The Postcard
A postcard bearing no publisher's name that was posted in Paignton using a 2d. stamp on Tuesday the 30th. August 1949. It was sent to:
Mrs. R. L. Wadmore-Smith,
'Fremington',
50 Castle Avenue,
Ewell,
Surrey.
The London Gazette of the 9th. July 1940 records that on the 14th. June 1940, Ralph Wadmore Smith changed his name by deed poll to Ralph Wadmore Wadmore-Smith, thus acquiring a longer name and a double-barrelled surname.
The message on the divided back of the card was as follows:
"Paignton, S. Devon
29. 8. 49.
I hope you will all have a
lovely day tomorrow at
Margate.
The weather here still
keeps good.
We have been to Torquay
today to meet Uncle H.
Aunt B. was not well so
did not come.
We are meeting them on
Thursday afternoon at
Kingskerswell.
Tomorrow we are going by
coach to Dartmeet.
Will write again soon about
our homecoming.
With much love to all the
Smith family,
M."
Vane Hill
The attractive view of Vane Hill on the card no longer exists - three brutally ugly blocks of flats have replaced elegant Victorian villas on the hill. Apart from being an incongruent eyesore, the blocks completely overshadow and dominate the former Riviera Hotel.
To see the three blocks, please search for the tag 54TTH29
Vane Hill has been subjected to Croydonisation. Croydonisation is a pejorative term meaning the indiscriminate throwing up of assorted high-rise buildings in an area with little if any regard for their aesthetics or their effect on their immediate environment. Croydon in south London has led the way in this respect.
Torquay
Torquay is a seaside town in Devon, England. It lies 18 miles (29 km) south of the county town of Exeter, and 28 miles (45 km) east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton on the west of the bay and across from the fishing port of Brixham.
The town's economy, like Brixham's, was initially based upon fishing and agriculture; however, in the early 19th. century it began to develop into a fashionable seaside resort.
Later, as the town's fame spread, it was popular with Victorian society. Renowned for its mild climate, the town earned the nickname the English Riviera.
The writer Agatha Christie was born in the town and lived at Ashfield in Torquay during her early years. There is an "Agatha Christie Mile", a tour with plaques dedicated to her life and work.
The poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning lived in the town from 1837 to 1841. This was on the recommendation of her doctor in an attempt to cure her of a disease which is thought likely to have been tuberculosis.
Her former home now forms part of the Regina Hotel in Vaughan Parade.
Apartheid
So what else happened on the day that the card was posted?
Well, on the 30th. August 1949, Apartheid was officially introduced to South African post offices when counters in two Cape Town offices were segregated into white and non-white sections, with more to follow soon afterwards.
Peter Maffay
The day also marked the birth in Brașov, Romania, of the musician Peter Maffay.
Peter was the son of a German (Transylvanian Saxon). He was 14 when his family relocated to his parents' West Germany in 1963. In the same year, he started his first band, The Dukes. After completing his education and working for Chemigraphics, an art manufacturer, Maffay worked in clubs, where he distributed his music.
-- Peter Maffay's Career
Maffay's career started with the publication of his first single, "Du" ("You"). It was his biggest German hit in 1970 and brought him instant fame.
With the 1979 album Steppenwolf, he became a major music star in Germany. The album sold 1.6 million copies, making it one of the best selling albums at that time.
In 1980, the album Revanche ("Revenge") broke his previous record, selling more than 2.1 million copies.
Together with German Singer-Songwriter Johnny Tame he formed a successful country rock duo in 1976 called Tame & Maffay. They released two albums and continued a close cooperation until 1985.
Maffay also created a string of fairy tales about a little green dragon named Tabaluga. The tales, which spanned five albums, were also turned into a musical.
Maffay went on tour individually with Tabaluga & Lilli in Germany; he later released a live album, DVD, and made a live TV broadcast.
In 1998, Maffay created an album in collaboration with global artists, including Aboriginal singers and musicians from Israel, called "Begegnungen".
Julia Neigel, another German artist, is one of the musicians he usually works with in lyrics and singing in duets. She wrote two of his top singles, "Freiheit die ich meine" and "Siehst du die Sonne", a cover of Michel Polnareff's "La Poupée qui fait non".
Maffay also starred in two films directed by Peter Patzak—Lethal Obsession in 1987 and Captive in Yemen in 1999—for which Tony Carey provided the soundtrack. In addition, Maffay played a supporting role in 1998's The Polar Bear.
On the 12th. March 2011, Maffay received the Steiger Award.
Maffay holds the German record for the most number one ranked album sales charts, including 16 albums. In addition, each of his studio albums since 1979 has reached the top ten.
Peter also holds the German record for the most albums to have sold over one million copies, with a total of 14. His 2005 album, Laut und Leise ("Loud and Quiet"), became the 14th.
Altogether, Maffay has sold over 40 million records, which makes him one of the top selling artists in Germany. Since 1980, each of his 13 tours (roughly every two years) has ranked among the third most-visited musical events in Germany, with nine of them ranked first in that category.
The first leg of his 2015 tour (19 Arena shows) sold out nearly a year in advance.
In 2022, Maffay served as a judge on The Voice of Germany.
In September 2023, American singer Anastacia released her album Our Songs; Maffay duetted with Anastacia on the song "Just You", an English-translated version of the former's "So bist du".
-- Peter Maffay's Personal Life
Maffay is active in politics, and sometimes inserts his own political stances into his music. He is a peace activist, and in 2005 he performed a concert for German International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) troops in Afghanistan.
Maffay also donates to projects for traumatised and abused children. On the Spanish island of Mallorca, he established a ranch where traumatised children from all over the world can have a free two-week holiday to help them cope with their problems.
For his social commitment, Peter received the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1996, and, in 2001, he received the Goldene Henne, an award commemorating Helga Hahnemann. He was awarded the Toleranzpreis der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing in 2012.
Maffay has been married four times, has a son and lives with his family on a farm on Mallorca. One of his hobbies is motorcycle riding. In 1972, he was severely injured in an accident after crashing his Harley-Davidson. Later in life, he crossed the Sahara Desert several times on an off-road motorcycle.
