Dear editor:
As the Queen and her family mourn the passing of the much loved, admired and respected Prince Philip, I reflected on the time I met him in 1956 during his launch of The Duke of Edinburgh Award.
As I started out on my engineering career, I was honoured to be selected to attend a banquet during his visit to Short Bros. & Harlands Ltd. in Belfast, the first production aircraft manufacturer in the world. At the time, they had the pre-eminent apprentice training centre in the U.K.
Standing in the receiving line he stopped and asked “Does your tie have any political significance?” Years later reflecting on this comment my wife concluded that he was referring to my Clandeboye Golf Club tie from one of the championship golf courses situated on the estate of the 1st Marquess of Dufferin & Ava.
He would have recognized the family coat of arms of Lord Dufferin, who was the thirrd governor-general of Canada (1872-1876) and viceroy of India. Dufferin Avenue in Toronto is named after him. The golf club coat of arms mirrors the family or estate crest of Lord Dufferin, with one exception – it includes the Red Hand of Ulster, which is politically significant in Northern Ireland.
My late father, the course record holder and all Ireland amateur golf champion, and myself are both honorary members of Clandeboye Golf Club, as is David Ferherty of TV's Golf Channel.
Samuel Young
NOTL