How the Queen Mother Revived the "New Cut"

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23381, 24 June 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

How the Queen Mother Revived the "New Cut"

/"YF sill the charming legends and stories told of Queen Mary's goodness to the poor, the lfttest illustrates most clearly just why she holds so great a place in their hearts. Curiously enough it .was just a passing fancy of the frivolous that brought hardship to the New Cut, a sister district to Lambeth .Walk, from which the now world-famous song and dance takes its name. Because of their sheer lighthcartedness and utter irresponsibility, both song and dance caught on like wildfire, and, From footing it round ballrooms shouting "Oi! Oi!'" people began to flock to Lambeth Walk itself and "the traders there waxed fat at the. expense of their brethren in the famous Now Cut." So like the populace of an old-time fairy talc, they went to the QueenMother. put the matter before her and asked her to pay them a visit to make thorn popular and prosperous'. As a result, she went with the Princess Royal to help them with her presence. Desperately hard up though the' Cut. was, it put its hand in its pocket and greeted her right royally with flags and banners and bunting, and two of its own Queens welcomed her. The lirst was seven-year-old Rosemary Jenkins, whoso answer to the Queen has already become famous. When she presented her bouquet of pink and white roses the Queen admired her hair, ®?yi n g> "What lovely hnir you have, Rosemary 1 Wherever did you get it?" To which the child answered, "From God, Your Majesty." The second local queen was Audrey Harber, Lambeth's 16-year-old Beauty Queen, who gave the Queen a bouquet

By SCRIPTO

made by her aunt, buxom Mrs. Porter. The latter has had a flower and salad stall in the Cut for 40 years, and lias made numberless bouquets. This, her masterpiece, was made of red roses, lilies-of-the-valley and carnations. Queen Mary said, "How very lovely!" and Mrs. Porter sighed and whispered, "I'm glad the dear liked it." So slowly the Queen's car moved along the .'route, accompanied by the frenzied shouting and cheers of hundreds of children waving flags; and from the windows she saw the beflagged stalls piled with every kind of merchandise, from cabbages and coughcures to cat's meat and goldfish. She heard Italians, whose ice-cream barrows were smothered with Union Jacks and banners, saying, "Long live the King," and Greeks who stood in shopdoorways. waved their hands and cried, "Welcome!" Every stall and barrow \vae decorated with festive red, white and blue emblems, banners almost obscured the skyline, and every coster in London seemed to be screaming himself hoarse with patriotic and devoted fervour to the Queen-Mother.