Pagė... 4
THE CHINA MAIL, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1957.
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SUDDENLY my evening's fun was shattered. I saw a palace servant pushing his way through the daricers on the crowded night-club floor.
be?
I know something was wrong. But what could it
All eyes turned on me na the breathless man from the palace dashed to my table. His whispered words sounded like a shout in my ears.
THE
"MR CHURCHILL WANTS HIS SOUP. WHOLE PALACE IS IN A PANIC. COME QUICKLY."
th
The words hit me ke slodge-hammer--I had forgotten to make arrangements about the bowl of turtle soup.
Mr Church!!! always in. sisted that come hell or high water, he must have turtle Roup (REAL fuelle, of course) every night in bed.
And as his valet, it was my job to surve it to him.
But that night in Copenhagen I had seen him off to the State banquet being given in his honour, and I had slipped off to the night clubs around the Tivoll.
OVER
VER, my delicious iced beer, and in the happy, hazy al- mosphere, had FORGOTTEN all about the soup.
In the meantime, my Guy'nor had returned to his sullo in the Danish Royal Palace, climbed into bed and IVAN W-A-I-T-I-N-Gat the Lap of his voice.
I leapt to my feet in the night club. I ran to the door with the paluce servant pounding along behind me.
The started eyes of the night clubbers watched us as we jumped into a waiting limou-
BY THIS VALET
Netraut Me ferrean.
and
was wearing the insignia and orders of ... THE KING.
the King of Denmark quite well Later I got to know the athle
But I never discussed the soup,
I thought. It was belter to let
sleeping dogs llc.
In spite of the free and easy attitude, all his palace servants had to wear their smart un!- forms.
The King's valet looked to a rear-admiral in his magnificent outfit.
During the trip-it Was December, 1951, û year after our Copenhagen visit-ho nrranged of V.I.P.. a New Year party for his group
I
He made a point of asking me to attend-but, forgetfully, went off to a private party with some of the ship's officers.
We were having a wonderful time—until the ship's loudspeak- erg blared out:—
This historic pletura shows the Churchills bathing at Vonico, where Orson Welles soomed to study Churchill for a film part.
room
Guvnor's little bowl of soup tray.
carrying his on a silver
I mentioned it to Mr Churchill for I never had a uniform. His only comment was:-
"Never mind, Numaan. After this visit you'll probably get a
I ran up meaning to match the tray and serve the soup medal." myself. Bat an attendant slapped me and whispered: "That was the King."
I was finbbergasted
There was King Frederik of Denmark-whose face never even seen-standing in for
me.
"Will Norman McCowan report to My Churchill's, sulte immediately."
CURSED under my breath, tore off my paper hat and gulped down my drink,
What COULD the
whether we IT didn't matter
by boat, I had were travelling
plane or train-Mr Churchill want? always wanted his home com- forts,
What could I do? What could I say?
THE kitchen staff told me that the King had heard the commotion and decided to serve the soup himself.
I dreaded what would happen in the morning.
1 experied an almighty rocket but next day Mr Churchill didn't say a word. 2
He just gave me a twinkling
look.
It told me he was completely satisfied with the palace ser- vice, so I got on with my work with a lighter heart.
I was pressing a pair of Mr Churchill's pants when a man walked into the ante-room.
I thought he was another at- tendant-most of them spoke good English.
had my sleeves rolled up and he could see my tattoos.
He greeted Mr Churchill and the welcoming ceremony had started,
THEN the Guvnor did 1. Ho said:
called the Admiral over and
"I want you to meet my man Norman."
We shook hands formally, Then with that same twinkdo
in his eyes. Churchill added:--
"Norman's the min who
won the U-boat war." The Admiral opened his mouth and gulped.
He wasn't to know that this was the sequel to a great private joke between me and Mr Churchill.
It arose when I criticised an American map of U-boat suc- cesses which hung in his bed- room.
One morning as he was dress- ing. I told him:-
"Those American clans are a loud of bull."
He never allowed me to for- get that 1, a valet, had spoken so confidently on n subject 1 knew nothing about,
So by leg-pulling the Admir- al he was really teasing me.
BUT ET'S GET BACK TO THAT, NEW YORK VISIT 'IN THE QUEEN MARY,
Our sing was short. Within a matter of hours were flying to Washington President Truman's plane.
we In
But despite the seriousness of the visit at that time British stock in America was low and Mr Churchill's job was to restore
the never lost his senso
humour.
And he never minded Guv'nor was the butt of his jokes.
As I hurried along the gally 1 "M" deck I saw a crowd mull-
I remember A wonderful ing around his door. example of this when we wezu on our way to America, Mr Churchill was meeting Presi- dent Truman for top level talks.
I thought Me Churchill had been hurt.
from
The first night oul Southampton he almost had the Queen Mitty turned upside down. He ring for me in the middle of the night
But as I reached the door I saw they were. Mr Churchill's party of VI.P.S.
In uniform or evening dress, they had formed themselves into a long ino-fust like a bas queue.
·Field-Marshal' Str William “Murman” he suld, "I can't Slim was there, along with Lord sleep. There is a squeak behind Moran and Sir Rhoderick Mc-
Grigor. that panel."
I listened carefully. It was And they were ALL glaring only the normal creaking you at me. get in any ship.
I soon found out why.
I tried to explain, but Mr One of Mr Churchill's secre- Churchill cut me chort,
tories hurried forward ond "Get it fixed," he said crossly,, grabbed my arm. while I wait in my sitting room,"
I felt a complete fool when I woke up the ship's engineers and carpenters,
We all trooped down to the
Then in a loud voice he said: "Thank goodness you have arrived at last. Mr Churchill has refused to start his party until he has wished you a Hoppy New Year."
I went into the stateroom.
shook my hand.
al
who
KING FREDERIK
I watched Sir Oliver Franks, the British Ambassador, blush beetrool red in the Washing- Lon Embassy one night.
I happened over the 1. I was taking the Guvnor down to dinner in the litt, which al- ways stopped below the level of the floor.
I tried to put it right by pressing the emergency stop button."
But I pressed it too early and we got stuck between Boors,
The next night," as we stepped into the_lil_with Sir Qilver, Mr Churchill knacked
myHaridus- away from the controls.
- drive the bloody thing tonight," he grunted.
OF DENMARK PROUDLY
SHOWED
HIS TATTOOS
"It's very dangerous. I was knocked down here some years
inevitable happened. We go."
Then he went back to, the get stuck again, Sir Oliver took over and by
waiting Duke.
pressing all sorts of buttons, got
us down safely.
Mr Churchill stepped out, puffing hard at his cigar.
Then in front of everyone he
"I was in the Navy, too," guld Guv'nor's cabin to listen for the The Guy'nor was alone, He turned to Sir Oliver and said: V beloved Guvnor showed
Jny visitor.
Sapn we were swapping Navy yarns like old shipmates,
After a bit, he said: "I have rome tattoos, also.
"Would you like to see them?" I nodded.
He stripped off his jacket and rolled up his shirt sleeves,
squeak.
"You've got to stop that creaking," I said. "Mr Churchill can't sleep."
Thiey looked at me in amaze- ment.
the
After a long argument they put some paéking behind panels. But I could still hear the squeak faintly.
he
D
WHEN
What do THERE you are,
you think of those?" sine
began breakneck sald proudly,
ก
poinuing to drive back to the palace.
design of brightly coloured dragons and birds..
"And that's not all, I have a lot more on my chest," he added as he left the room.
I cursed myself all the way. I was out of the car before.it had stopped.
Uniformed footmen flung open the palace doors as we dashed in.
I took the stairs to Mr Churchill's room two at a time.
But I was too late,
I arrived just in time to see a #gure disappearing
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Into the
A few hours later I saw my Lattooed friend again. He was beside Mr Churchill, and he
HEN Mr Churchill came back he listened for a while and then said: "Well done, Nor- man, it's gone."
-
Who was I to argue?
During my four years as Mr Church's valet I saw many times his boyish delight at pricking any person ment he thought pompous
"Happy New Year, Norman." swear he said I could almost that he winked.
my
the same concern for "That's an expensive lift if welfare on the holiday trips we It needs an Ambassader to had together. drive It,"
Ventes his arst question- After Washington we went on was always: "Have you been for And then the rent reception to Ottawa and then back to New a swim yell"
York where Me Churchill had a commenced!
If I said, "No," he would tell few days' holiday.
me: "Well trot off now and have And so did 1, Öne night when one. I'll look after myself.”: my Guy'nor was dining with About this time there was
TH
TERE was another occasion when Mr Churchill's flicker- ing eyelid gave me the same im- pression of a wink,
It happened when he went to Portsmouth to receive the Free dom of the City.
1
his great friend, the Duke of strong rumour that a flim com Windsor, I decided to slip out of pany was planning a film about the hotel.
the Guy'nor.
1
As I reached the door secretary stopped me. "M Churchill wants to see you bo-
fore you go out," she said.
He got quits a kick out of the tica. Especially when Orson Welles seemed to be fol-: towing him around. They used
spend
A few moments Inter Mr
to bow to ench Churchill left the Duke at the other in the hotel and then. And I bet nothing like it has dining table and came out to Orson Welles used to ever happened at any other me Freedom ceremony,
I thought he had something mannerisms from behind important to tell me.
nowspaper or magazine,
Admiral Sir Arthur Power, Portsmoutn's C-in-C., stepped or me forward amid a blare of trun-
pets.
"Norman," he said, gravely, "I wanted to tell you to be careful in this New York traffic.
**Bad, there's a man from the Council for
Welfare at the front dser.
hours watching Mr Churchill's
The Guy'nor also used to baw bo- to a man the local police lieved was an assassin.
He was always quito calm in the face of any physical danger, The most outstanding example I saw of his courage was whên: we were staying at a holiday hotel in Maderia in 1950.
Mr Churchill got a inte tight telephone call which told him the date of the General Election. Ho Inslated on flying back to England next day to be in the thlek of the preliminary battles, But next morning there was half a gale blowing and the akipper of the flying boat that was to take us home came to Mir: Churchill's room,
"It's too rough to take of,” he said with finality Mr. Chur- chill walked to the window over looking the bay. He looked out for moment. Then he turned and said:--
"It's not too rough, Norman, got packed at once.”
Mr: Churchill was completely [unconcerned. ...
L have an
ATER,
to
ho even decided
airborne bath' In in the special canvas bath | wa (always carried around,
To apisshed Away quite happlly as the plane bounced around in the sky,
He always told mo" he could thick best in his bath,bugat
Maybe that is why baths (played such a big part la, my
ervice with Mr Churchill
I WILL TELL YOU MORE ABOUT THEM TOMORROW. HAND, E REVEALS THE. †SECRETS ABOUT BEDTIME FAND BREAKFAST.