"Mr. Thunder"— And An Echo In Wellington

New Zealand Listener, Volume 9, Issue 218, 27 August 1943, Page 5

"Mr. Thunder"— And An Echo In Wellington

ss. ARLIER this year in an article on the Sten gun, The Listener mentioned a Mr. Thunder of Wellington who is connected with production of the weaport in New Zealand. And just re- ° cently Station 2YD began a new serial called Mr. Thunder and the telephones began to bother our acquaintance in the Munitions section of the Railway Department. But the curious thing is that this Mr: Thunder (his initials are L.W.V:) claims that he is in fact con‘nected with the original hero of the story on which the George Edwards Company based the serial (heard from 2YD at 7.33 p.m. on Sundays). Anyone who knows his Macaulay may know of the tale of the "Maids of Taunton," who supported the Monmouth rebellion in 1685. They made a silk flag with a device worked in gold, and gold edging, and presented it to the Duke of Monmouth; when the rebellion was suppressed, the donors of the flag were brought before the infamous Judge Jeffreys, who ordered their execution. The "Maids of Taunton" were the daughters’ of -some well-known families, including the Thunders, who not only gave the services of their menfolk, but also melted down the family plate to support the rebellion, so that with the subsequent confiscation of the estates, ‘they were

completely impoverished by their reverses. . The flag, when Mr. Thunder left England 17 years ago, was in the possession ,of an aunt-"the last remaining aunt" is how he describes her. ’** Mr. .Thunder is based on facts, but according to its hero’s descendant, some ‘license has been taken with them by the adaptors. In the serial, the name of -Thunder is applied to the hero, Charles, a8 a nickname, wherees in fact the name goes back well beyond the Monmouth’ rebellion.

L. W. V. THUNDER An aunt has Monmouth's flag