 She deputised on occasion as Dame Carruthers in "Yeomen" and the Duchess of Plaza-Toro in "The Gondoliers".In 1951, on Halman's departure from the company, Drummond-Grant became principal contralto, appearing over the next seven and a half years as Little Buttercup in "Pinafore", Ruth in "The Pirates of Penzance", Lady Jane in "Patience", the Queen of the Fairies in "Iolanthe", Lady Blanche in "Princess Ida" (starting in 1955), Katisha in "The Mikado", Dame Hannah in "Ruddigore", Dame Carruthers and the Duchess.Drummond-Grant was less extrovert than some of her predecessors, and, as a young newcomer to the company, Kenneth Sandford was daunted by her "dowager austerity".