Quotations from P G Wodehouse are copyright of, and reprinted by permission of, the Trustees of the Wodehouse Estate © 2012 The P G Wodehouse Society (UK)

Happy Birthday, Patrick!

By Norman Murphy

On the 12th March 2010, Patrick Wodehouse (PGW’s nephew) celebrates his 90th birthday, and members of the Society join all Wodehouseans in wishing him many happy returns.

There are still people around who knew Plum, but few with memories that go back as far as Patrick’s. He remembers, as a schoolboy, being carried on Plum’s shoulders at Bexhill-on-Sea (better known as Bingley/Bramley-on-Sea). He remembers often having Sunday lunch there with Plum’s parents and, later, the impressive establishment at Norfolk Street, Mayfair, complete with butler and footman. On the opening night of A Week With Wodehouse in 2007 (Please see our Recent Events section for full coverage of this memorable week), Patrick delighted the crowd with stories about Plum and Ethel that only he could tell.

Patrick Wodehouse enthrals everyone at the opening night of A Week With Wodehouse in 2007

In 1983 Patrick, then widowed, married Nancy Kominsky (remember the Paint Along with Nancy series on TV?), and their silver wedding anniversary in 2008 was quite a party. Always cheerful, always optimistic, he now becomes the Society’s Oldest Member, a font of wisdom and humour. We hope Patrick will enjoy many more  birthdays in the future and warn him now that we shall be expecting him to contribute an article on his hundredth!