Sir Hardy Amies – Fashion Designer – 1960
Phantom Threads is supposed to be Daniel Day-Lewis’s swan song, but I suppose he will be enticed back to appear in cameo roles.
I saw PT yesterday afternoon after an excellent lunch (parsnip soup and steak and kidney pudding) with my host, Alan. Have you seen the film? Then you don’t need to be told anything. If you haven’t let’s just say that it is a dark psycho-drama with more than a hint of Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk.
In the 1990s I rented a place at the intersection of Wiltshire, Dorset and Hampshire: the potting shed. For once I don’t digress because out of work actor, Daniel D-L, laid the flagstones on my garden path and today we both have Irish passports. After I had been a tenant for some five years I moved on but my lovely landlady, Patricia, asked if it would be OK for a prospective tenant to take a look. So it came about that another Knight of the stage, Sir Michael Gambon, dropped in for several drinks. We have, sort of, stayed in touch in that he is a patron of the PG Wodehouse Society. Actually I realise that I remember him better than he recalls our gin fuelled evening at the potting shed.
The weather has been frigid in London and no doubt super-plus-friggers where ever you are. This evening I welcome an OOM and tomorrow morning we are going to do what OOMs do. She, my first cousin, is coming to stay for an Ornithology Observation Mission. I hope my fingers won’t be frozen clutching my bins.
By the way, the film reminded me of Hardy Amies, Sir Hardy as he became. The woman who loyally came to clean his house in the Cotswolds was accustomed to greet him thus – “Morning Mr Amies”. She got short shrift: “Sir Hardy please.” She told him that if Mr Amies wasn’t good enough she was off – and off she went.
Sir Hardy had a similar problem in his village pub. “Do you expect me to pay for that disgusting food?” “No, Sir Hardy it’s on the house but I don’t expect you to come here ever again.” Awkward for HA who liked to take his weekend guests to the pub.
Although a huge snob, Amies did not swank about his wartime exploits, organising assassinations of Nazis and Nazi sympathisers.
Lt Amies of the Intelligence Corp did a stint at Aldershot in 1940 (his room mate was Enoch Powell) after which he went on to command the Belgium section of the SOE, rising to the rank of lieutenant-colonel and being highly decorated by the Belgians. Under his dirction, Section T, as it was codenamed, undertook many dangerous and successful actions. Operation Painter involved infiltrating two Belgians into an SS-run garage from where, using Gestapo contacts, they provided the Allies with the German order of battle after the Battle of the Bulge. Another operation, codenamed Trouser Press, provided the very first clandestine wireless link from Germany.
The BBC did a 4 part documentary in 2000 that reveals indirectly but unmistakenly, that in January 1944 Amies co-ordinated Operation Ratweek, SOE’s assassination of top Nazis and their quislings across Western Europe just before D-Day.
The pub in the village where Hardy A. lived is the Bell Inn, Langford and it has had varying fortunes over the years. However after being vacant for some time it has recently been taken over by two young chefs and the food and drink is excellent.
http://www.thebelllangford.com