Town’s royal link puzzle
Royal signature raised money for town war memorial
THE origins of how the signature of the-then Queen Mother, Queen Alexandra, ended up on a special Loughborough bedspread may have been solved.
Following the end of the First World War in 1918, a huge fundraising effort was launched to raise money to build the Loughborough Carillon Tower War Memorial, which was eventually completed in 1923.
Various activities were organised and one of those was a signed bedspread.
People paid one shilling (5p) to sign the spread and ladies of the town embroidered the signatures. Eventually the bedspread was raffled off to raise even more money.
It is reported that the bedspread was eventually won by Mrs Collins, the wife of the landlord of The Volunteer pub in Devonshire Square.
One of the signatures on the spread is of Queen Alexandra. It is easily identified as it is surmounted with a crown and directly above the embroidered carillon.
But just how the Queen came to sign the spread is a question that has puzzled many.
But Mel Gould, chairman of the Loughborough Carillon Museum thinks the answer may now have been found.
Mel told the Echo that the museum was alerted by Deborah Moxom, a gallery assistant at the Town Hall, of a medal for sale on an auction site.
Mel said: “The medal was the Queen’s South Africa Medal, awarded in the Boer War to Dr Robert Stamford, one of just 50 surgeons who served with the British Forces
in the Boer War and a Loughborough man.
“The museum purchased the medal and Marigold Cleeve, a researcher, was asked to look up his background.”
Marigold’s research uncovered a link between Dr Stamford and Queen Alexandra.
Alexander Cunliffe-Owen, the son of Dr Stamford’s wife, Emma from her first marriage, was the godson of the Queen.
Dr Stamford, his wife and her son Alexander also signed the bedspread, hence the connection.
Deborah Moxom, also found the link with the Queen adding: “I was happy to help out with this interesting piece of local history.
“I saw Dr Stamford’s medals for sale and informed Mel. After doing some research myself, I found a connection between Dr Stamford, Emma P Cunliffe Owen and Alexander Cunliffe-Owen, the godson of Queen Alexandra, which is most probably how she came to be on the bedspread.
“It’s been a really enjoyable experience working with the Carillon Museum team on the research of the Alexandra bedspread.”
The bed spread is now owned by Charnwood Borough Council.
Coun Jenny Bokor, the borough lead member for Loughborough, said: “The Carillon bedspread really highlights how the community rallied to raise funds for the tower to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Great War.”
Queen Alexandra, was wife of King Edward VII and, after his death in 1910 became the Queen Mother to George V. She died in 1925, just two years after the Carillon War Memorial Tower opened.