The King and Dr Cannon

BBC Radio 4's 'Archive Hour' carries the fascinating story of a yogic doctor from Yorkshire who treated the King for a drinking problem.

The doctor, who was exiled to the Isle of Man, apparently had a lot of 'electrical gear', and it was feared that he was a spy. In the programme, two radio amateurs can be heard working DX and discussing propagation over salt water.

The BBC Radio 4 programme description reads:

Sean Stowell tells the strange story of a yogic doctor from Yorkshire and his role in the Edward VIII abdication crisis.

Dr Alexander Cannon was a qualified psychiatrist who practised hypnosis and, according to archives, used spirit mediums to 'advise' the King on how to deal with problems, including his heavy drinking. He also dabbled in the occult, which heightened the Church and prime minister Stanley Baldwin's concern about his role as a close confidante to the King.

The programme will be available on BBC R4's Listen Again website for the next 5 days.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00fr85x

Our thanks to PW Editor Rob Mannion, G3XFD, for alerting us to this item