MADRAS, SOUTHERN INDIA.. During time of World War 2..
Hazel Sell, aka Hay darling, shortly to be married to HER most beloved uncle Leslie Hooper, had a brother called David. He was a Doctor and at time of Tale, was on active service with his Regiment in Burma.
Hazel received a telegram asking her to meet her brother at the station as he had accrued some leave and was also on medical dury escorting back two soldiers who had been badly injured.
She borrowed her mother's car and driver and they drove to the station.. very busy with troops everywhere, she found out the train was on time and went to wait for her adored elder brother at the platform gate.
Chuff.. whhoooshh.. went huge steam engine, the train stopped, hordes and hordes of people disembarked and came up the platform. She knew he would be one of the last off as the two soldiers would be on crutches so waited patiently for sight of them.
Oh, oh dear.. not only were the two soldiers injured but her beloved David was also limping with a straight leg.. thank goodness she had asked her mother for her car! Also at the gate were medics to take the two soldiers.. they spoke with Doctor Sell and he released them into the medics care.. Hugged his sister and said.. "very nice to be home"..
They found driver and car and Hay said "What have you done to your leg, it looks very stiff, it must be extremely painful!".. David laughed and said.. "all is not as it would appear" and the car took them home.. they were met by their mother and household staff who were delighted to have their 'boy' home from the Burma Front (not a nice place to be)!
But they too exclaimed.. "oh.. poor leg".. with which he sat down
on one of the verandah chairs.. undid his puttees and rolled up his
trouser leg.. and there.. clinging onto his knee joint was the smallest
Monkey anyone had ever seen!
The squeal of laughter from everyone can only be imagined! He
explained that he had found it clinging to the mother who had died.. what would happened to it? However, it was a very strict rule that no solder.. officer or other rank was allowed any pet on the Burmese front line, so he had smuggled it back into his tent, during the day it had been strapped inside his trouser leg.. and fed it when
he got fed!
Now it was his gift to Hay.. who, luckily, adored all animals but
Monkeys especially. David went back to Burma.. Monkey was
called 'Puttee' and he grew slightly but never became very much
bigger.
Next on leave was Hay's fiancee, HER uncle Leslie Hooper.. who, also thank goodness, liked Monkeys as Puttee went everywhere with Hay in the car.. and waited for her whilst she did her VAD work during the day.
Whilst Leslie was on leave there was to be a BIG Fund Raising
Ball on HM King George 6th Birthday to be held at Government House, this was being given by the Governor of Madras. Leslie drove to Hay's parents home and to have a drink with her parents and to collect his very pretty fiancee. Puttee was not to be seen..
strange.. anyway they left and drove to Government House.
Wonderful building.. truly en fete for this Ball.. they went in, were
announced to the Governor and his wife.. They joined their friends and went into dine.
After dinner, there was dancing.. can't have a Ball without dancing, remember, this was the era of BIG Bank Sound, Glenn Miller and
that type of music.. there was a Regimental Band playing and these guys can and do play anything!
Hay and Leslie lurved to dance.. and were having a lurvely time when suddenly there was a commotion and dancers drew back off the floor.. for there chattering to himself and almost looking for someone.. was a small brown Monkey.
Who, upon seeing Hay, ran straight up her dress and nestled down in his favourite place, under her right ear!
He had hidden himself in Leslie's car and then got bored.. after all dinner and a ball were a loong time for a small Burmese Monkey who had no invitation to the Ball at Government House.
GeeGee Parrot.
September 30th, 2012.
Hazel Sell, aka Hay darling, shortly to be married to HER most beloved uncle Leslie Hooper, had a brother called David. He was a Doctor and at time of Tale, was on active service with his Regiment in Burma.
Hazel received a telegram asking her to meet her brother at the station as he had accrued some leave and was also on medical dury escorting back two soldiers who had been badly injured.
She borrowed her mother's car and driver and they drove to the station.. very busy with troops everywhere, she found out the train was on time and went to wait for her adored elder brother at the platform gate.
Chuff.. whhoooshh.. went huge steam engine, the train stopped, hordes and hordes of people disembarked and came up the platform. She knew he would be one of the last off as the two soldiers would be on crutches so waited patiently for sight of them.
Oh, oh dear.. not only were the two soldiers injured but her beloved David was also limping with a straight leg.. thank goodness she had asked her mother for her car! Also at the gate were medics to take the two soldiers.. they spoke with Doctor Sell and he released them into the medics care.. Hugged his sister and said.. "very nice to be home"..
They found driver and car and Hay said "What have you done to your leg, it looks very stiff, it must be extremely painful!".. David laughed and said.. "all is not as it would appear" and the car took them home.. they were met by their mother and household staff who were delighted to have their 'boy' home from the Burma Front (not a nice place to be)!
But they too exclaimed.. "oh.. poor leg".. with which he sat down
on one of the verandah chairs.. undid his puttees and rolled up his
trouser leg.. and there.. clinging onto his knee joint was the smallest
Monkey anyone had ever seen!
The squeal of laughter from everyone can only be imagined! He
explained that he had found it clinging to the mother who had died.. what would happened to it? However, it was a very strict rule that no solder.. officer or other rank was allowed any pet on the Burmese front line, so he had smuggled it back into his tent, during the day it had been strapped inside his trouser leg.. and fed it when
he got fed!
Now it was his gift to Hay.. who, luckily, adored all animals but
Monkeys especially. David went back to Burma.. Monkey was
called 'Puttee' and he grew slightly but never became very much
bigger.
Next on leave was Hay's fiancee, HER uncle Leslie Hooper.. who, also thank goodness, liked Monkeys as Puttee went everywhere with Hay in the car.. and waited for her whilst she did her VAD work during the day.
Whilst Leslie was on leave there was to be a BIG Fund Raising
Ball on HM King George 6th Birthday to be held at Government House, this was being given by the Governor of Madras. Leslie drove to Hay's parents home and to have a drink with her parents and to collect his very pretty fiancee. Puttee was not to be seen..
strange.. anyway they left and drove to Government House.
Wonderful building.. truly en fete for this Ball.. they went in, were
announced to the Governor and his wife.. They joined their friends and went into dine.
After dinner, there was dancing.. can't have a Ball without dancing, remember, this was the era of BIG Bank Sound, Glenn Miller and
that type of music.. there was a Regimental Band playing and these guys can and do play anything!
Hay and Leslie lurved to dance.. and were having a lurvely time when suddenly there was a commotion and dancers drew back off the floor.. for there chattering to himself and almost looking for someone.. was a small brown Monkey.
Who, upon seeing Hay, ran straight up her dress and nestled down in his favourite place, under her right ear!
He had hidden himself in Leslie's car and then got bored.. after all dinner and a ball were a loong time for a small Burmese Monkey who had no invitation to the Ball at Government House.
GeeGee Parrot.
September 30th, 2012.
I love this story. I have always wondered about the domestication of monkeys. Do you know more about this phenomenon? Just saw a documentary on chimpanzees. It would seem that while they are our closest "relatives" they are also very unpredictable, hence aggressive & dangerous.
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