LONDON LETTER FAMILY OF THE WEEK: THE EDINBURGHS

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26517, 4 September 1951, Page 6

LONDON LETTER FAMILY OF THE WEEK: THE EDINBURGHS

{From

NEVILE WEBBER,

London Corrrrpondent »f “The Prew,”)

London, August 17.-The family of the week has undoubtedly been th Edinburghs. Newspapers, magartnes. and display photographers have been full of their photographs, taken recently in preparation for the forthcoming tour of Canada. Very engagthev are too. The best sod easily the most popular with the public are tae revera? delightful informal groups taken at Clarence HouseOne croup shows the family stand* taetewn while Princess Anne administers a doughty punch on the nose to her grimacing father. In an other shot she is shown setting off at n fast crawl for the flower bed while pa “nts and a -rather disapproving gSK Um. SS* "AXwey are very human photos of a Prince Charles in blue and white romper suit and a bonny Princess Anne looking on from ber pram J should not be surprised if the horse and trap toy Prince Charles is shown driving becomes a top favourite this C Stili mB further formal photographs have been taken in colour by the famous Karsh, of Ottawa, who came to London specially for the purpose; another set ITin honout 52" ce “ Anne’s first birthday. All show a couple of sturdy, bonny children of whom any mother would be justly the Duke scored a tremendous personal success with his speech at the opening of the British Association at Edinburgh. This was the first occasion on which the Duke has been able to show the nation what he can really do. although small groups, like the New Zealand cricket team, have pleasant memories of his lively personality and intelligence. The Duke does not have his speeches written for him: he insists on doing them himself. The result is a freshness, a conviction, an absence of what one esteemed Sunday newspaper called the "Royal platitude.”

Answer to the Berlin Youth Rally Into London this week are streaming hundreds of Boy Scouts who have been attending the seventh World Jamboree at Bad Ischl, Austria. They bring back an inspiring story of friendship, a deep, genuine friendship among the 13,000 scouters who attended from 61 nations. Unlike the Communist youth rally in Berlin, there was no domination here. Everyone was free to go and see and talk to whom they liked, when they liked. Commissioner J. L. Turner, leader of the 38-strong New Zealand contingent who came from furthest away, said: “It was not spectacular—it was essentially simple in character. But it was most impressive, and I an certain the long-term results in promoting international friendship and understanding among these future leaders of the nations. European, American, Australasian, and Asian, will be very jjrcat.” Like many others, he feels deeply that so much publicity should have been given to the Communist display in Berlin when we, the democratic nations, had such an inspiring gathering ourselves only a few hundred miles further south. I have heard .this point of view echoed on every side. When will we learn the value of propaganda and- blowing our own trumpet for a change?

Where are the King’s Hones? London is without one of its most famous sights just now—the two Lifeguards with burnished cuirasses astride their magnificent horses outside the Horse Guards in Whitehall. This is because the regimental stables in Hyde Park are under repair. As a result, no horses, no colourful, jingling procession across the park, no admiring and incredulous remarks from the spectators at the perfect teamwork of man and beast that enables them to stand motionless for hours on end. Until the repairs are completed the guard—without cuirasses because they are dismounted—will stand on duty and travel to their post by motor coaches. At the moment the guard is a smal’ one of two h.c.o.'s and 10 m’n which is always mounted when the King is out of London. When he is in residence at Buckingham Palace it is increased to an officer and 22 other ranks. Tradition Absent in New Cathedral A few months ago I stt>od in the strangely beautiful ruins of Coventry Cathedral (destroyed in the 1941 blitz) talking with one of the church officials about the future. "It will rise again.” he said, "and when it does I hope it will be an inspiring modern building,

a reflection of to-day.” But I if he envisaged such a startiflE modern building as has just , modest young Scottish named Basil Spence the first dhmTS £2OOO. Gone are the soaring Gothic arch*, and traditional mullioned window • Instead, he has designed a rectannS building of pink and grey ston« wS light-giving zig-zag walls, and an altar plumb in the middle. MS magnificent spire, which miraculously left undamaged Z<b stands but is not an integral nartiJ the building. It will be connected £ a kind of porchway. Special featurZ will be an enormous £30,000 50 feet square, thought tn jg; largest in the world, and entrant doors of glass 80 feet wide and 30 fut high, which will sink into the floor st the touch of a button. The whole work 1 will cost about £BOl.OOO. or £MaB j less than the sum already collecß ■ from all parts of the world. , I Spence designed the cathedral white’ I working at the South Bank ExhibitfoK 1 It certainly reflects many of the out I standing features there which hm i made its architecture of outstanding I interest in every country. ' ® | “Sweet Violets" Now Innocaoas ' | Like many a former soldier, I haw 1 been greatly amused to hear bmadetrf from the staid B BC. of late I famous old barrack room haliJT ! “Sweet Violets,” “Riley’s Daughter* I and “Hey Jig a Jig”—but with th* words altered to conform with RRQ I standards. Even so, I learn. objsrtQ J have been made by some listener! ma j a committee was set up to report ■ the matter. Verdict: the song' perfectly innocuous except for i possible line in “Riley’s Daughter* which has been changed. Further, tfe I 8.8. C. say they cannot concern wa>selves with a song's origin provided the words are suitable to go over ths air. 8.8. C. Outbid For Turpin FteM Even more in the news is th* question whether the 8.8. C. h prepared to raise its comparatively i niggardly fees high enough to obtain broadcasting rights to the Turpin. Robinson fight next month. Its offer b ■ I understood to have been £5OO, btrtft* t? brewery firm of Watneys is prcpmd Jto pay £2500 to put it over th* VJ commercial station of Radio Luxes* <1 bourg (whose reception is very peMttli in Britain). All Britain is passionately interested in the fight, and theroßT | much criticism of the 8.8. C. for not rising to the occasion. It has been further criticiarf ' recently in a scathing tirade from flte I Thomas Beecham, the famou* rob, I ductor, who was offered only guineas for a broadcast of his n**i arrangement of Balfe's opera, Bohemian Girl.” His protest bore ftrtßa ! and the fee was raised, though to etfl i figure has not been annoumwK! Prominent singers and soloists I taaOj! frequently receive only 10 guineas tes j their broadcasts. For talks, brawn J casters are normally paid a guinea gS j minute, a miserly sum compared wi|W the United States, where ten tlaix that amount is customary. Give Summer Sports * Chance It seems very hard to believe here it is just mid-August and height of the holiday season, and MHI winter football is starting *MM|| To-morrow at least a million teO bedecked with streamers and bsdglEKg and with clacking rattles, will shuffling their way into the SbejjßS grounds of the country. postmen are scowling at the sl|tjM;B the familiar buff envelopes of the fteMM ball pool proprietors which go atdHffi into every second home in Britaii The newspapers are full of advice j® form, permutations, and combination* for pool advice has become one of MM most important circulation attractenjigs the popular press. Summer sportaNg'ij* do not view the intrusion of winter sport into the summer wift < enthusiasm. Wrote one cricketersjM “It is spoiling both games. content with spreading itself -OMMN something like nine month* of thte'js year. Soccer is now taking awsfe; players before the cricket season *S(gg| Many agree with him. but to-dRpT' professional football has become ■ \ huge business, far more than a sportNo More Guns foe Bia* The neatest story of the week cos** in an obscure paragraph of “ft* Times.” It tell* of a young circus performer who, having MBA? shot from a cannon more than MW® times, was called up for miliW service, whereupon he “indicated • disinclination to be associated with any branch of the artillery." The modest heading ran: “Recruit Return to Stick to His Guns.”