7 FEBRUARY 1947, Page 5

An entry in Monday's Times recording the death of "the

only surviving son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Wilson, of Tranby Croft, Hull," strikes a suggestive note. The great Tranby Croft baccarat case is, I suppose, almost forgotten, but not quite. It was in 1886 that King Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, was a guest of the Wilsons at Tranby Croft, and a partner in a number of games of

baccarat in which another of the guests was accused of cheating. The affair was hushed up for a time, but became a cause célèbre when the accused guest brought a libel action, and the Prince of Wales was among the witnesses who gave evidence in court. It was one of Sir Edward Clarke's great cases. Now, I believe, in line with the universal destiny of great houses, Tranby Croft is a school for girls.