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Auction: 17020 - Autographs, Historical Documents, Ephemera and Postal History
Lot: 951

Autographs
Edward, Prince of Wales and Mrs Freda Dudley Ward
1920 (5 July) Australia - The train aboard which the Prince and his party were travelling was derailed near Bridgetown, South Australia, A pair of photographs showing the scene both annotated in pencil on the reverse by the Prince of Wales - "A few minutes after the accident on the W.A.G.R. near Bridgetown S.A. (5.7.20). I was in the near coach {David - Hold to light} and one can see how far we were dragged "overturned" by darker colour of earth on track which was ploughed up by coach sliding down embankment. Photo is taken from roof of 2nd coach from near which derailed but didn't topple over !! Rly track is a perfectly good imitation of a "strafed" section of track "au front" during the Gt. War!!"


In the second photograph the Prince identifies "David, Dickie, the Admiral, Admiral's servant, Burt -private detective and anything you ask him to be!! A marvellous man!! Standing beside our overturned coach a few mins after crash. Salving our gear!! I've had to sign my name against my face as its hardly recognisable; I mean I hope I don't always look like that. Near Bridgetown S.A. (5.7.20) Dickie was in 2nd coach from rear at the moment". 6 x 4 inches. An exceptional pair of photographs. Photo



Illustrated page 343 "Letters From a Prince".


It was during the Western Australian leg of the prince’s tour that an unplanned event took place which added an air of excitement, spontaneity and even humour to the whole dreary affair. The prince and his entourage were involved in a train wreck. On July 11, 1920, the Sunday Times Perth Special Correspondent John Sandes reported that: “The derailment and capsize of the Royal and Ministerial parties’ coaches ‘in a quiet locality’, about 10 miles south of Bridgetown, accorded many of those travelling the ‘special’ exercise of a nature wholly unexpected ... comprising the rescue from overturned coaches of the Prince of Wales, his personal staff, the Premier of the State and two members of his Ministry, the Minister for Defence and General Sir Talbot Hobbs.”


The heir to the throne emerged from the upturned carriage relatively unscathed. He was holding some official papers in one hand and his silver cocktail shaker in the other and he commented to his companion Lord Mountbatten and all others within earshot: “At last, we have done something that is not in the program.”


We can only imagine the attitude of Edward and his young cousin Lord Mountbatten toward the situation in which they found themselves. Mountbatten perched himself on top of the overturned carriage, surveyed the wreckage and reportedly commented: “That’s the best thing I’ve ever been in.” The Sunday Times reported: “After the accident whisky was forthcoming for those who felt nervewracked. The amber fluid was in great demand.” The circumstances of the actual derailment read more like an episode from some clichéd backwoods Dad and Dave story than a chapter from a dignified royal tour: “A cow on the line had caused the engine drivers of the two locomotives to bring the train to a standstill only a few minutes previously, and it was only travelling about 12 miles an hour. Barring a few jolts experienced by those in the foremost carriages there had been nothing to indicate that anything serious had happened.

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Sold for
£750