OATLANDS PARK

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 137, 12 June 1941, Page 6

OATLANDS PARK

Friend Fleming is correct about that notice board on the cedar of Lebanon in Oatlands Park—it meas. ured 11 Jin by 7 7-8 and had a broken frame. Then there was the grotto where Asquith and myself went over the details of the GalHpoli camnakn together. Mr. Fleming will bearnw out when I say that Asquith often used to drop round to Oatlands and consult "MacClure and Co." about the war in France. I rememb— one day early in July as we sat yarning in the "silk-worm" room of James I. Sir Douglas Haig interrupted us. He was arranging for a battle at Passchendale at the time and wanted our advice. Unfortunately, most of the mob were playing two-up down m the old palace meadow—Mr. Fleming will remember—where Charles Laughton married Anne of Cleves after his divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Poor old "Dug" (as we used to call him) was all steamed up over something or other, so to cool him down we ran him over to Magna Carta Island, and. sitting on the actual stone on which King John signed the famous charter, we fir=t let him talk his head off and then showed him just what we would do —if we were him. Yes, they were great days. Oatlands was the birthplace of Charle"s I.'s youngest son. Prince Henry, and Charles' favourite residence. There was one thing about "MacClure and Co.'s" strategy—it did shorten the war. If we hadn't been firm with "Dug" heaven knows what would have happened—even Asquith had very vague ideas about how to run it. MacCLURE.