Two Louis XVI arm chairs, dated circa 1840, were added to the furnishings of Glenmore Mansion at the annual membership meeting in 2000.

A gift from Mr. Edward J. Davies, a British native who has lived in Jefferson City since 1992, the chairs originally came from Buckingham Palace. They were a gift of the Palace Chamberlain to Edward James Davies, the donor's father, in 1938.

Edward T. Davies, the donor's grandfather, invented the electric tumbler switch, which was installed in the Palace with the electric system in 1904. The switch was patented in England, but not in America or Japan. The grandfather founded the successful Wandsworth Electrical Manufacturing Co. Ltd. in 1904.

Later, his son, Edward James Davies, became managing director of the company that made the switches for the Palace. The Palace Chamberlain was so impressed with the company's work, he gave him the chairs as a "memento" from Buckingham Palace. The donor, aged 12 at the time (1938), remembers his father's receiving the chairs.

Constructed of cherry wood with a silk brocade cover and velvet braid, the chairs are a valuable addition to the decor of the mansion, said Helen Gray, president of the Glenmore APTA Chapter. "I have admired Glenmore since coming here and could not think of any more appropriate place for the chairs, Davies commented. They were made in England circa 1840, he added.

Of Welsh ancestry, Davies grew up in London -- a self-described "London Welshman." He served five years in the British Army during World War II participating in the Royal Welsh Fusiliers. His father was a World War I Royal Navy hero, a survivor of the Zeebrugge German Submarine Pen Raid.

Written by Tom Gentry, Publisher, for The Standard Banner.