The mystery of Mr Peel
QUESTION In the Avengers, Honor Blackman played Mrs Gale and Diana Rigg played Mrs Peel. What happened to their husbands? eMMa Peel (the name is a play on the expression Man appeal/M-appeal) was born emma knight, daughter of industrialist, Sir John knight. Her husband, Peter Peel, was a pilot whose plane disappeared over the amazonian forest and he was presumed dead.
However, towards the end of the episode The-Forget-Me-knot, Peter Peel makes an unexpected appearance. He bears a passing resemblance to Steed (P atrick Macnee), and in fact was played by Macnee’s stunt double, Paul Weston.
Cathy Gale and her husband lived in africa, where he was killed, with the implication that this took place during kenya’s Mau Mau uprising . She was experienced in firearms and maintained an interest in african art and culture.
after arriving in Britain, she studied anthropology and in many episodes appears to be working at the Museum of Natural History, probably as a freelance.
David Albury, Edinburgh.
QUESTION Which judge, reviewing one of his earlier decisions, commented: ‘The matter does not appear to me now as it appears to have appeared to me then’?
GeorGe BraMWell was born on June 12, 1808, in Cornhill, london. after practising as a special pleader , he was called to the Bar by the Inner T emple in May 1838. In 1851, he was made a Queen’s Counsel. In 1856, he was knighted and raised to the bench as a Baron of the exchequer. These judges sat as a court of common law, heard suits in the Court of equity and settled revenue disputes.
In 1860, he oversaw the case ellis v . kelly. The defendant was registered as M.e.C.S. eng and held a diploma of the German University of erlangen, permitting him to practise medicine throughout Germany. on his return to Britain, he called himself Dr kelly.
evidence was given about the genuineness of the German diploma. The magistrates dismissed the case, holding that kelly was justified in assuming the title of ‘ doctor of medicine’. on appeal, their decision was confirmed by the Barons of the exchequer on the grounds that even assuming k elly was not a doctor of medicine, he had not wilfully and falsely assumed the title.
It appears Bramwell was at odds with the other Barons of the exchequer over this decision. He famously recanted this view in the appeal case of andrews v . Styrap ( decided May 7, 1872). The appellant called himself ‘Dr Styrap ’ and held a diploma as a doctor of medicine from the University of Philadelphia. This he had purchased without having passed any examination or even attended the university. The magistrates convicted and the Court of exchequer confirmed the conviction, holding that Styrap knew his diploma was worthless as an indication of professional skill and had wilfully and falsely assumed the title. In comparing these cases, Bramwell issued his famous bon mot, which has often been repeated by judges finding themselves in similar situations. In 1876, Bramwell was raised to the Court of appeal, where he sat until 1881. That December, he was raised to the peerage, taking the title Baron Bramwell, of Hever in the County of kent. The title became extinct upon his death in 1892. Louise Westwood, Birmingham.
QUESTION Who was the first member of the Royal Family to travel by aircraft?
FUrTHer to the earlier answer, in 1953 Prince Philip was the first royal to make a flight in a helicopter.
on May 4, 1953, he was presented with his wings. earlier in the day, his instructor, Flight lieutenant Caryl ramsay Gordon watched his royal pupil complete three solo circuits and landings (‘ bumps’), at White Waltham airfield in Berkshire. according to his examiners, he was ‘thoughtful with a sense of safety and airmanship above average’.
The Duke qualified as a helicopter pilot in 1955 in a Westland Dragonfly and flew many different aircraft.
William raine, Fareham, Hants.
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