The Faithful Servant

I have a nice ... memory of Dodson our ex-naval rating and man-of-all-work at my flat in Coleherne Court, Kensington, between the wars. Dodson had been severely wounded during the first war, but he was an excellent servant and we were very fond of him.

Despite their being grown up by then, he always referred to both my sons as "Master" when speaking of, or to them, and after Ron's return from his first exploration in Tibet Dodson came to me with a request. It was just at the time [1934] that Ron had had his first book published, called "Tibetan Trek", and it was this that concerned old Dodson.

"Beggin' your pardon, Ma'am," he said to me one morning, "I'd like for to 'ave a look at that there 'Tiberan Turk' wot Master Ronnie 'as bin a'talkin' of." Dear old man, he was given his wish, but it's anyone's guess what he made of it.

The Coleherne Court flat was bombed in September 1940 while we were in it. We survived, but the flat didn't, and that to our great regret ended Dodson's time with us. I moved out of London and it was to be more than twenty years before I returned.