Friday 15 June 2012

Royal Visits to Rhodesia

ORAFs distributed two photographs of a Royal Visit to Rhodesia in either 1947 or 1953?

 Several replies and comments were received and they are included below with the original two photographs. Please note that a further two photographs have also been received which has a bearing on a Royal visit.

Queen Mother, Royal Visit of Rhodesia

Comments Received
Graham Andrews Writes:-
She must have been Queen Mum otherwise the King would have been with her!! He died in Feb 1952 and she visited Rhodesia with Princess Margaret in 1953 to open the Rhodes Centenary Exhibition in Bulawayo. She visited again in 1960 to open Kariba. Prior to that she visited with the whole Royal family in 1947. Conclusion...she must have been Queen Mum in those photos!!

Roy Hopkinson Writes:-
I’m pretty sure that’s the Queen Mum inspecting the troops, and not the Queen.

Bob Jones Writes:-
Wonderful photo but I don't think it was the pre runner to the RLI as it was too early. I think that the guard of honour is made up of TF and the guy and the right in is the Staff Corps instructor. It is the Queen doing the inspection as I don't think she was the Queen Mum at that time. My comments and they stand to be corrected

David Scott-Donelan Writes:-
Man behind Man 3 looks like Bruce Campling.
Pretty sure man 2 is General Griggs.

Vic Walker Writes:-
Reading the article it would appear that this was the tour done by the Queen Mother in 1957, during which she also visited Kariba. At that time I was still soldiering in then West Germany, but the comment made by George Archibald that the Honour Guard may well have been men that later formed 1 RLI cannot be correct as the formation of the unit only commenced in 1960 (by October of that year I was stationed at DRRR), the Guard Commander, Man 3, accompanying the Queen Mother looks very much like Dudley Rowell who was a major (A Coy Cdr at DRRR) in 1960. The senior officer, Man 2, would probably have been the Commander of the old Bulawayo District and looks like he could have been Col (later Major General) Grigg. It is highly likely that the Guard of Honour was found by a DRRR Company undergoing National Service training. David Heppenstall may be able to confirm this.

Jann Knoble Writes to her daughter Shay:-
Re the article, I think this is when Dad flew the Queen around when she was Queen Mum, on this date. It is when he had the engine failures when flying the press around for this visit.
Can you please look in his log book and see if the dates correspond, I think there is also a newspaper cutting of him flying the press and doing so well when the engine failed [think it was more than once]

Shay Geach (nee) Knobel Writes:-
Peter Knobel did indeed fly the press - in his log books it is dated the 14th May 1960 when he flew 23 press passengers during the Queen and Queen mother's visit. Attached is a scan of the page in his log book - I hope the file is not too big it will not be possible to read if it is too small.
Also some research from the internet and the links below of their visit:

http://www.britishpathe.com/video/queen-mother-in-rhodesia-1

http://www.newafricanfrontiers.com/countries/zimbabwe/zimbabwe-npc-lake-kariba.htm

"The Kariba South Bank Power Station of the Kariba Dam hydroelectric scheme was officially opened by her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother on 17th May, 1960."

Hope this info helps

Newspaper, Royal TOur of Rhodesia

Queen Mum with Matabele, Royal Visit to Rhodesia

Lewis Walter Writes:-
 
The second photo ( and almost certainly the first) was taken during the visit of the Queen Mother to Rhodesia in 1957. (Her husband King George VI died in 1952, so she was then Queen Mother.)

 The first photo is very well known - but I cannot help with any info ! I am sure you will get several replies identifying it.
 The second photo was taken at the Royal Indaba arranged by the Native Department (later Intaf) in Matobo in 1957. The Guard of Honour on that occasion was provided by the KAR - the troops in the first photo were not in attendance.

 The man just beside the Queen Mother is "Ben" Fletcher, the Minister of Native Affairs.

 The man in Naval uniform is vice-Admiral Sir Peveril William-Powlett. He was Governor of Southern Rhodesia, not Governor-General as suggested in your letter.

 If you will look up the Intaf Website - www.freewebs.com/dudleywall/ - under Early Days - Royal Indaba - Matobo - 1957 you will find a short article on the Indaba I provided, with photos. I was an Assistant Native Commissioner in Mashonaland at the time, and with others was invited to attend - provided we paid our own expenses ! It was an occasion of true Colonial pageantry - the last in a fading Empire.

 Nick Baalbergen Writes:-
 
Lewis Walter may be able to shed some light, he supplied the material on the following link and some your photos look like they may be at the same location :

 Visit: http://www.freewebs.com/dudleywall/royalindaba1957.htm

 Syd Polwarth Writes:-
 
Powlett was appointed Governor upon retiring from the Royal Navy in 1954 so it is definitely the Queen Mother. That's my lot

 Richard (Dutch) Van Rooyen Writes:-
 
Regarding the Royal visit and assistance with identifying some of the people in photo's.
 In the photo of the "Queen and Another", I am pretty certain that the gent standing with her is a chap by the name of Shaw Dyson.
 Why I'm so sure is because I have known Shaw for many years and he was a colleague of mine in that he ran our Hytec Salisbury / Harare operation for many years.
 The possible reason as to how he got to rub shoulders with the Queen was because he was a member of Parliament during that time and continued to be for many years thereafter - up and until +/- 1984??
 Shaw is now 84 years old and still lives in Harare.
  
Queen Mum, Royal Visit of Rhodesia
  
Jen Hamilton Writes:-
 
I was looking at the photo you have just sent & am sure this was taken about the same time. My dad was in the territorial's & is the 5th guy on the left standing slightly forward. It was with a book on The Golden Jubilee of Parliament 1924 - 1974.
 Not sure if you have seen it or if you want me to scan some things to send. There is a picture of the Members of the First Rhodesian Council 1899, the first Governor, administering the oath to Sir Charles Coghlan, the first Prime Minister, in October 1923, there is also a lot of photos of eg the dining room, the lounge, the gallery plus old building photos.
  
Queen, Royal Visit to Rhodesia

Mark Midgley Writes:-
Herewith a photograph (above) of the Queen at Cyrene Mission South of Bulawayo which was taken when my parents worked there which was prior to 1950.

It was for certain that that visit was in 1950 or before so there may have been 2 visits by the Queen/Mother? Would u like me to scan it and send it to you with details
Nyanga Zimbabwe
End

ORAFs never obtained the relevant date to photographs 1 and 2 but overall a benefit was the additional  information and wonderful photographs received. Thanks to all those sent in their comments and photographs.

Also please remember that comments are always very welcome. Send them to orafs11@gmail,com
  

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