Diamond Troupe’s reputation and success, it is all too easy to forget that as a performing unit, they existed for less than two years: from their first show under a “fine canvas theatre” in Proven in August/September 1917 to their last performance as victors in Wermelskirchen, Germany in December 1918.

[27] A newspaper report at the time described the event as a: ... remarkable gathering of distinguished sailors and soldiers… [whose most] inspiring moment came when Mr. Alec Hill sang the song of the 29th Division.

Some 200-300 former servicemen joined the event, which included a parade led by the Band of the Royal Artillery and the laying of wreaths on the Cenotaph, followed later in the day by a reading of the Roll of Honour and a final rendition of “the famous song of the 29th Division”.