usually melodic, following a binary verse, verse chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing the backing. The vocals were distinctive because, while Flanagan was at least a competent singer and sang the melody lines, Allen used an almost spoken delivery to provide the harmonies. Allen semi-retired in 1945 and Flanagan increasingly became a solo performer, although the two of them still appeared together on occasion, including for the 1957 TV series Together Again. In 1959, Flanagan was awarded the OBE, and received the award from the Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace. By the 1960s, and with his career on the wane, Flanagan used his wealth to invest in betting shops. Flanagan was a member of the entertainment charitable fraternity, the Grand Order of Water Rats. Flanagan's last recording was Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner's theme for the British sitcom Dad's Army, "Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?", recorded by Pye shortly before his death in 1968, and for which he was paid 100 guineas (£105). The song was an affectionate pastiche of the sort of songs Flanagan had sung during the war. In tribute, Flanagan's fellow comedian Charlie Chester said, "No artist born was more loved by his brothers. No man gave more in human happiness". Flanagan was cremated at the Golders Green Crematorium. Personal life He met his wife Anne (known as "Curly"), daughter of Irish comedian Johnny Quinn ("The Singing Clown"), who was a dancer in "Mrs. Stacey's Young Ladies". They married in 1925 and in 1926 their son Buddy was born. Buddy died of leukaemia in Los Angeles on 29 February 1956. After his death, the estate of Bud Flanagan started a charity to promote cancer research. A primary aim of the Bud Flanagan Leukaemia Fund is to support the Leukaemia/Myeloma Unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton, Surrey. References Sources Flanagan, Bud (1961) My Crazy Life (Autobiography), F Muller, London External links The Crazy Gang: tribute site East London Forum: Bud Flanagan 1896 births 1968 deaths British Army personnel of World War I Officers of the Order of the British Empire British entertainers British people of Polish-Jewish descent English Jews Musicians from London Music hall performers Pye Records artists People from Whitechapel Golders Green Crematorium 20th-century English comedians British male comedy actors Royal Field Artillery soldiers Military personnel from London