June Palmer
Also known as – June Power
June Palmer Gallery
The mother of them all. The model responsible for the first erection of millions of young lads in the 1960s. June was prolific in her work, mostly because of her association with George Harrison Marks, but she also appeared in the ToCo titles and was still working professionally well into her forties for magazines such as Mayfair. Like a fine wine, she just got tastier.
She was born June Margaret Palmer in Bromley in Kent – that much is certain.
But there are contradictory theories about the details of her private life. Wikipedia, IMDb claim she did not marry until 1993, when she was 53. That does happen, of course – for librarians and accountants and academics. But for such a beautiful woman, in such an exotic job, in such a frenzied atmosphere? The odds, somehow, are against that.
Conducting research into things gone by is fraught with possibilities and dead ends, and there will inevitably be differences of opinion, Gordian knots that cannot be unravelled. But as far as this particular issue is concerned, we can put the record straight – with absolutely no question of doubt. One of my contributors has unearthed the certificate of marriage that took place on 7 November 1964 at the General Register Office of Chelsea, when photographic model June Margaret Palmer was 24 years old. The lucky man at the Chelsea wedding was 20 years her senior – 44-year-old photographer and stuntman Arthur Howell, a fascinating and charming man who enjoyed an exciting and varied career. He was Michael Caine’s stand in and the stuntman in all the famous Bond films. He was a familiar face in television making many appearances in the hit series Robin Hood and The Persuaders.
June and Arthur started and ran Strobe Studios in Clapham, South London. It was a respectable business that hired out studio space to amateur and professional photographers alike, and provided them with the models on Strobe’s books. Mary Millington (under her married name of Mary Maxted) was one of them. She made many ToCo appearances and, tragically, later committed suicide. Palmer divorced Howell (he died three years later) and she went on to marry David C. Milan in 1989 in Chelmsford, where she died suddenly in 2004.
June started her career as a topless dancer at the Windmill Theatre, where countless British starlets, actors and comedians cut their teeth. For people for whom that means nothing, watch the film Mrs Henderson Presents, starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins.
She went on to appear in all Harrison Marks’ mags (Kamera, Solo etc) and numerous 8mm glamour films made by him and others, and graduated to parts in mainline films as well.
Sadly, most of June’s work was nude studies – sadly because she made a pair of fully fashioned black nylons the sexiest things ever invented. She was curvy, leggy and sultry – and there are very few shoots of her without a shaven pussy.
Personal Details – Born 1 August 1940, died 6 January 2004 38-23-37 5ft 2in (1.58m)
Appearances – 20 (2 covers, 5 back covers) debut 66 No 48 (October 1959)
Spick – 72, 75(bc), 80, 82(bc), 228, 244
Span – 71, 72(bc), X9, X11, X12
Beautiful Britons – 56, 60, X15
Spick & Span Extra – 1, 46, 54
Funfare – 33
66 – 48, 56