The photograph on the right was taken during the Prince of Wales? visit to Okehampton on May 25, 1921. The Prince, later to become Edward VIII, had just been officially welcomed to Okehampton by the mayor, Brendon Ball Newcombe, at the crossroads between the White Hart Hotel and the town hall. The shops and streets were much decorated for this Royal visit. There were flags and bunting and Fore Street was thronged with just about everybody who was available in Okehampton and district. In the photograph the Prince is shaking hands with Ernest Webber, landlord of the London Hotel. Edward spent some time in the town before carrying out a tour of the duchy. He must, however, be the only member of the Royal Family to walk to Cranmere Pool. In a distinguished group of seven people, he made the pilgrimage accompanied by Sir Walter Peacock, Admiral Sir Lionel Halsey, Mr William Proudfoot, Lord Clinton, Mr Jim Endacott and Mr Raleigh Philpotts. There were two extra members: one was an intrepid unnamed reporter from the Western Morning News who, presumably, carried the heavy camera equipment and certainly deserved a ?scoop?. The heir apparent observed, after he tested the weight of the equipment ?You deserve fifty photographs for carrying this ten miles?. The other was William Rich, a Dartmoor worthy of his time, redoubtable, garrulous, expert moorsman and with his sturdy thickset figure and his white beard he was a familiar sight. William Rich acted as his guide to Cranmere Pool and to a visit to the Rattlebrook Peat Works. On this particular day, the Prince had ridden from Princehall, where he was staying, and afterwards travelled to the Rattlebrook Peat Works, then a major employer of local labour. These peat works, high up on Dartmoor, were in fact only some two and a half miles in a direct line from Bridestowe Station, but the exceptional gradient necessitated a railway line double that length to overcome the 100 foot difference in height. A little know fact about this moorland railway is that it was standard, not narrow, gauge as believed by many people. Furthermore, since its inception, the journeys had been made with horsedrawn trucks. However, with the ending of the 1914-1918 war, a local engineering firm produced a petrol-driven vehicle. One of the trucks had been cleaned and specially prepared for the Prince so that he could make his descent in comfort and relative dignity. However, the Prince refused and asked for ?Rich?s whereabouts?. He then joined Rich in one of the workmens? trucks. As the Prince sat down, Rich in his own inimitable syle welcomed him with ?Hello my boy ? how?s your father?? As they made their descent through the flag-waving crowd, Rich delighted the Prince by waving, bowing and generally acknowledging the cheers of the people wo had turned out to see the Prince! When they reached their destination, Rich shook the Prince of Wales heartily by the hand saying ?Goodbye, Sir, and when you get home, give my love to Mother?. To which the Prince replied ?I will, Rich, I will?. Our William Rich clearly made an impression on the Prince because the next time the Prince visited the Royal Cornwall Show, Rich was among the people lined up to be presented to him. Ignoring the others, the Prince walked straight up to him and shook hands, saying ?Well, Rich, how are you?? Edward?s next recorded visit seems to be in May 1930 when he landed at the Okehampton Airfield at Folly Gate. In his famous cap and plus fours, he had flown in his specially painted Tiger Moth to visit Okehampton and his Duchy property. It is not clear whether anyone from the Okehampton Borough Council were in the welcoming party, as it seemed to be low key. There was, however, a high ranking RAF officer and Mr Nichols, the Duchy Estate manager, there to shake hands. As King Edward VIII, he was only to reign for 324 days before his abdication. Hilary and Mike Wreford