Plum L ines A Quarterly Publication of The Wodehouse Society Published at 538 San Lorenzo Ave., Felton CA 95018 Vol 9. No. 10 November 1988 WCY + 7 Queen Mother unveils the 6lue plaque The August Plum L ines reported the inveiling Mr. Edward Cazelet, Lady Wodehouse’s grandson, of a blue plaque by the Queen Mother at Plum’s opened the ceremony with the following statement. former residence in London on June 3, 1988. The Queen Mother made the following remarks on that Your Majesty, my Lords, ladies and occasion. gentlemen, may I say how deeply honoured we all are as devoted Wodehouse fans that I am particularly pleased to have been Your Majesty should have seen fit to accept invited to unveil this plaque as for many years our invitation to come to unveil this plaque on I have been an ardent reader of P.G the old Wodehouse home. Wodehouse. Indeed, I am proud to say that his Plum would have been so surprised and very first book The Pothunters was dedicated so deeply touched that this ceremony should IV liiVillLfvat) Ol ial y iaikillj' • be taking place. He was always somewhat in Sir Pelham Wodehouse succeeded in the awe of important occasions. I like to think of great ambition of so many novelists: not only him, had he been alive today, peeping down at has he brought new words and expressions us from a second floor window, perhaps into the English language but he has also making a chink between the curtains in order created characters whose name have become to see what was going on. household words - Jeeves and Bertie, Lord I remember, some years ago. Your Emsworth and his prize pig, the Empress of Majesty paying Phim a compliment which I Blandings, and even Aunt Agatha to name but know he would have valued more than any a few, live on as immortal characters. other. Your Majesty said that after a long and Nevertheless I think that Wodehouse’s busy day there was no better way of ensuring greatest gift is that fifty or sixty years after a good night’s sleep than by reading a many of his books were written they still make Wodehouse novel before turning in. This us all laugh, and I am sure that generations to meant that one passed into that happy and come will continue to laugh at them just as tranquil world of Wodehouse and one would go much as we have done. What an encouraging to sleep with a smile across the face. thought for the future! May I on behalf of all of us and in P.G. Wodehouse lived in this house from particular on behalf of all Plum’s family thank 1927 until 1934, and I am delighted to unveil Your Majesty for coming here. May 1 now ask the plaque which now records this. Your Majesty to unveil the plaque. Continued on page 2. The Peke followed him. It appeared to have no legs, but to move by faith alone. "Goodbye to All Cats" Page 2 Plum Lines After the unveiling, at a small private luncheon in Mr. William Douglas-Home quoted his favorite the house, several speakers recalled personal passage from Wodehouse: experiences related to Plum. A few excerpts follow. It was a beautiful summer morning. She went out of the house into the garden and approached her Mr. Frank Muir introduced the speakers and said father. that as Plum had always hated long speeches, all "What are you doing, Daddy?" she asked. speakers were to be limited to two minutes - and even "Painting,” he replied, for there were no secrets by now, if Plum had been present, he would probably between them. have been inching his way along the wall toward the Mr. Douglas-Home offered a fiver to anyone - door. Mr. Muir spoke movingly about the occasion when including Her Majesty - who was able to establish the he visited PGW at Remsenberg and sat buried under a source of this passage. Mr. Richard Usborne won the hundredweight and a half of rescued stray dog. fiver by quoting from Barrie’s Dear Brutus. Sir Nicholson Henderson said that PGW’s Lady Donaldson recalled visting the house when contribution to Anglo-American relations was the Wodehouses lived there. She spoke about PGW’s immense. Millions of Americans read him and shyness and intense dislike of parties. She and her therefore expected British diplomats to behave like father, Frederick Londsdale, were invited to a smarl Bertie Wooster, which he, when he was in party at the Wodehouses. The front door was opened, Washington, was able to manage. But the Foreign Office not by the butler, but by Wodehouse himself. "Don’t expected greater wisdom and less wetness, so one had to come in,” he said, "You’ll hate it.” aspire to a mixture of Jeeves and Wooster in order to succeed. I’m indebted to Richard Usborne for the material used in this account. - OM SL Christmas Sonnet Amidst December’s chill, or rain, or freeze We sought the Angler’s Rest, where holly shone By firelight, and two brave Christmas trees Stood bright in corners whence the light had flown. And there, hot Scotch and lemon at his side, Sat Mr. Mulliner - his tales of yore We’d heard, and now no longer could abide: If you’ve heard one, you’ve heard them all before. We ordered Bitter, Bass, a Gin-and It, And slunk into one corner, next the tree. And Mr. Mulliner cared not one whit, But ’gan a talk about a nephew he Had told a hundred times before - aye, there’s the rub! We grabbed our rods and drove him from the pub! Charles E. Gould, Jr. Poem copyright 1987, Charles E. Gould, Jr. Poem and drawing reprinted by permission of Limestone Hills Bookshop, Glen Rose, Texas. The poem as printed by the Limestone Hills Bookshop was untitled. The title is my addition - OM. Plum Lines .Page 3 fA[ew members Convention phase two Ms. Penelope Brandal is in ‘Kalamazoo 26238 Place S. Kent WA 98032 Our 1989 International Convention of The Wodehouse Society will be held in two locations. Mr. David Donlon Phase One will be held at Dulwich College, London; 2609 Fillmore Street Pauline Blanc is chairing the planning committee for San Francisco CA 94115 Phase One. Phase Two will be held at Kalamazoo, Michigan; James Thorne chairs the Kalamazoo Leo and Sophia von Gottfried planning committee. Dates and other information will 1068 Peppertree Lane be announced. Livermore CA 94550 Bill Blood, President Ms. Johanna von Gottfried 826A Anza Street Jim Thorne in Kalamazoo tells me that his San Francisco CA 94118 committee needs information from us to decide whether to hold the convention in August or October. Mr. John F. Holder August is hot in Kalamazoo, but many academic 3514 36th Street people would be free to attend. October is cooler and Lubbock TX 79413 the convention could be held close to Plum’s birthday, but some academic people could not attend easily. Jim Robert and Marguerite Lynch expects the convention to run from a Friday evening 1125 Hollywood Avenue to the following Sunday morning. I f you are thinking Oakland CA 94602 of attending the convention in Kalamazoo, will you please let Jim know whether you would be more Mr. and Mrs. Norman Price likely to attend in August or October. This is neither 9406 Timberwolf Road a commitment to attend nor to attend at a particular Dallas TX 75249 time. It’s just an expression of preference. Please let him hear from you by the end of December so Mark and Sarah Robinson planning can begin - it takes time. Send your 4655 Opal Cliff Drive preference to: Santa Cruz CA 95062 Mr. James M. Thorne Mr. Martin W. Scullin 4210 Old Field Trail 106 Prestonwood Kalamazoo MI 49008 Harrison Ark. 72601 (616) 372-2102 Mr. Robert L. Stine 225 West 71 Street, Apt. 61 If you would like to contribute to the program, his New York NY 10023 committee will be glad to consider your ideas. James and Dorothy Wainwright 7423 110th Street Northwest Gig Harbor WA 98335 San Francisco chapter elects absentee president The reins of power have passed into new hands in our San Francisco chapter. Carl Wells is a new father and needs relief from presidential duties. Carl’s presidency was memorable for the wonderful San Francisco convention he organized. At our recent October 15 birthday meeting, Carl remarked feelingly that it had been three years since he missed a meeting and was elected president. We elected Tom Wainwright our new president. Tom was not present at the meeting. There’s a moral in there somewhere. Page 4 Plum Lines A fezo quicHi ones Our supplement in this issue describes the The front page of The Daily Telegraph of adventures, intellectual and physical, of Ms. Victoria London, October 5, carried a large photograph of a McClure in writing her Master’s thesis on Wodehouse. very happy young man, a gold medal hanging from a In addition to the signal honor of membership in The ribbon around his neck, borne aloft on the shoulders of Wodehouse Society, she has a B.A. in English (1984) equally happy boys. The caption reads, "Pupils of and an M.A. in English (1985), both from Texas Tech Dulwich College welcome home Martin Grimley, University in Lubbock. She is presently a lecturer in physical education teacher at the school, who was one English at the same university, and is working on an of the gold medal-winning British hockey players at M.A.