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ss7220

Getting back to this thing with Morecombe. When I went with Mary Hodgson I was age 6 I suppose, or 5 possibly or 6. I went up to Morecombe. Tom, the button booted Tom, took me to the first bit of show business. Best sort I'd ever seen before, a musical. In which there was a perfectly wonderful song. Which was, I've seen Danny McCann. Dan Dan Danny McCannn you ought to see me do the can-can on the can. I could sing it now but I won't. Wonderful song and I was thrilled with the whole damn thing. We came back to 23 Camden Square. Mother was sitting in the drawing room, dining room. And Uncle Guy, Gerald's older brother, who was to me the top of the world. And George and Peter. And I went bouncing into the room age 5 1/2 or 6 because I had a wonderful time. They said, what was your favorite thing about it? And I said oh there was a wonderful thing called Danny McCann. So I started doing I irritated this small boy, until now I can see. Mary Hodgson saw me while I was doing this and was horrified. She was thinking what kind of vulgar things did we get up to in Morecombe. Mother was absolutely split with laughter. I've never -- my biggest moment is that one. What about your brothers? Oh they loved it too. It was only George and Peter. If Michael had been there he would've kicked me up the backside. He would've kicked me out of the room. I think. Did she have a north country accent though? Hardly at all. No Lancashire? No hardly at all. I used to go and see her all the time. I saw her a great deal. I would see her through the wall. I've always kept in touch with her. Until she died. About 10 years ago, 10 or 15 or 20 how time has gone. And every birthday she used to send him right til, not until very long ago, some funny old relic she'd sent him. A little funny old photograph or a little funny old necklace or something. Yes I have a stack of them. She always fished out something. And you never met her? Never, she never met me. She still wouldn't meet me. Even after Barrie was dead she would not meet me. No, no. I'd rather not. You couldn't force me. But then she would see Laura, our daughter. I think she was just afraid of seeing any of your wives -- any of the boys' wives. Yes. Couldn't face it. It's pretty horrific to be left alone with someone like Barrie. Alone in a house in Camden Square. To be left alone with a London house in charge of all these children. I assume Barrie wasn't practical, didn't concern himself with the day to day problems with bringing up 5 children. No, no, he'd leave that entirely to Mary, Mary had a great deal to do in that sort of the way. She couldn't look after all of you, did she have a cook in turn or someone? We had the same cook for a long time. Minnie Guerny. Oh golly she introduced chocolate cake to me, she was wonderful. I can't remember the other names. We had for a long time, in those far off days, we weren't a rich family. We had the three: Minnie the cook and Bessie the maid and Mary the -- well what do you call her -- the nurse I suppose. And I think -- After your mother died, they stayed on did they? Yes. And around the house with Mary? Yes, with Bessie. Maybe there wouldn't be Lillian but there would be Minnie and Mary for a period. Frequently Harry Brown (Barrie's butler) would come over, wants Uncle Jim wants to stay over, he would come over for a night or 3.