As a lad
growing up in the seventies I often saw Rupert Davies in lots of films; he had
an average-looking face that kept him in regular work. As a jobbing actor his ordinary
features ensured he made a good living and he was in 34 films.
While slowly making my way up the coastal road in North Wales I stopped
in a layby and walked in hot sun down to a quaint churchyard where Rupert lies.
A friendly-faced lady who was just exiting the church said, “Will you make sure
you lock the door - the goats get in and eat everything.” There was a handwritten note on the door repeating
this and a wee brass lock. The ancient St Beuno’s Church had straw on the floor
though I’m not sure why.
The churchyard is small so I soon found Rupert buried on the hill
above the church near the wall. He was born in Liverpool and was with the Fleet
Air Arm during the Second World War. Aged 24 he nearly died. He was a gunner in
a plane that crashed (or was shot down) while laying mines in the Scheldt
estuary off the Dutch coast. He and the pilot clung to a dingy and it took
eleven hours for them to paddle to shore. Here they spotted Nazi soldiers on
the beach and quickly swam back out to sea. Fortunately they were not shot but
unfortunately they were taken prisoner and eventually placed in the Stalag Luft
III prisoner of war camp (which inspired the film The Great Escape.) For five years of his incarceration Rupert tormented
the Nazi guards with three escape attempts. It’s a wonder he wasn’t shot. In
one attempt he hid inside a tower for over three weeks before trying to clamber
down 100ft to freedom. Perhaps he wouldn’t have become an actor had it not been
for the war as, while captive, he took part in theatre performances to
entertain the other prisoners.
After his release from the war camp he started acting almost
immediately and never had to get a “proper job.” He wasn’t blessed with
film-star looks but his unruly mop of hair and friendly face gave him many supporting
roles that made him a staple of British television. His gentle
slightly-authoritative demeanour meant he played priests, detectives and
doctors. There even some low-budget horror movies, often starring Vincent
Price.
His most famous role was in the BBC’s Chief Inspector Maigret series over four years. The fame
from this ensured he did some commercials that made him far more money than the
Maigret series did. He died of cancer
in London in 1976 and left a wife and two sons.
This church is down an unnamed road and looks out onto the ocean. I’m
not sure why Rupert is buried here (with his wife) as it’s a long way from the
metro-buzz London gives off. It couldn’t be more peaceful and serene. I stood
on a snail and felt guilty.
Note the straw on the floor…