Tony Bartley’s medals to be auctioned

I was interested to read this news story today (below) about Tony Bartley’s wartime medals. It takes me back to 2003 when I was researching and ghost writing RUTH ELLIS MY SISTER’S SECRET LIFE. I ended up in Westerham one day where I met Arthur Waterhouse. He was the chef, between 1945 – 1950, at the White Hart Hotel in Brasted where a copy of the photograph (below) of Tony Bartley and Deborah Kerr was hanging in the bar. The White Hart was a regular watering hole for dignitaries whose names appeared in the Visitors Book there including Prince Paul of Greece, the then Prince Hussein of Jordan and Lord Goddard. During the war George Ellis was a regular at the hotel, cycling from his home in Sanderstead. Immediately after the war Ruth Ellis was also a regular visitor.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknews/second-world-war-fighter-aces-medals-go-under-the-hammer/ar-AAQTUdq?ocid=st&fbclid=IwAR33eA-JrpBIMNEQcPzFB_kN7gGr_c6I9bDQ7gizNO1QRBK_OKRNcKYC6TI

Tuesday 13 July 2021

Fishmonger Ron Fowler, Bookham, Surrey

Why am I posting a picture of me, taken in 2008, with Ron Fowler the fishmonger in our village, on 13 July 2021, the 66th anniversary of Ruth Ellis’s death?

Because it was Ron, in 2000, who told me about his connection to Muriel Jakubait, Ruth Ellis’s sister, and his passion for the story of the last woman hanged in the UK. And it was Ron’s passion for the subject that started my 21-year quest to find the truth about Ruth Ellis.

The photo, by the way, was one of a number commissioned by the charity Changing Faces for an article to be published in 2008 in one of their newsletters and on their website.It was a chance for me to tell people a bit about my life after Bells Palsy and give others with the condition, some inspiration.

16th Anniversary of our Book

Today is the 16th anniversary of the publication of RUTH ELLIS MY SISTER’S SECRET LIFE, of which I was co-author.

It is also the 16th anniversary of the London tube and bus bombings.

Republished book with new front cover – above

Original front cover of book published on 7/7/07 – below

Tom Mangold documentary about Stephen Ward and the Profumo scandal tonight on BBC2 10pm

…”was fitted up by an establishment terrified that he would expose Profumo as a liar”………and expose details about Ward’s friendship with Ruth Ellis, more like, a few years before!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2020/jan/26/mi5-abandoned-stephen-ward-profumo-scandal?CMP=share_btn_fb&fbclid=IwAR2RpjYgzQdsOtbsqocfJpestkfLli497rsRIECw2JT8mEVMUNd-jg_hkgs

LADY GODIVA RIDES AGAIN

‘LADY GODIVA RIDES AGAIN’
The 1951 black and white film in which Ruth Ellis made a brief uncredited appearance will be on tv on Saturday 4th January 2020. I believe it will be shown twice during the day but I don’t as yet have the exact times. One is at 7pm on channel 81.To be the writer who was responsible for finding this secret piece of information about Ruth Ellis’s short life made me a very proud person! The findings came about by chance. When originally interviewing Ruth’s sister Muriel Jakubait, she mentioned briefly that Ruth knew the actress Diana Dors. At that time, it was around 2003, there was no published evidence to back up Muriel’s statement. All Muriel remembered was that Ruth had told her mother about her friend Diana Dors, and that was that. And that’s where my work as a researcher went into full throttle! I read as many books about DD as I could get my hands on, some coming from old library archives outside Surrey. The year 1951 featured in her books, and the film Lady Godiva Rides Again in which she, Diana, had a star role, got a good mention. I had a hunch and contacted Getty Images who have most of the stills from the film. They said they would send some paper copies to me. Over I went to Horsell where Muriel lived, armed with a small pile of photographs. Muriel was amazed to see her sister in two of the photos. It was a very special moment in the research for our book RUTH ELLIS MY SISTER’S SECRET LIFE. Ruth Ellis’s appearance in the film was previously unknown.

ps…Ruth is 6th on the left in the photo of beauty queens

pps. Having previously said you can’t see Ruth in the film, I’ve just found this clip. You can just make her out at 0.41 seconds into it!:

https://www.youtube.com/watch

Congratulations to Amanda Whittington for her play ‘The Thrill of Love’

The Thrill of Love

The Thrill of Love is currently Number One in Nick Hern Books Top Ten Most Performed Plays.

Monica on Mimi Meets…Listen Again

If you didn’t get a chance yesterday to listen to my Mimi Meets interview on Wycombe Sound , chatting about Ruth Ellis, life, writing and other things, here’s a link to listen again:

http://listenagain.wycombesound.org.uk/index.php/shows/mimi-meets/# 

Interview on Wycombe Sound Sunday 29 July 2018

If you’d like to hear me being interviewed by Mimi Harker Obe on Wycombe Sound, the programme is being aired tomorrow, Sunday 29th at 12 noon till 1pm…sleuthing, books, life and a bit of music.

http://wycombesound.org.uk/index.php/about-us/

63rd Anniversary of Ruth Ellis’s death

…picture taken after an interview with Mimi Harker Obe at Wycombe Sound in High Wycombe about my work on the Ruth Ellis story and much more. Particularly poignant as today, 13 July, is the 63rd anniversary of her death.