Have you ever met anyone famous? Did they look the same as on TV or film? I don’t circulate in circles where this is at all likely (to be perfectly honest, I don’t really feel as if I’ve missed out!). However I did once see a famous person at a wedding in London. Mrs Bard’s aged Aunty Gwenda strode up to him and asked who he was. The target of her questioning was none other than Frank Thornton, at that time known to all, as Captain Peacock from the sitcom “Are You Being Served’ (it was before he joined the cast of Last of the Summer Wine). He was dressed appropriately in a morning suit (after all it was a wedding!), with his trademark red rose buttonhole. In real life he looked true to his character, however he was a kind and generous man who seemed almost embarrassed by the recognition. It was announced yesterday that he had died, he will always be our ‘Family Favourite’…

We were at a family wedding,
At a smart venue in town,
When Mrs Bard’s Aunty Gwenda,
Approached a guest with a frown:

“Young Man!
Who are you?
We all recognise you,
So you must be on our side?”

The man was tall and distinguished,
A rose in his lapel,
We suddenly realised who he was:
Captain Peacock, we could tell!

The beauty of this story is,
Kindness for all to see,
It might have been different (if she’d asked):
“Captain Peacock, Are you free?”
Thanks to the Bride and Groom, Fee and Chris Cox, for the opportunity to be able to say: “I once saw somebody famous!”
Frank Thornton 1921-2013
A kind and generous man.

© Baldock Bard 2013
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