On this day in 1824 Bedřich Smetana was born. To mark the bicentenary of his birth he was the subject of Composer of the Week on BBC Radio 3.
I have, again, delved into The Assassin’s Cloak and The Secret Annexe, anthologies of the world’s greatest diarists, edited by Irene and Alan Taylor, to see what else happened on 2nd March.
2nd March 1940, Palestine
Probably because I had sat up all night on a hard seat being serenaded by the Australian soldiers singing ‘Waltzing Matilda’ and ‘We’re the boys from way down under’ I found Palestine in the dawn rather disappointing – it was flat and less colourful than I expected. I ate breakfast on the train and reached Rehovoth at eleven. I climbed out on to sand, hardly daring to believe I was going to see Dan ( her husband, serving in the Yeomanry).
I saw him a long way down the train looking up at the carriages. Tall, bronzed by the sun, wearing khaki shorts and tunic, marvellously good-looking . . . I stood and watched him, spellbound. I thought my heart would burst . . . Heaven is being together.
Countess of Ranfurly
2nd March 1961, Fiji
There was a dinner party of thirty. Opposite me was seated Lieutenant-Colonel The Hon Ratu Edward Cakobau, who has just been appointed a district commissioner. When the bandmaster came in for his glass of port, Ratu Edward leaned across and said to me, ‘The bandmaster comes from the worst cannibal district in the island.’
I asked Ratu Edward if he were a great-grandson of King Thakimbau, and he replied, ‘Yes’. Then I asked him whether he knew that his great-grandfather had been to lunch with Queen Victoria in the late 1870s. He replied, ‘Yes’. I then told him that the King had sat next to my mother, who, being a very cheeky young girl, had asked him if he regretted having given up cannibalism. She had always said that he had replied that all he missed was babies’ toes.
Ratu Edward was highly amused and said, ‘I don’t think that can be right, for I always heard my great-grandfather particularly liked ladies’ fingers’.
Edward Cakobau was shown the menu on board the ship bringing him back to Fiji recently, and said to the head waiter, ‘This menu looks horrible, bring me the passenger list’.
Earl Mountbatten of Burma
2nd March 1996
In the evening we watched an excellent TV interview with Dame Muriel Spark. She came over as wonderfully direct, honest, witty and charming. When she lived in Rome some years ago she invited us to drinks in her splendid apartment. At that time she wore her hair piled high; there were flashing jewels and chic clothes, and she was most affable. The last time I saw her was in June 1991, at the memorial service for Graham Greene. We sat next to each other; we were both required to get up and speak. She wore no make-up and was almost casually dressed. In her tribute to Graham she spoke of the financial help he gave her when she was a struggling writer. She said, ‘It was typical of Graham that with the monthly cheques he often sent a few bottles of red wine to “take the edge off cold charity”’. It says something very pleasing about both of them.
Alec Guinness