1957-12-18 — Page 4

A

very merry Christmas from the world's

largest producer

of. officially certified chronometers

"THE ROLEX CROWN

SYMBOL OF TRUST"

ROLEX

A fandmark in the history of Time measurement

Roundtheci

DAIRY

BOX

THE CHINA MAIL, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18; - 1957

Here, resplendent in his uniform as

T

Warden of the Cinque Ports...

HE knee-length dressing gown lay crumpled on the corridor floor. I watched Mr

CHURCHILL by HIS VALET

BUT YOU

SHOULD SEE HIM IN

A TOWEL

size bath towel

was really

He couldn't eat his breakfast

unless the position.

sponges

were in

Churchill as he strode two sewn together-draped from the desk-sized bed table towards the bathroom loosely over his shoulders. WEARING ONLY HIS CIGAR.

He removed his cigar to Bay a cheerful "Good Morn- ing" to the Swiss maid vacuum-cleaning the floor.

She glanced up and re- plied. There was no 28- tonishment on her face 18 the Guvnor in a state of complete readiness to step Into his bath-walked by. To her the scene was a mat- ter of no concern.

But it made MY eyes pop out of my head the first time i saw it happen

Chartwell, Mr Churchill's lovely homo in Kent.

at

informality 1 got used to during my four years as Me Churchill's valet.

On the one occasion when I went sick I lay in bed in a room adjoining Mr Churchill's and could hear and sometimes see him

When he got up he was told that I was not well.

A few minutes later I heard the bathroom door slam und

As he padded barefoot back to his bedroom I wondered how he would get on without me.

I always towelled him down and banded him his clothes. Next dry, when I did the tow welling, Mr Churchill made it clear to me that he was glad I

was back.

The rest hnd done me the world of good,

I needed it after valeting my beloved Guy'nor sometimes be- ginning at 8 am. and signing off at 4 a.m. the following day.

Working such odd hours for Mr Churchili left me feeling like n bullighter who bad fought three fights in a row. His life between bath and bed And he loved was all bustle. all three. Let me give you tome idea of a typical Churchill day.

8.30 A.M-I would creep into his room, shake him gently,

Then I would stand back and wait. I knew his food from titat moment.

If I got a GRUNT it was go-

wondered how Mr Churchilling to be one of the BAD days

would cope without his valet,

I know he always shaved bin- self with a safety razor betere wallowing in a bath filled to the brim with water,

If he said "GOOD MORNING, NORMAN," it was going to be GOOD day.

As he sipped his orange julee From my bedroom I could (it had to be the bottled kind hear the splashing as he sponged, because he couldn't stand fresh himesif with the outsize sponge tranges) I would draw back the

'curtains. he always used.

I

LISTENED for the signal which always told me Mr Churchill's balh Wils almost over,

'I didn't have to wait long before I beard a noise like a whale "blowing,"

Mr. Churchill had his mouth under the water and was blow- ing bubbles. He seemed to like

I always prayed for fine weather,

He would go to the window in his dressing-gown and if it was raining

He told me it made his elbowa SOTC,

Breakfast was always a prob- lem. He had his fads,

He always insisted on a pol of tea and an outsized cup for the only cup of tea he had during the day.

Then he always wanted some- thing hot and something cold.

For instance, If he had becen and eggs he demanded cold lam as well,

0.80 AM.I would order his first weak whisky and soda before he started dictating to his secretarias.

And for the rest of the day the glass was never empty.

But he drank very slowly, probably less than one glass every two houry.

I had to keep popping into his bedroom when he was dictat- ing because he had a habit of throwing his lighted cigars into the waste paper basket.

He caused

fires several when I didn't pop in often enough. I put them out with a soda syphon

USED to feel sorry for the

Norman McGowan

Churchill emerged from his both at home looking very much ́os ha looke here at Venice after

a swim. Valet Norman Me-- Gowan is in the top left corner of this intimată picture.

-WORLD COPYRIGHT—-----

then I realised what he was he would go to bed unt!l six

o'clock. doing.

THIS

WHERE

HE

Mr Churchill studied this about five notice quictly for minutes as he tied his bow, and It didn't matter where he was, then called me over and asked:

OF he demanded that a bed should "Normen, do I look pregnant?”

WAS THOUGHT OUT SOME HIS IMPORTANT SPEECHES. be found.

Once when he was muttering I went in and asked him if he wanted me.

"I wasn't talking to you, Norman," he said, "I was VEN on his election tour Addressing the House of Com-train there had to be a bed

-a big one.

mong

He thought nothing of calling ong of the steretaries to the bathroom door if he thought up

secretaries. There were eight a particular point he wanted to of them and they used to take have noted down. dictation in relays In Guvnor's bedroom,

the

Or he would suddenly juinp out of the bath and rush to the Ile was mostly dictating his bedroom telephone to make an

Important call books,

But he wrote hundreds of

or cloudy he letters as well. would curse the weather for about five minutes while remade his bed.

I

to

NOON-I would begin plan my campaign to get Bir Churchill out of bed in time for lunch.

One of my most successful tricks was to nlp smartly to the front door and ring the bell

PEFORE bo returned from furiously. Then I would dash to do it just before he left the the window, I had to place back to Mr Churchill and say: tub,

two pillows on the bed for his "The guests have arrived." The bathroom door opened back. And then 1wo

and out he came with the out- sponges for his elbows,

Be Sure

it's

Jurge

DAIRY BOX

Wonderful

THE CHOCOLATES WITH THE

centres

alls Reluctantly he would miss the secretaries and car: "Norman, run my bath,"

But it wasn't as simple as that. He would fle back and start revising proofs.

1

I wonder how many vital Government decisions have been made with Mr Churchill starding wet und naked at bils bedroom phone?

PM-Time to get the Cuv'nor out of his bath. It

It was necessary to tear the side off the coach to get it in.

It was after one of his after- noon naps that Mr Churchill had his most moment.

Mr Churchill always finished his dinner with his favourite cheese Sillion--and a. giaRS OF good port.

Sometimes he would linger over it until very late..

embarrassing MIDNIGHT.-He would

We had been to Windsor and n room had been provided for Mr Churchill's nap.

when He had just got up Prince Charles was brought into the room to be introduced.

Mr Churchill shook handy gravely and chatted to the yoyos Princo for # Kow minutes before he realised bo was standiar in his SHIRT AND UNDERPANTS.

Red-feed officials ushered Prince Charles from the room.

P.M. Time to wake him from that nop.

Immediately he started dictat ing again from his bed. Some- times he would stay in bed nearly until dinner time.

Thon the panle of getting him up and bathed for the second time began all over again..

After his bath he would put on the blue velvet "siren Bull" overalls he always wore for ilauer

Then he would put on his blue velvet Blippers, embroidered

with his initials.

8.30 P.M.--Down to dinner,

upstairs-but not to sleep.

20

Instead of his bedroom ho would go to his adjoining study, and send for his secretaries.

Then he would start diotal- ing again for two hours or rbore.

The last thing he always did was to brush his hair.

Ile insisted on brushing the tow strands of hair he had straight down over his earI.

That's the only way to keep your hale, Norman," he used ja tell me.

2 TO 4 A. M.--I would put

and creep out. out the light Then he would shout again;

"Norman, you have forgotten my eye blinkers","

He always wanted these black. pads handy so that he could slip them on if the morning light wake him up.

So our eighteen to twenty- hour day came to an end............ unless the Guv'nor remembered his peta,

was almost as difficult as getting Mr Churchill's dinners were at FISH, DOGS, SWANS, PIGS

him out of hod.

Long

after he had finished washing, he would, wallow in the water, luming the tops un an off with his toes..

ways friendly affairs,

Ho Like plain food. Soup, chicken, and then his favourite meat-saddle of beef,

Dilen Mrs Churchill would hainmor on the bathroom door In

An hour later he would still and shout: be in bed.

"Norman. Do something about

I would warm up the bath Mr Churchil. The qucats aro again and again.

No matter how long it took him to get to the bathroom the temperature of the water al- ways had lo be just right,

"I had to test it carefully with my elbow,

Once he fooled me. He dived into the bathroom just after I had Alled it with very hot water, expecting him to dilly dally for half an hour while it cooled.

He stepped in without test- ing I He roared so much that I ran away sud hid until he had calmed down.

A bath to would start out-

wafting."

Geting the Guy'nor dressed was another problem.

4

He had a passion for cream.

fact on occasions he positively rude about it.

was

He would always almost empty the jug himself and look round the table.

"Dons anyone Want cream?" ho would ask pugnaciously.

I think it was his liking for He would put on his silk vest cream that made M's Churchill and underpants and while I was worry so much about his walut-

his trousers ready no line.. guiting would call in a secretary and start work again,

I would have to hover with im he finished his trousers dictating.

[

She wanted him to do,exe- cises to get it down.

Every morning she would ask me: "Norman, has Mr Churchill done his exercices?".

2 P.M.By the time I got Mr

I always had to make some Churchill to the dining-room his guests had usually been waiting excuse, for he didn't like doing anything up to an hour..

He always apologised pro- fusely,

Then he would call me in und "eny: "Norman, Why didn't

wulling?"

8 soon as he got into the you tell me my guests

I nover said 'a' wanl.

toting

exercises,

were ON

For a long time I seed to 4PM-He would insist on And back think ba was talking to me, but his afternoon map.

NE morning she had a notice prepared, and stuck it on his dressing table mirror,

#11 read "Natal' exercises?'- E made li read "Pro-naiara Just for fun,

*I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT HIS - LOVE FOR THESE

AND COWS-AND THE GOAT

THAT GOT MY GOAT-TOMORROW..

POCKET CARTOON by OSBERT LANCASTER

"You lucky Brittin should ́realise this if they weren't. 19' busy on their memme ra They'd probably be doing something -Ins: Woritmlike runninn fur. l'ccident?

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