by Richard Mead
Without the matter ever being openly discussed, Daphne made it quite clear that she was not going to live in London, indeed that she would be there as seldom as possible. Boy therefore embarked on a pattern of life which he would continue until he retired, working in London all week and catching the night sleeper from Paddington on a Friday evening. On Saturday mornings he would be picked up by Mr Bunny’s taxi from Par station, have breakfast at Menabilly and then, depending on the time of year, go out on one of his boats, usually accompanied by Daphne. On Sunday evenings the process would be reversed and he would return on the sleeper, going from there straight into his office. More frequently than he would have wished, he was otherwise occupied at the weekend and unable to go down to Cornwall. On the other hand Daphne was occasionally inveigled into a visit to London, but only for some important function. This arrangement perpetuated the semi-detached nature of their marriage, which had begun in 1940 and which Boy found unsatisfactory but could do nothing about. There were no prospects of work for him in Cornwall and having only just turned fifty he was too young to retire. He was acutely conscious of money, of which he never had enough, and was forced on more than one occasion to ask Daphne to bail him out. Continuing to generate his own income was thus a high priority.
Boy did not sit around at the flat alone, however. He remained a highly sociable person and, as well as enjoying the company of a large circle of friends and acquaintances, began to develop some extramural interests. Inevitably some of these had a service connection. He had continued as Chairman of the Airborne Forces Security Fund whilst he was away in the Far East, but the pressure of work as Military Secretary caused him to step down in January 1947 in favour of Harvey Bowring, one of the original trustees who had taken the chair during his absence. He did remain a trustee himself and attended meetings whenever he could. He was also invited to become a vice-president of the Officers Association, a service charity whose prime function was to help former officers to find employment and in some cases offer financial support.
Boy’s sporting background brought him appointments as President of both the Combined Services Rugby Football Club and the Army Rifle Association. Perhaps more prestigious than either of these was the Deputy Chairmanship of the British Olympic Association (BOA). The Chairman was his old friend, David Burghley, and the Treasurer was E. J. Holt, who had proposed him in 1921 to be a member of the South London Harriers. Boy also took on a simultaneous appointment as ‘Commandant’ of the British team for the 1948 Olympic Games, which were to be held in London. From his message to the team in their Handbook, it is apparent that not even he quite knew what being the Commandant meant, and it seems that he was in some ways purely a figurehead. The chief administrator, known as the Chef de Mission, was Evan Hunter, the long time Honorary Secretary and then General Secretary of the BOA,8 who carried out the role for five consecutive Games from 1928 to 1952. The trials began in the summer of 1947 and Boy attended whenevert he could.
The one leisure activity which eluded Boy was sailing in Fanny Rosa. The MFV had been brought back from Singapore by the Royal Navy in the autumn of 1946 and had been taken to Thornycroft’s yard in Southampton for the engines, lighting and plumbing to be installed and for the deckhouse and aft accommodation to be fitted out. There she stayed, with no progress possible until certain permits had been obtained. By early 1947 Boy was getting so frustrated that he was threatening to sell her and to look at buying a second-hand boat in her place. The problem was solved, but it was late spring before any work was started and September before he and Dick Bunt were able to go down to Thornycrofts and get her ready to go to sea. She was then sailed round to Hunkin’s yard for the final fit-out of the forward accommodation, but they had missed the summer sailing season.
Boy would have far preferred to take his annual leave cruising in Fanny Rosa, but with this no longer an option he agreed to accompany Daphne on a two-week holiday to Switzerland. If either had hoped that the holiday would change things significantly between them, they were to be disappointed. They went for long walks together and became more relaxed in each other’s company, but the old magic did not return. Love was still there certainly, and friendship too, but no romance and certainly no passion. One important quality which they shared, however, was a great sense of humour and they retained their ability to laugh together at the absurd.
In the autumn of 1947, Daphne had to travel to the United States to contest in court an allegation of plagiarism against her in the writing of Rebecca. The action involved not only her but the producers of the film of the book and her American publishers, Doubleday, and it was Nelson Doubleday who invited her to stay with him and his wife, Ellen, in their Long Island house. She determined to take Flavia and Kits with her and also Tod, who would look after them while she was engaged in court or in the various publicity events which Doubleday was setting up. Tessa was now of an age to go to boarding school, something to which she herself was looking forward, and her start at St Mary’s, Wantage was hurriedly arranged by Grace for September, with Tessa passing through London in the care of Maureen, who was already proving herself an invaluable adjunct to the family. In early November Daphne embarked in the Queen Mary and was away for a month, attracting favourable notices in American society and seeing off the case against her and her co-defendants by her strong performance in the witness box.
Boy was now among the thirty most senior serving officers on the Army List. His promotion to substantive lieutenant general had come through shortly before he left SEAC, with his seniority backdated to 25 August 1944, putting him ahead of Horrocks, amongst others. During his peregrination around Europe by train in January he had given serious thought to his future and confirmed to himself and to Daphne his desire to leave the Army, first expressed in the Far East, although at the time he still felt that he might have more to do. He had nevertheless let it be known that he was not seeking an active command, which meant that, unless he could secure one of the positions on the Army Council, he was unlikely to have any further hopes of advancement.
Boy’s dissatisfaction was compounded by the circumstances of Montgomery’s treatment of O’Connor. The latter, whilst not a great Adjutant-General was much admired in the Army, not only for his wartime record but also for standing up for what he believed to be right. In August he objected strongly to the Government reneging on an agreement to bring home a certain number of men on demobilization from the Far East and, with some reluctance, he submitted his resignation to the Secretary of State. Montgomery, who O’Connor had believed would support him, failed to do so, even giving the impression that O’Connor had been dismissed and – contrary to what was the case – telling him that the other Military Members of the Army Council had lost confidence in him. Boy was charged with producing the announcement, and made clear to O’Connor his own opinion on the situation, but a leak from one of Bellenger’s aides disclosing the name of the new Adjutant-General meant that it had to be rushed out without O’Connor’s express approval. It was a sad end to a most distinguished career and Boy clearly found the whole episode distasteful.
He was therefore keen to leave but seemingly had no job to go to. However, other minds were at work, notably Mountbatten’s, who had been left in no doubt as to Boy’s feelings back in the summer of 1946. A significant event was about to take place which would provide just the opportunity for Boy’s future employment, and Mountbatten was to act as the catalyst. On 10 July the engagement had been announced between Princess Elizabeth and Mountbatten’s nephew, Philip, whom Boy had first met in Ceylon in December 1944. The wedding was fixed for 20 November and it had been decided that the newly married couple would move out of Buckingham Palace and into the nearby Clarence House. The Princess had always been looked after by the King’s Household, but it was agreed that she should now establish a household of her own, in addition to the existing Ladies in Waiting, who remained with her. Jock Colville, who had been one of Churchill’s private secretaries during the War, was speedily identifie
d as the Private Secretary, whilst the newly created Duke of Edinburgh9 brought in Lieutenant Michael Parker, a great friend from the Navy, to be his Equerry. All that was needed to complete the team was a Comptroller and Treasurer and Mountbatten proposed Boy.
‘Boy’ wrote Mountbatten to his nephew, ‘has drive, energy, enthusiasm, efficiency and invokes the highest sense of loyalty and affection in his subordinates. His judgement in all matters that he understands10 is absolutely sound, and he would sooner die than let his boss down … he is not a “yes man” or even a courtier and never will be. He will fearlessly say what he thinks is right … Frankly, Philip, I do not think you can do better.’11 Following the receipt of a handwritten letter offering the position from the King’s Private Secretary, Sir Alan Lascelles, Boy was received by the King on 21 October in an audience which was effectively a job interview. They had known each other for many years and Boy had recently had contact with the sovereign as part of his duties as Military Secretary, so there were never likely to be obstacles from that direction.
On 22 December 1947, Boy’s appointment was announced and, although he would not formally retire from the Army until 5 April 1948, his notice and accrued overseas leave allowed him to begin his new job on the first working day of the New Year.
Chapter 27
Princess (1948–1952)
Boy’s appointment as Comptroller and Treasurer to the Household of Princess Elizabeth suited the parties directly concerned and seemed to fall into line with the wishes of a number of others. From Boy’s perspective, it played well to his talent for organization and his wide network of contacts. It also kept him in London, and although this was far from ideal in terms of his marriage, in the circumstances there seemed to be no alternative. The King and Queen had known him since before the war, whilst to Princess Elizabeth he was familiar both as a distinguished Grenadier – she had become Colonel of the regiment on her sixteenth birthday, 21 April 1942, on which day Boy had attended her first inspection at Windsor Castle – and as a senior general during the occasions on which she had visited various airborne formations with her parents. The Duke of Edinburgh knew him less well, but had the recommendation of Mountbatten on which to rely. The Duke was not totally at ease with the Royal Household, whose members were inclined to dictate what he and the Princess should and should not do. It was heavily populated by former Guards officers, who included the King’s two Assistant Private Secretaries,1 the Comptroller and Assistant Comptroller2 of the Lord Chamberlain’s Department and the Master of the Household, whilst the ranks of the Lords in Waiting, Gentlemen Ushers and Equerries were full of them. Now the Duke would have one of his own, who was prepared to stand up to the senior courtiers.
Many of those courtiers regarded the Duke as a potential threat to the status quo, so from their perspective the appointment of an establishment figure might have promised a welcome degree of control over the young couple. Outside the Palace others, including Montgomery, were concerned about Mountbatten’s influence and thus also welcomed Boy’s appointment. In fact the Duke was no puppet of Mountbatten but unequivocally his own man, concerned only for the welfare of the Princess. Boy, for his part, was totally unambiguous from the outset as to where his loyalties lay: he was certainly not prepared to act as a spy on behalf of any other individual or group. Had there been any conflict between the Duke and the King, he might have been placed in a difficult position, but there was never any hint of this. Boy’s feelings for Princess Elizabeth already amounted to little short of adoration, whilst he was to develop very quickly a considerable regard for her husband.3
Much older than the Princess and the Duke and any of the members of their Household, Boy, whilst deferring to his employers, naturally assumed a position somewhere between general manager and elder statesman. His reputation had gone before him and Jock Colville was to write later that at first they were all, ‘from Princess Elizabeth downwards, rather dreading the arrival of an awe-inspiring figure. But in no time at all awe turned into affection …’4 Boy had, in fact, mellowed considerably during his time in the Far East and at Whitehall and his reputation as a strict disciplinarian with an explosive temper, at least as far as his working life was concerned, belonged in the past, although these character traits remained visible to his family. Neville Wigram,5 who had served in the Grenadiers before the war and encountered Boy again when he became the Regimental Adjutant in 1950, thought that he had lost some of his fire, but found him very easy to deal with on all matters concerning the activities of the regiment’s Colonel.
Boy’s primary responsibility was the management of the Household, from hiring and firing the staff to looking after property, or paying the bills. It had been decided that the royal couple would occupy Clarence House, but the building was in a terrible state requiring extensive refurbishment and would thus not be available for many months, so they were allocated a suite at Buckingham Palace where Boy’s office was also situated. The intention had been for them to have the use of a country house as well and the initial choice fell on Sunninghill Park, formerly Brereton’s FAAA HQ, but it was burnt down shortly afterwards in mysterious circumstances. Boy located an alternative, Windlesham Moor near Sunningdale, which was set in spacious grounds and was comfortable but not particularly large, with only five bedrooms and four reception rooms.
In addition to his general management duties and his role as the main point of contact with the senior Palace officials, Boy was also frequently required to attend either or both the Princess or the Duke on formal visits or at functions, especially if there was either an armed services or a sporting connection. The Duke’s first solo outing in his new capacity was as the guest of honour at the Army v Navy rugger match at Twickenham and Boy, as President of the Combined Services Rugby Football Club, was there to receive him. The Duke took a considerable interest in sport, first evidenced by his becoming President of the National Playing Fields Association (NPFA) in 1948 and his subsequently spending some time working in its offices.6 Boy himself was Vice-Chairman of the NPFA and active in promoting its interests.
For the first eight months of 1948 and particularly during July and August, Boy was involved with the Olympic Games as Commandant of the British team and deputy Chairman of the BOA. That the Games were held at all in a post-war Britain which was effectively bankrupt and still, among other difficulties, subject to food rationing, was something of a triumph. They were financed on a shoestring and used existing facilities, the most important of which was the Empire Stadium at Wembley which housed the opening and closing ceremonies and the athletics. There were 59 participating nations, but neither Germany nor Japan was invited and the USSR declined to attend. There was no Olympic Village, the contestants staying in redundant army camps or even tents. Great Britain came 12th in the medals table with 23 medals of which only 3 were gold, a poor return for the host nation, but the Games were judged overall to be a great success and were a welcome boost to morale in what was still a very difficult time.
One sport in which Boy and the Duke shared a keen interest was sailing and both would regularly attend Cowes Week, where the Duke competed in his yacht Bluebottle, a wedding present from the Island Sailing Club. By the summer of 1948 Fanny Rosa was fully ready for sea and Boy and Daphne took her to Cowes for the regatta, where they entertained the Princess, the Duke and a number of other friends. In the following year, with the Duke aboard, Boy managed to steer Fanny Rosa aground on Ryde Sands, much to his embarrassment. The vessel was left high and dry for ten hours, listing at 50 degrees, and became an object of interest to large numbers of holidaymakers who were able to walk out and inspect her before she was floated off again at the next high tide. The Duke was forced to remain on board instead of transferring to Bluebottle, which was taking part in the Dragon class championships.
In October 1948 Boy paid his first visit to Balmoral, one of many over the coming years, although when Daphne was invited she usually found a reason not to accept. On this occasion he was the only guest. He thou
ght that the Queen was ‘too perfect and in terrific form’ and the King ‘very nice but has a touch of sciatica after too much stalking’.7 The King’s condition was unsurprising, given that much of the time was given over to field sports. Boy himself was a fine shot with a rifle and killed a stag after eight hours of stalking, wearing his old airborne smock, which was much admired by the gillies. On the other hand he was rusty with a shotgun and failed to register any hits on the first drive of the grouse shoot, much to the King’s delight. The two of them had much more success later, with Boy shooting fourteen grouse and a snipe to the King’s eighteen grouse.
During visits to Balmoral, Holyrood House and other royal residences, Boy had to forego his weekends at Menabilly, but otherwise he took them as often as he could. His awkwardness with the children after his return from the Far East became a thing of the past and Boy enjoyed playing with them while they were still young and later taking them on outings to the theatre and the circus when they came up to London. For their part they were no longer frightened of him, but found him fun to be with. Tessa shared his love of boats and he would support her when she was racing in Shimmer, hovering around the edge of the course in ‘Yggy’ and trying not to appear concerned. On the other hand, neither Flavia nor Kits liked sailing and he got very upset when they both became seasick on a trip in Fanny Rosa to Poole Harbour and had to return home by train. Flavia much preferred horse-riding, which Boy strongly encouraged. Kits followed his father to West Downs in September 1948, where he began to enjoy sport, giving them for the first time a common interest. Boy told him that he would never be bored keeping wicket at cricket and was duly delighted when Kits emulated him in the first XI for two years, also playing for the first XI football team. In early 1950 Flavia followed Tessa, now in her last year, to St Mary’s, Wantage.