"Want Him Back!"

The 44th birthday of the Duke of Windsor passed by in Great Britain last week with no other press notice than a seven-word announcement in the London Daily Telegraph. But the society of The Octavians, several hundred Britishers who have banded together to perpetuate the memory of the Duke as Edward VIII, were determined to accord the day more formal recognition. Some 250 members, largely middle-aged men and women, crowded into a second-rate restaurant in London's Holborn district for a commemorative dinner and dance. From the French Riviera, where he is summering with the Duchess, the Duke sent greetings.

High spot of the evening was the tearful speech of sallow-faced, hollow-eyed Novelist Compton Mackenzie, whose plans for a pro-Edward book, The Windsor Tapestry, were quashed by the Duke himself. "We want him back!" wailed Author Mackenzie. "We don't want to send greetings to France. We want to send them to Fort Belvedere [the Duke's former residence outside London]. The country needs him, for he is the greatest influence for the peace of Europe."

Another group advocating the Duke's return is the "Henchmen of Honor," founded by retired British Barrister Robert Elton. The "Henchmen" have appealed to the Duke to come to England, have received no reply. Lawyer Elton, independently seeking to reseat the Duke on the throne, bases his case on the claim that the 1936 Abdication Act, while passed by Parliament, is illegal because it was not a mandate from the people. Fortnight ago, however, his cause received its first legal setback. Founder Elton's statement of claim that the Act was "illegitimate" was refused a hearing on the grounds that it was not on the regular schedule of cases.

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