Queen Mother's Visit

Elizabeth, Queen Mother visited Hyde Heath on Friday August 2nd 1940 - to see the fruit preparation and canning which was being carried on at "The Wick" in Brays Lane - now Cedar Ridge. The following pictures and notes have kindly been loaned by Irma Dolphin to whom grateful thanks.

The Queen Mother's car passing the old Post Office with the Village Hall in the background. 2nd left is schoolmistress Miss G Evans with a group of school children waving to the Queen.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth watches a demonstration of "Home Canning" given by Mrs Elizabeth Van Kerckhoven, a member of Hyde Heath Womens Institute and mother of Irma Dolphin.

The "canning shed" at The Wick This is on the site of what is now Cedar Ridge. Fruit preparation was also carried on in the village hall - the idea being to save surplus fruit from rotting and to keep it for use in the winter as part of a Ministry of Food Scheme. The fruit was then sold - not in the shops but through the Womens Institute.

With Her Majesty are - left to right Mrs Pettit, Lady Morgan, Mrs Norah Osborne. Mrs Tui Addison is in the centre background

Left to right Mrs Lucy Pearce (of Lane Gate Cottage) & Mrs Lizzie Pearce 9wife of gardener of Dr Sybil Welsh With Her Majesty: Dr Sybil Welsh and (we believe) Sir Frank Morgan's mother.

Left to Right: Francis Raynor (Mrs Clark) Peggy Thompson Margaret Darvell (Mrs Grewcock) Unknown Mr Thompson (butler to Sir Frank Morgan) Half figure believed to be Capt Bouguet of Amersham RDC The lady in the background right is Mrs E Turney

A clip from the Bucks Examiner of Friday August 2nd 1940 The visit was also featured on BBC radio.

This is an original underground newspaper from Belgium from April 2nd 1942 - two years after the visit - the Belgian (or rather Flemish) connection being Mrs Van Kerchoven, Irma Dolphin's mother who was Flemish. It is speculated that on reading this the Germans launched an air raid on Hyde Heath to attack what they thought was the "Cannon Factory" there !