AU10/102/1/211/3

Letter from Anne George

8 September 1972

From: 1972 To: 1972

Headed: "Old Rectory, Scruton, Northallerton, Yorkshire, DL7 0QZ, Kirby Fleetham 272 0609 84 272" "Dear Miss Grimmer, Thank you so much for your letters and for the Ampthill magazine which you so kindly sent me. They were waiting for me when I returned from my holiday earlier this week. It was very thoughtful of your nephew to ring the other Tuesday - please will you thank him on my behalf. My Uncle's death came as a tremendous shock to all of us. He was staying here til 9th August, when he returned to Kingsgate. He seemed to be in very good health - as lively and cheerful as usual. We had a very happy week with him. I gather he felt unwell on Friday morning, 11th August and he must have fallen and cut his head. The Dr. dressed the cut and left him feeling perfectly alright. However, a friend rang on Friday evening to tell me he was in hospital and he died about 7:30am on Saturday. He was unconcious before he went into hospital and never regained conciousness. The cause of death was a cerebral haemorrhage, so the fall would be caused by the onset of this. I find it very difficult to believe, but I'm pleased for his sake that it was such a sudden and short illness. The funeral took place here at Scruton where, the previous Sunday, he had attended the church service. His great friend the Bishop of Birmingham came and gave a very moving address. I only wish more if his friends could have heard it. His body was cremated and his ashes scattered as he wished. Sometime in the future I hope to visit the church at Ampthill. My Uncle told me so much about it and he was obviously very happy there. Also I would like to give a small present to the church in memory of him. Could you give me some suggestions? Thank you for offering me more copies of the magazine. I would like to have a dozen if possible. I enclose £1 to cover the cost. Please put any change into the collection. In the flat at Kingsgate I came across a photoghraph of the late King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. I wondered whether there had been a Royal Visit to Ampthill at anytime. Do you happen to know how the photograph came into my Uncle's possession? Thank you again for your letters and expressions of sympathy. Yours sincerely, Anne George"

letter headed paper

item

Hillam, John George,
George, Anne,
Grimmer, Honora,
Brown, Laurie,
George VI,
Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother

deaths, letters, manuscript, castles, funerals, Bishop, cremation, crematorium, photographs, parish churches, haemorrhage, parish magazines, Northallerton, Broadstairs, Birmingham, AMPTHILL