Granddaughter of Lord Horne of Stirkoke passes away
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MARY Maive Impey (née Hewson), granddaughter of General Sir Henry Horne of Stirkoke, died peacefully at her care home in Sussex on April 10, aged 96.
Maive, as she was known, was the daughter of a brigadier and spent much of her childhood in Caithness as well as at the Horne estate in Northampton when her parents were stationed abroad.
Her grandfather’s position meant that she was often in auspicious company and, as a young girl, even entertained the princesses Elizabeth and Margaret.
Maive became interested in dancing when she was young and, after a period at a dance school in London during World War II, was accepted for the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA).
In 1945, her troupe was the first to cross the Rhine and entertain the forces who were still fighting their way across Germany towards Berlin.
On leaving ENSA after the war, Maive became a professional dancer and featured in numerous West End shows of the late 1940s.
This included numerous engagements as a Bluebell girl at the Palladium where she was in revues with a young Julie Andrews.
It was also at the Palladium that she met her future husband, Norman Impey, a well-known saxophonist who had played with famous big bands of the era.
Once married, Maive had three sons and, although she lived on the outskirts of London with her family, continued to visit Caithness regularly to keep in contact with friends and family.
During that time she became a producer for large amateur dramatic societies, directing and choreographing productions of shows such as Oklahoma, Show Boat and Fiddler on the Roof as well as several Christmas pantomimes.
More recently, Maive returned to Caithness in March 2007 to be present at the rededication of a memorial fountain to General Horne which had been carefully restored by Angus Mackay of Haster.
General Lord Horne's grave in Wick was also restored and rededicated in 2018 thanks to the efforts of Captain Richard Otley and the local branch of the RBLS.
A colour party was present at the ceremony along with many local dignitaries and a party from Australia representing Anzac troops.
Maive unfortunately missed the ceremony as she was too frail to attend but was pleased to know that her grandfather had received recognition for his prominent role in the Allied victory.
General Horne was instrumental in the British Army's use of a military tactic known as "creeping barrage" on the Western Front – which helped end the war much sooner than might have been the case – and is also remembered for helping save many thousands of lives by organising the evacuation of troops from the Gallipoli Peninsula in November 1915, described as a "masterpiece of planning, ingenuity, and deception" by historian John Terraine.
Maive’s husband died suddenly in March 1977 and she is survived by her three sons.
Mary Maive Impey – April 9, 1924, to April 10, 2020.
