Editing Kenneth Williams (section)

==Early life and education==
Kenneth Charles Williams was born on 22 February 1926 in Bingfield Street, [[King's Cross, London]].<ref>GRO Register of Births: March 1926 1b 408 Islington – Kenneth C. Williams</ref> His parents were Charles George Williams, who managed a hairdresser's in the Kings Cross area, and Louisa Alexandra (''née'' Morgan), who worked in the salon. Charles was a Methodist who had "a hatred of loose morals and effeminacy", according to [[Barry Took]], Williams's biographer. Charles thought the theatre immoral and effeminate, although his son aspired to be involved in the profession from an early age.<ref>{{cite ODNB|title=Williams, Kenneth Charles (1926–1988)|year=2009|doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/39951}}</ref> Between 1935 and 1956, Williams lived with his parents in a flat above his father's barber shop at 57 [[Marchmont Street]], [[Bloomsbury]]. Williams had a half-sister, Alice Patricia "Pat", born to his mother in 1923 before she had met Charles and three years before Kenneth was born.<ref name=bbc_plaque/>

He was educated at The Lyulph Stanley Boys' Central Council School,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries - Kenneth Williams|website=BritishComedy.org.uk|date=April 1988|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303230237/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=3 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5239183|title=The Lyulph Stanley Boys' Central Council School|publisher=The National Archives|access-date=9 June 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612145545/http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C5239183|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> a state-owned Central school,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/view-item?i=108986&WINID=1528538097620|title=Lyulph Stanley School, Camden Street: corner of Camden Street and Plender Street|website=Collage – The London Picture Archive|publisher=[[City of London Corporation]]|access-date=16 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612142328/https://collage.cityoflondon.gov.uk/view-item?i=108986&WINID=1528538097620|archive-date=12 June 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> in [[Camden Town]], North London, and subsequently became apprenticed as a [[drawing|draughtsman]] to a mapmaker. His apprenticeship was interrupted by [[the Blitz]], and he was evacuated to the home of a bachelor veterinary surgeon in [[Bicester]]. It provided his first experience of an educated, middle-class life. He returned to London with a new, [[vowel]]-elongated accent.<ref>Kenneth Williams: Reputations, BBC TV</ref> In 1944, aged 18, he was called up to the [[British Army]]. He became a [[sapper]] in the [[Royal Engineers]] Survey Section, doing much the same work that he did as a civilian. When the war ended he was in [[Ceylon]] and he opted to transfer to the [[Combined Services Entertainment Unit]], which put on revue shows. While in that unit he met [[Stanley Baxter]], [[Peter Vaughan]], [[Peter Nichols (playwright)|Peter Nichols]] and [[John Schlesinger]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|title=Obituaries|publisher=Britishcomedy.org.uk|access-date=20 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923194643/http://www.britishcomedy.org.uk/kwas/obit.html|archive-date=23 September 2015|url-status=dead }}</ref>

Both of Williams' parents were born in London, but with a [[Welsh people|Welsh]] heritage extending for several generations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Endacott |first=Adam |title=The Kenneth Williams Scrapbook |publisher=Fantom Films Limited |year=2022 |isbn= 978-1781963784 |page=xii}}</ref> Williams sometimes described himself as Welsh, noting his parents' surnames and origins in his diaries and in interviews.{{r|Williams 1995|p=108}}:<ref>{{cite web |author1=Thames TV |title=Kenneth Williams interview Good Afternoon 1974 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyA7lg4lHA0 |via=YouTube |access-date=25 February 2023 |date=14 March 1974}}</ref> In 1968, during the filming of ''[[Carry On Up the Khyber]]'' in [[Snowdonia National Park]], Williams stated that "I always like being back in Wales. I always feel a ''[[hiraeth]]'', it always comes back to you, once you step back into the place where you have atavistic memories."<ref name="auto">{{Cite web |date=22 February 2023 |title=Watch: Carry On Star Kenneth Williams speaking Welsh on TV show |url=https://nation.cymru/culture/watch-carry-on-star-kenneth-williams-speaking-welsh-on-tv-show-2/ |access-date=22 February 2023 |website=Nation.Cymru }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Archif ITV Cymru Wales LlGC ITV Cymru Wales Archive NLW |title=Filming Carry On Up The Khyber, Snowdonia, 1968 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGshDSgVF-4 |access-date=25 February 2023 |via=YouTube|date=20 November 2014 }}</ref> A year later, Williams would describe a debate in Ireland when he was told he had some nerve showing his "English face in Dublin". Williams dramatically responded with a "very slow take and riposted 'Wanna get your facts right, dear, I'm Welsh'" before rising to his feet and reciting [[The Bard (poem)|''The Bard. A Pindaric Ode'']] by [[Thomas Gray]]. Williams noted that this performance was cut short by applause, for which he was grateful as he did not know any more of the poem.<ref name="Williams 1995">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Kenneth |title=The Kenneth Williams Letters |date=1995 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=London |isbn=978-0-00-638092-4 |pages=107–108 |url=https://archive.org/details/kennethwilliamsl0000will/page/108/mode/1up?view=theater |access-date=25 February 2023}}</ref> Two years before his death, Williams guest hosted the ''[[Wogan]]'' chatshow; drawing the audience's attention to a display of red roses, Williams commented, "It's [[St George's Day]] today and the rose is the symbol of St George, the patron saint of England. I wouldn't know anything about it. I'm not English, I'm Welsh." before proclaiming "Mymryn bach o Gymru, Cymru fydd, Cymru sydd – Cymru am byth!" (''A little bit of Wales, Wales will be, Wales is – Wales forever!'')<ref name="auto"/><ref>{{cite book |last=Stevens|first=Christopher|title=Born Brilliant: The Life of Kenneth Williams |date=2011|publisher=John Murray |location=London |isbn=978-1-84854-195-5|pages=7–9| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=3Qf8vhBh4JsC}}</ref>