Southill Guides’ royal connection

Following feedback from Jenn Buck who was able to identify the date (1956) and some of the girls in our Southill Guides photo (first published May 9, 2014), Avis Tooke of Upper Caldecote has now written to us with some more information and a couple of extra names.
By The Newsroom
Published 23rd May 2014, 13:31 BST

She says: “I recognise the Guides and Captain Ruth Halsey. It brings back memories of my time in Southill Guides - happy days, especially the camping.”

Avis is not in the photo herself as it was taken after she left. She was born in Old Warden and lived there for 60 years in the era when “no one locked their doors”. As there was no Guide group in the village, the girls had to go to Southill.

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“Ruth Halsey’s father was Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey who lived in Mount Pleasant House, Old Warden” says Avis. “He was a lovely man and equerry to Edward VIII.”

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Sir Lionel Halsey was a well known figure of his day who travelled all over the world accompanying the Prince of Wales who became King Edward VIII and reigned for approximately a year until his abdication after he fell in love with an American divorcee.

“When he took up with Wallace Simpson, the Admiral resigned his post” says Avis.

As well as naming all those that Jenn recognised, Avis has also named Jean Faulkner who is third from left in the middle row next to Captain Halsey but thinks that the girl fourth from left in the front row is Wendy Bayliss and not Gillian (Wheatley nee Bayliss) as she believes Gillian was Wendy’s daughter. Can any readers shed more light on this?