King George V visit to Tyne Cot

[Bert Heyvaert]

I had a rather interesting conversation yesterday, with an Englishmen born in Passendale out of the marriage between an British father (working there for the IWGC) and a Belgian mother. He told me this remarcable story about the day he was born. I don't know how much of it is actually true, but it sounds quite good.

Mr Simpson's father was in charge of the team of gardeners working at Tyne Cot in the early 1920's. With king George V 's pilgrimage in may 1922, he was asked to lead the King around the cemetery.

His wife, however, was highly pregnant of their first child, and eventually gave birth to their son on the morning of King George's visit to Tyne Cot. After assuring himself that his son was in good health, Simspon set off straight away on his bicycle to Tyne Cot, arriving there just a few minutes before the King and his company. He lead the King around the cemetery, as promised, who was quite impressed with the work of the gardeners. On hearing that his guide had just become a father, he congratulated him and asked what the boy's name was. In the rush of the morning, the couple had not yet decided a name. It had to be something that sounded good both in Flemish and in English.

Simpson thought for a moment and than replied to the king something in the lines of "My wife and I wondered if we might ask your majesty for a suggestion?".

George Simpson is now 82 years old, and lives in Somerseth.