1958-01-17 — Page 4

THE CHINA MAIL

FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1958.

R

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

ONCE SIR HORACE WILSON FLEW WITH CHAMBERLAIN TO SEE HITLER.

The forgotten man of Munich keeps silent

EGULARLY around 11 o'clock the old man comes out of No, 24 Penrith Road for his little morning constitutional to the Boscombe

shops.

A

The neighbours know him well by sight. slightly stooping figure, often in tweeds, with a pale lined face, a fleshy nose and a shuffling busy step.

Few friends

But there is hardly a neighbour who can tell you the old man's name. He has few friends. He keeps out of the local limelight. When. astonishingly, he did emerge on a public platform last February to take the chair for Mr Nigel Nicolson, East Bournemouth's Tory MP, many of the audience were mystified.

"Who can he be?" they askeıl.

Who is Sir Horace Wils?"

ing

by

#t

It was a merellessly revcal-

question. In its way

At the last cruel word on a fant slic career.

Yet Sir Horace, at 75, ean warm himself with this reflec- tion as he potters through the twilight of his life on a £1,800- a-year pension, diaegarded, obscare and forgotten.

For two years before the war he exerted more intence on Erikh polley than any other elvil servant in this century.

Nobody can take those two tremendou years away him

from

Look back to a late summer

DOUGLAS

CLARK

cere and conscientious-chimed exactly. Together they would the techniques of kuus- apply

10 foreign trial negotiation affairs. They would treat Hitler as a kind of Teutonic Erufe Bevin.

Four trips

day in 1938 to September 16. MUCH was the background to Central Europe was lurching

towards erists. Prompted

Sir Horace's leng into the

Hitler, the Sudeten Germans headlines on September 15, 1938.

by

He slayed

had been clamouring for months

for home rule inside Czecho- crisis ended.

15

slovakin. On September Helein, their leader, anounced that this solution would longer satisfy them,

The

Sudetenland must restored to the Reich.

in them till the

To and fro he went, making no four trips in all; a sober, civi- lised, baffled bureaucrat strug- gling to take a tiger by the tail. bo He had ten with Hitler at Berchtesgaden on the 15th; met him again with Chamberlain at Godesberg on the 23rd; went to see him--alone this ime-in Berlin

on the 26th-27th; and Aruly attended the Munich Con ference on the 29th-30th,

This was the day when Neville Chamberlain flew to Germany for the first of his crisis meet Ings with the Fuchrer. And tho day when the 1me of Sle Horren Wilson blazed suddenly,

the world' unexpectedly, in

berdlines.

For it was revealed that

had gone, too,

W

A 'shadow'

he

result And the

of it all? Chamberlain and Sir Horace certainly saved the peace for a while. But Hitler got the

Sudetenland and the green light rest of Czecho- grab the slovakin. The tiger had refused

to

to behave like the TUC.

There were, there always will be, two opinions about the wisdom of the appeasement himself, policy. Chamberlain,

Y had the Premier taken Sir Horace with him? The British public had scarcely heard of him. About all it knew was that he was

Chief Industrial

Rever was red from the view Adviser to the Government, and that since 1935 he ind been that Munich was worthwhile; "seconded to the Treasury for and Str Hurice got a promotion service

with the Prime Minis out of it. In 1939 he became

Head of the Civil Service.

ter."

What the public did not But that was the and of his realise was that he was one of road. the supreme architects of the appensemon policy. That in

He retired from the posi

in

utter secrecy he had become a 1942. In the 18 years since then,

Secretary.

kind of "shadow" Foreign

deadly and pitiless oblivion has descended on the name of Sir

Is

Today,

Penrith Ford, Boscombe,

Boscombe, Sir Horace Wilson. Horace Ives in a comfortably. ugly suburban-type villa with breezily situated. It leads in to pebbled willa, a modest garden, a cliff top; and Sir Horace need a pair of wrought iron gates. In take only a tiny stroll. trum the eppessemerit

perlod

his

No. 24 to enjoy a fine view of address was more impressive. the rolling English Channel. He worked at No. 10 Downing

Sireet,

Suppose..

how

And itere, in the year before the Czech crisis, he had been constantly nt Chamberlain's S the old man leans on his elbow, seeing him more fre- A atlck and watches the waves, quently than any Cabinet does he ever, I wonder, think of Sup- Tuinister, reading and advising what might have been? him on all important diplomatie poso Hitler had turned out to be papers.

Just another union boss, What advice did he give? Sir different everything might have Horace himself has always been these past 18 years for Sir remalcod silent. He is the only Horace! What an cadices chs- surviving main actor

in the cade of tributes and titles he events of 1938 who stit has could have expected from nothing to say about them. But can anybody doubt the

FC: Do grateful country

As it is, nothing whatever has why Chamberlain placed auch faith in him?

come his way. Not barony. And meanwhile ali biz prodigious labour in the years of appeasement have been com- pletely wiped out by subsequent

The Prime Minister longed for peace, Sir Horace, for 20 years, had been an assiduous and skil

that

even

a man who

ful peacemaker. First as perma events. Dent heat of the Ministry

It is Labour and later as the Govern-

seldom ment's industrit adviser, be had his mado such an impact on a proved he could charm the station's policles leaves as 110m toughest union bosses off a behind to show for it.

strike threat. Time and agala In that single respect this "and - honourable be had mediated successfully in high-minded

ble industrial disputes,

tran

Sir Horace Wilson- stroll avery morning at 11.

SOME RESOLUTIONS THAT HAVE ALREADY FAILED by Cummings

1 will resolve to take a

more optimistic view of ure

SPORED

wit give modern paychology methods a real abance in the home.

1 will get up half an hour

resembles someone elso.

earlier for early morning;

, exercises to preserve my

The minds and temportments. Hitler malf-London Ex- of the two ma--both ahle, sine press'Bervíde,

* will take a philosophilest

attitude towards the time

il takes my wife to dress for an evening function.

MEXIL

WINER

I will pay more aftention

to serious polities. Uneses, the Colombo Plan, good works,

And upliit general

Lo

· 2 with he'kinder with ́jig

, because politicians are after all, buman-anë are doublies doing thate':

A royal night out-with jazz on a juke-box

THERE were a dozen rumours about the part the Duke had played in the junketing. Every- one wanted to know the truth,

THE DARING DUKE OF KENT:

by

Robert Glenton

And in many little ways the matched only by the curiosity

Duke fosters tho aimflarity.

So did Mr George Thomson, Socialist M.P. for tinguished in Dundee East.

#

One that created Bothe talk was when he appeared at wedding looking remarkably dis

Glen Urquhart trousers and morning coat.

The Duke is too young to have Ho went further. He got up in the House of Com- equalled his father's reputation for elegance in dress. Ho has mona and demanded to know what action was taken by had many of lils suits made at the Thames River Police.

He asked: "Is the Under- Secretary aware that this is one of the episodes of hooliganism which is becoming increasingly characteristic of the silly young men and women of London society and that if a working- club class football supporters' hired a steamer and behaved in this way, they would all end up in the cells?"

The cheers from the Opposi- tion benches were loud.

Duke

Rapidly after this the carmed a distinction which out

of the whole Royal Family he

was to share with his Princess Margaret,

An

cousin

was

oficial statement made about their personal lives, In the Duke's it referred to his party-going.

STATEMENT

From Duchess

ataflor's suburdan Uxbridge.

of the other,

And

the Prince, who holds firmly that military service ta life, must an important part of any man's be gratified by the Duke's success in the Army.

'Almost as happy as he will,

be if Prince Charles, at his now schoots cradle at the Navy finds the spark that will take him off to 303.

The Duke's shooting brake (arrowed) after his worst accident. The Impset slewed his vehicla

completely round.... A phone call sent the Duchess of Kent harrying to hospital.

He has been heard 'to criticise the fact that members of our royalty may not go into busi-

ness.

might well For a career he have chosen would have been that of

Otton Palace an announce

the first of June from Ken- gropher.

ment was Issued. It said:→→

От

"It has been stated in certain sections of the Press that the evening of May 24 the Duke of Kent was involved in incidents which are alleged to have occurred on board the motor vessel Royal Princess" and at a private house later on the same evening.

"The private secretary to the Duchess of Kent is authorised to say that although His High ne was prezent for about an hour at the first of these parties and for about two hours at the second party, he was in no way involved in, nor indeed a wi- ness of the actions attributed to hizz.**

The Duke was more blunt. "I wasn't He said afterwards; even darn well there."

professional

photo-

Not one of those recorders of high society with tabulous studios and fees to match. He would like to be a news photo- repber... a candid camera- man.

The

Duke has a handsome collection of cameras and d

dark room at Coppins.

And when he was a schoolboy In Switzerland he entered * photograph__competition spon-

ASTONISHED

At the comment

CO he was astonished at

the

comment. A he had done was to copy the late Duke's fashion as he had seen in an old photograph.

They have been flying. together.

The Prince took the Duke to visht King Haakon of Norway and to the Helsinki Olympic Games.

They have had many hours of the Duke's conversation and

for hig cousin's admiration husband is boundless.

It is hard to conceive that the young when the Duke leaves the dwindling Army, as one day he must that he will do be Edvised on his future by Prince Philip.

And not only is Duke loved by his family."

He is happy in the affection of the rest of the Royal Family.

is aunt the Queen Mother is expecially fond of him. He has been to alay with her at Birkhall in Scotland. At that time she kadn't a guest-room so he slept in a caravan in her garden.

Princess Margaret and the pored British magazine. He Duke ehave so many of the same signed his entry to "Edward tastes that there is bound to be Keni," Unfortunately he was a close bond between them. discovered. NeverthelesI,

The Queen likes his compeny won his £t.

PRINTS

And records

he

at her family gatherings.

TH Kensington Palace. 1 con-

TT

What will that advice be?

PREPARING

For the future

is the belief at Court that the Duke will go out into the Empire. He has heard its Draises sung many

times by Prince Philip. Praise for the for the open

freedom

spaces.

and

Generally A member

of

But it is Prince Philly whọ has the greatest influence on the royally stays on a Service active

Duke.

Jist for eight to 10 years. Then

onerous

The Prince it is who almost he is expected to go on half-pay THE Duke has his own suite at undoubtedly will have a deal to and take up more

Gay in answer to that question pubile duties." BU many people are asking.... of bed-sitting-room, what are we going to do with dresing-room,

bathroom. the Duke?..

's He It is very plain. Dark blug

military the colour theme and prints occupy the walls.

His dislike for the public gaze sigts was never stronger.

And so it has remained.

has gone to earth!

A TASTE

For white wine

Now if he wants to have a dashing evening he follows Princess Margaret's example and goes to an exclusive club, which is celebrated for its discretion. If he wants to relax then he can do so without the whole world knowing.

Not that he has descried alto- gether his happy youthful way

4

and

Here he keeps many

of his to describe Jazz records, and

A PARODY

Of cricket

It la lukely the Duke will serve as AD.C. to

governor- general oversens, especially if his new master is a member of the Royal Family or near to the Throme.

This way he will prepare Elm- seif for becoming 3 governoT= first general himself and so taking

Tommy Steele, that Bermond THESE two young men

he

met at Coppins. The Prince over the task that the war pre-

fair-haired

angular Duke was

А

sey teenage rock 'n' roller, uses one of his favourite express was alons "He is great, great but schoolboy and the

litle more than a baby. great.”

The Duke is also a fan of The Duke Louis Armstrong.

a sharp little cat but not so hep as Princess Diargaret,”. saya Armstrong.

A favourite tune

is "You're

vented his father from fulffling.

Be has been brought up democratically. He has, much

They played a parody of energy. He should do well,

It would be a monstrota cricket together.

shame if events were to con Since then the Duke has been spire to tie him for ever to the much under Prince Philip's froth and frolle of the social wing.

seens and endow him with traditional and inflated muni fa an Army which will soon have more time for scientists than for Princes,

They have much in common

of life. He likes quiet restaurants driving me crazy." He has sung....even their road accidents. In Soho and Knightsbridge and the blues with Rudy Margalls

a little place in Chelsea where

he eats toasted sandwiches late in a Kensington club. And like at night.

Checkered

tablecloths

They have that, deep interest

a number of socially acceptable in the mechanical things of 6c. subalterns before him, the Duke The inquiring mind of one is and has gravitated towards Tommy Kinsmart is Jazz-playing juke boxes charm Kinsman's drum him.

the debutantes favourite band- leader. Many a hand that will He usually drinks a light one day sign "the book"

in

white wine... alcohol has not palace and embassy hus scrawl- all that attraction for him. And ed a signature on the big drum. sometimes just orange juice and soda. He has

laste for

The Duchek refused to let But avocado pears, potato soups, and Princess Alexanden sign. cold meals.

the Duke said. “I can't be hang- ed for doing it anyway," and so made one musical instrument an even more valuable social record.

The Duke la rarely recag- Alsed, lle makes a joke of the

fact that he gets attention only when he is with his sister, The Princess is readily recognised. "And," the Duke boa remarked, "people say: 'I suppose that's her brother with her?"

It is a pleasing aspect of his character that it is almost un- heard of for him to murmur his name to a head waiter of usher.

un

He prefers the queues to the fuss.

A FAMILY Tightly knit

the portrait of a THIS is

young man. A happy one brought up in a home that has known much laughter and Is warmed by deep affection.

ם

The Duke and, his "sister inseparable. Together they take almost a parental interest in Of

20 Courne, as SOOD

ho their brother Prince Michael. cheque Binding them together in happi bis crested produces book then the panle starts. news is the Duchem of Kent. Haughty waiters who had made young Thike wait in favour client of some moru favoured have been distressed

hear ham say to his companiona: "Let's leave here ond And somewhere more peaceful"

!.

to

.

It is a very tightly knit family. Far from forgotten in the hus- band and father-the late Duke,

His photographs are in pro- minent display at Coppine. "His But he does not depart until personal treasures remain undia- turbed. Even the plano 'which ho and the Duchess used to play on many delightful evenings hos

he has totted up his bijl

Never an extravagant spender,

the Duko eta ani example to all, not been 'moved, who think it below their dignity to query a waiter's Arithmetic, m

-He has saved money over the

| years by this precaution,;"

In

hig

speculative moments the, Duke, thinks of ble magney.

Fie might still de in the house, And he is never far from the thoughts of his elder MO who adored him.

The greatest pleasures you can give the Duko is to tell him how moncha be in like his mother,

THE END

Keep your sugar dry!

NEVEN IN THE [DAMPEST, WEATHER

Fine granulated sugar is now

available in

new 5 lb.

plastic bags

TAIKOO SUGAR

REFINED SINCE 1884

а