Sixty years ago today I was 5 years old (well, 5 ¾ actually) and confined to bed, as I gradually recovered from a bad attack of measles. I can still vividly remember that February day when my grandmother, who lived next-door, came into the bedroom to tell me that it had just been announced on the radio that the King had died in the night. An unusual thing to tell a five-year-old, perhaps, but she was genuinely upset and it is my first memory of any event beyond our small family circle.
Fast forward 16 months, to the cold and damp June day of the new Queen’s coronation. This is another indelible memory for me, as it marks my first experience of television. All over Britain
My third childhood memory of the Queen can’t be dated exactly, but I can’t have been more than 8. By then we had moved out of the town where I was born and lived in a small village on the western fringe of the Pennines. One morning my parents took my younger sisters and me into town on the early bus and we stood for what seemed like hours in the town centre, overlooking the market place and Town Hall, waiting to see the young Queen, who was visiting our part of Lancashire that day. I remember the cavalcade of cars coming down the road from the station amid a forest of waving arms, and then having a tiny figure in a pale coat, on a distant stage outside the Town Hall, pointed out to me as the Queen.
From those childhood memories onward, an awareness of the Queen as our hard-working head of state has been the background to my entire life. So today is, for me at least, not a day to debate the merits of monarchy versus presidency as a system for providing a head of state, nor is it a day to dwell on the inevitable failings of any one individual or family. Rather it is a day to acknowledge with gratitude a lifetime of dedicated service by one woman to her country and its people, and to say that today, as every day, I am glad and proud to be British.
Images via Wikipedia and Google
Hello Perpetua:
ReplyDeleteIt is very strange the things that remain in one's memory from the early days of childhood. The King's death is also something that, although of a tender age,we remember. Playing funerals seems now an odd thing to have done, but that was our game of the day!!!
In days of incredible uncertainty and constant change, HM THe Queen has provided a constancy and commitment that is a great tribute to her and a role model for others.
I had my tonsils taken out (on our kitchen table, would you believe?) the week before the Coronation. I was 7 then, and my first outing after the operation was to go downstairs to the only flat with TV, where all the neighbours had gathered to eat canapés (I didn't like the over-sophisticated taste) and drink wine and sing all the verses of God Save the Queen. The whole week is etched on my memory in surprising detail.
ReplyDeleteHello Jane and Lance. Indeed it is strange what we remember from our early days. I don't think the idea of funerals was in my mind at all back then, but I do clearly remember my grandmother's distress at the news.
ReplyDeleteFor the Queen to have sustained her role so well for so long is indeed a great achievement and a wonderful example.
On the kitchen table?!! Gosh, that makes my 4 days in hospital for the same thing not long after the Queen's visit look very ordinary.
ReplyDeleteI wonder ho many similar gatherings there were around the relatively few TV sets of those days? I'm sure the adults must have been invited to our coronation viewing, but I don't remember them there, just the crowded huddle of children on the floor in front of the screen.
I remember 60 years ago today being told in a special assembly at school that the King had died. Strangely I don't remember being told we had a new Queen, only to expect the local shops to be shut after school - as they were.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it interesting what we all remember about that time, Nancy? I suppose it depends where we were and what we were doing and also how old we were. For a child, having the shops closed after school meant no chance to buy sweets on the way home. I too don't remember being told about a new Queen, just that the King had died.
ReplyDeleteHello Perpetua - As you know, like H.M. the Queen, I too celebrate my 'Diamond Jubilee' this year but in 20 days time. Therefore unlike you, I can't claim to remember the events of this day sixty years ago.
ReplyDeleteHowever like you, my earliest childhood memory is also associated with the Queen. Just after my fourth birthday, on 23rd March 1956, the Queen & Prince Philip came to my home city of Coventry to lay the foundation stone of the new Coventry Cathedral. As part of their tour of the city, they also visited the Jaguar car factory in Brown's Lane, the street where I lived with my parents & two elder sisters. Thus the royal motorcade came past our house twice - once on the way there & then again on the way back.
My sisters never fail to remind me that I didn't realise it was the Queen the first time she passed by. Why? Because as a four year old, I was convinced that I should be looking for a lady with a crown on her head!
I was 16 nearly 17 years old when the King died and 18 and 3 months when the Queen was crowned.
ReplyDeleteI was working in the export dept of Rover cars at Solihull when George the V1 died and the message of his death was broadcast throughout the entire complex, export office, factory, trial track etc.
There was a general feeling of shock even from those like myself from anti-royalist backgrounds.
I too saw the coronation a year later on the 12 inch TV of a friend, the only family I knew who owned one and can remember distinctly that on this soaking wet day how well this small, slight girl carried herself, and feeling a reluctant admiration for her demeanour.
These days I have enormous respect for they admirable way she has conducted her life. For her unfailing grace and courtesy and her fortitude under the most trying of circumstances.
Yes, one has to be of a certain age to have these particular memories, Ricky. It's interesting though that your earliest memory is also linked to the Queen. It was such a big thing to have a royal visit back then and people turned out in their droves. I love the thought of the 4yr-old you, looking in vain for the Queen's crown as she was driven by. :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this, Ray. It's so interesting to have the memories of someone old enough to remember in much more detail how the news of the King's death was received, even by someone who wasn't a fan of royalty.
ReplyDeleteI can well imagine your reluctant admiration for the young queen's dignity at her coronation and I'm glad that you too now esteem her highly for the way she has lived a life and a calling she didn't choose.
I'm going to avoid the political / philosophical debate too and agree that she has given a lifetime of service and pleasure to others, which deserves recognition regardless of views on monarchy.
ReplyDeleteAnd of how many people can that be said, Mark? My working life adds up to 30 years, just half of hers.
ReplyDeleteAloha Perpetua...
ReplyDeleteI was sent up to the shops to buy something for my Mum and saw the huge newspaper poster outside announcing the death of the King. I remember I was shocked and sat down on the stoop and cried. I was about seven. Have no idea why the news upset me so much..but Aussie's were very enamored of the Royals back then, so maybe that's why.
Hello Astrid and welcome. That is such a clear memory you describe, and very interesting, as being the first I've had from the wider Commonwealth perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy father spent 8 years in Australia as a young man in the 1930s and he always remembered how the Australians he knew then still talked about Britain as the home country. Twenty years later the identification with Britain via the monarchy was obviously still there, and you must have absorbed it as a child, hence your strong reaction.
Thank you for this.
Dear Perpetua,
ReplyDeleteYour posting today and all the comments are so interesting to a woman from the United States who was fifteen when Queen Elizabeth II was crowned. I don't have any memories of the day, but I do remember seeing her picture and that of Margaret's many time in the weekly reader we got at the Catholic grade and high school. That was during WWII and after.
I wanted to be just like those two sisters--steadfast during the war.
I am so impressed with how you in your posting and the readers in their comments acknowledge the dedication of the queen, despite sometimes differing views of the worth of monarchy. In the United States,
people often get testy when hearing differing views. Some seem unable to acknowledge the good things that a leader, perhaps a politician, has done.
Now I know that the Queen is not a politician, but she is a person of influence on her country. She has and does lead. That's all I mean.
Peace.
Hello Dee. I'm glad you've enjoyed the post and the comments. I know that there has always been a lot of interest in the US in our Royal Family, as your memories of seeing wartime pictures of the young princesses show. I think the fact that King George VI and his family remained in London throughout the war is one of the reasons he was much loved and his death was so mourned.
ReplyDeleteI think that I and those who have commented all recognise how devotedly the Queen has served for so long and that her Jubilee isn't the time to debate whether we should still have a monarchy. Speaking purely personally, I value the fact that our head of state is above politics. in addition I hope I would always be able to see the good in someone, even if I profoundly disagreed with what they said or did.
Too young to remember this day so I've spent my whole life with this Queen and can't imagine it any other way. Whilst a very long way from being a royalist, I am always very impressed at the Queen's stamina and commitment - and 'royalness', I suppose is the word.
ReplyDeleteSixty years is a long time indeed - and yes, I think she's done (and still doing) a sterling job.
Ax
That must be true of the majority of Britons, Annie. The Queen is a fact of life and it's hard to imagine it without her.
ReplyDeleteHaving just watched the first part of Andrew Marr's documentary "Diamond Queen", I’m very impressed by how hard she has always worked, not just in public appearances but behind the scenes at her desk. I felt tired just watching her and she's 85!
Not being British I have no great emotional ties to the Queen but I can admire her for the way she has conducted herself over the years. A true monarch.
ReplyDeleteBeloved is of the old school too, he won't have a word said against her.
What a heartfelt tribute to the Queen, Perpetua. She has been steadfast and dedicated to her role and her country for so long. I think someone else said constancy.
ReplyDeleteI can only imagine your grandmother's distress at the news of the King's death, but, I'm also struck by the fact that in coming to your room and telling you, she was placing you as a young child into the context of history. That your parents took you to wave at the Queen's cavalcade is also outstanding. So many don't give children these moments in time any more - at least hereabouts.
I admire Queen Elizabeth for so many reasons and she deserves credit for all she has done and stands for. Dee's comment about differing views and respecting that is so true. Respectfully disagreeing seems to be a lost art at the moment. I also feel that one should always respect and honor the office held, in spite of one's personal viewpoint. Here I go rambling on.
Your pride and honoring the Queen are wonderfully rendered in your words today.
My first memory of Queen Elizabeth as an American child was of her visit to Chicago as part of the commemoration of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. She stepped onto land at Buckingham Fountain which until this summer I thought was named for Buckingham Palace. (it was for a Chicagoan). Funny how something like that sticks in one's mind.
Me, again. Sorry, but, I thought you might appreciate this post from a gentle blog that I visit. Pamela says better than I how many of us feel about Elizabeth.
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I really enjoyed reading your memories, Perpetua. I am currently reading a really wonderful book about Queen Elizabeth. My grandmother gave me such an appreciation for the Queen. I intend to share on that at some point. I have a nice collection of memorabilia from the coronation that I'd like to share...my American friends are a little perplexed with my enthusiasm! This was a wonderful post. I have a great deal of respect for her, too. And that's from the "other" side of the pond :-) Debra
ReplyDeleteI feel the same as Mark really. Leaving personal views of the monarchy aside, she has done an incredible job. Utter dedication for 60 years would be hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteTja, liebe Perpetua, in Deinem Nationalstolz kann ich Dir natürlich nicht folgen, da ich als Deutsche ja keinen mehr haben darf aufgrund der grauenvollen Leistung meines Landes im 2.Weltkrieg. Mir hat übrigens sehr imponiert, dass die Mutter der Queen, als sie selbst in Amt und Würden war, mit ihrer Familie London während des Bombardemants nicht verlassen hat. Das ist Haltung und Pflichterfüllung als Projektionsfläche bzw. als Leitfigur. Wir leiden ja zur zeit unter unserem käuflichen Präsidenten, aber der geht ja bald mit der nächsten Wahl. Und wir dürfen seine Pension bezahlen. Liebe Kathy, ob very british oder nicht, Elisabeth II macht einen tollen Job, da folge ich Dir in Deinen Gefühlen. Ich stoße mit Dir auf die Frau an, die eine würdige Vertreterin unseres Geschlechts ist. Prost und good save the Queen!
ReplyDeleteFriko I would guess that a fair proportion of Britons don’t feel such ties either, but I would hope that they can still recognise how hard she has worked and how well she has fulfilled her role, and indeed continues to do so. There are plenty too who feel just as your Beloved does and revere her.
ReplyDeleteThank you Penny, both for your appreciation of my post and also of our Queen. It is good to know that her dedicated service and yes, constancy (such a good word to describe her) is so widely recognised outside Britain as well as here. I think you make an important point with your distinction between the office and the holder and the respect due to the latter.
ReplyDeleteYesterday evening I watched the first part of a 3 part documentary by Andrew Marr on the sixty years of the Queen’s reign and ended it more impressed than ever by her self-discipline and sheer hard work, which continues at an age when most of us are long retired and following our own interests.
Finally, I love the thought of my grandmother placing me, probably all unwittingly, in the context of history. It certainly opened my eyes to the world outside the safe confines of home. It’s fun too to think of you as a child learning about our Queen through her visit to your city, just as I too remember her visit to my very ordinary little home town.
PS Thank you for the link to such a beautifully-written post
Thank you, Debra, it was good to recall them on that special day. Are you reading the book by Andrew Marr, by any chance? I mentioned in my reply to Penny that I watched the first part of his documentary and would be interested to read the book that goes with it.
ReplyDeleteI shall look forward to reading your post on the Queen and your memorabilia of her coronation. I can easily imagine your Scottish grandmother passing on to you her respect and admiration for her, even on your side of the pond. Over here all the schoolchildren were give a coronation mug, but sadly mine hasn’t withstood the ravages of time.
Absolutely, Ayak. The amazing thing is that she seems to have no intention of withdrawing from public life and still works very hard and conscientiously. She must have great stamina and self-discipline.
ReplyDeleteIch sehe es anders, R. Ja, was in den Kriegesjahren geschehen ist, kann man nicht leicht vergessen oder vergeben. Aber was Ihr nach dem Krieg geschaffen habt, wie Deutschland sich wiederaufgebaut und für Frieden und Kooperation in Europa gearbeitet hat, davon dürft Ihr meiner Meinung nach stolz sein.
ReplyDeleteIch meine wie Du, dass die Königin am tollsten ihre Rolle gespielt hat. Noch heute arbeitet sie trotz ihren 85 Jahren rechy tüchtig. Eine erstaunliche Frau.
Hear, hear! What an extraordinary example of duty and hard work the Queen sets the rest of us. I often think we don't know how lucky we are to have had her steady hand at the helm for so long. Perhaps this Jubilee year will help to remind us. God bless her!
ReplyDeleteThanks, DB. I agree entirely with what you say. Duty isn't a word we hear often today, but if we want to know what it means in practice, we only have to look at the Queen. As for the hard work, she appears to be indefatigable at an age when most people are taking life very easy.
ReplyDeletePerpetua, as you know, this is my next-door neighbour we're talking about! (I exaggerate only slightly!) I missed all the coronation excitement, for which I blame my parents, but only because they hadn't even met at the time. Round these parts, I guess we take the royals for granted, as they form part of the local landscape. But then, they form part of the national landscape too, and it would be quite a different landscape without them. I like to think of her "indoors" at Windsor Castle, in a pair of comfy slippers with her feet up, enjoying a nice cup of tea and watching the TV. It would be good to think that she can (and does) relax from time to time! She's certainly earned it!
ReplyDeleteC, thanks for reminding me that some people really do have the Queen as a neighbour as well as a monarch. So different to see her and her family routinely around the area, instead of only on TV or glimpsed on an official visit. It’s probably easier in those circumstances to picture the comfy slippers and cup of tea scenario, with the corgis on the sofa, and this is a welcome contrast to the image of pomp and formality which surrounds her so much of the time. The woman as well as the sovereign.
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