The Greatest Tribute

The Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Thornton Wilder once wrote that ‘the greatest tribute to the dead is not grief, but gratitude’. He was absolutely right, and today – 19 August 2015 – we remember the passing of a true British icon, exactly 36 years ago.

Mary Millington headstone

Mary should never have died aged 33, of course, but, sadly, we cannot re-write history. Who knows what she would have made of the Internet age, where pornography of every flavour is freely available to anybody who desires it. If Mary were alive now – probably running her animal sanctuary on the chalky slops of Surrey’s North Downs – she’d feel vindicated that her exhausting battles with the authorities 40 years ago were not totally in vain.

This autumn Mary would’ve turned 70, and, finally, she’ll be getting the public recognition she deserves: a permanent memorial both on film and on stone.

In 2016, Mary will return to Soho…

All words and photo strictly © Simon Sheridan 2015

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