You might wonder why I have chosen a random day some sixty five years ago,
But it is not just a date, it is adate that resonates to this very day. It was the date that our current Queen was crowned at Westminster Abbey.
In the period between 1902 and 1952, we had had three Kings whereas to date, we have only known Queen Elizabeth the Second. Although I do not go overboard about the Royal Family, I can see that they play a vitally important role within these shores and to a great extent, abroad (more of that later).
The Queen has a calming influence wherever she goes and although we have lost our empire, she is still respected in most democratic countries around the world. Britain’s power might have been somewhat diluted but it is still a major player which is often forgotten by many.
One only has to look how the Queen has stood above the Brexit feeding frenzy to understand how important her role still is. In a way nothing has changed, but a great deal has changed. The Queen is more accessible than she once was and the Royal Family have followed her lead. Whether it be the two handsome princes or Meghan and Kate, people feel that they are part of our lives and not locked away in an ivory tower, but a short trip around the Arcade will show you that this was not always the case.
Britain in 2019 is nothing like the Britain of 1953. First of all, there are no natural leaders anymore. We have had none since Churchill. I frequently see Churchill memorabilia when walking around the Arcade and can clearly remember his funeral in 1965. It is unlikely that we will see crowns minted in honour of anybody in government, even the hardworking.
When Churchill died a nation mourned and I still have my silver crown presented to me by my school. On the subject of medals and coins, you do not have to look far to find these items and for the most part they are incredibly cheap (Irarely pay more than a couple of quid). The same applies to ceramics where you can quite easily purchase a mug, a cup or for that matter, a trio for less than a fiver. Just take your choice whether it be a coronation, a jubilee or any other celebration, there are stalls in both passages that offer a great deal of choice.
What has surprised me over the years is that apart from the traditional wares how many other items are available to collect. I have collected ashtrays, calendars, letter racks and glass plates to name but a few and please, do not get me started on pewter souvenirs. But one date really stands out and that is the 2nd of June 1953. Let me confirm that contrary all rumours, I was not there. I may be able to remember the Bay of Pigs and the assassination of JFK, but I was not even a twinkle in those far off days.
My mother (who is now ninety-five), has told me that it was a typical summers day. (It was raining catsand dogs) and the newsreels of the day confirm this fact. Apart from the weather, the Coronation was pretty similar to previous ones but there were some differences. One of these was that this was the first Coronation to be fully televised. Believe it or not, this decision was fiercely debated by the cabinet as Winston had been against the idea for some reason. But the young Elizabeth put her foot down and because of this, we have a great record of the event. The newsreels of the day also enhance the memories of the day.
Whilst the television and media coverage of the recent royal marriages has been quite fun. The commentators seem to be more excited by who has actually shown up for the event (I haveseen Posh and Becks and is that Demi Moore?) than anything else.
Although a royal marriage is nothing like a royal Coronation, the coverage has changed beyond recognition. In preparation for this article, I have watched a few newsreels and part of the BBC coverage and it is true. The past is another country. There is a sense of splendour and awe which still transmits itself over sixty years. In a way, we are more familiar with the royals these days and whilst we respect the institution, we are no longer in awe of them.
When the King visited Hungerford in 1912, the whole town dressed itself up (just check online as there aresome great photographs). Whereas, if the Queen visited our little town today then we might dress ourselves up a bit (I keep my best frock in the wardrobe just in case), but I do not think that there would be bunting everywhere and I would be surprised to see an arch, which I believe was erected in honour of King George’s visit.
I am aware that if I wrote fully about that early June day, then Tolstoy would have nothing on me. So I have decided to list ten interesting facts about the coronation.
1. The actual coronation was fourteen months in the planning and the first meeting of the Coronation Commission took place under the chairmanship of the Duke of Edinburgh.
2. The total cost of the coronation was around £1.6 million (just under £40 million in today’s money).
3. King George the Sixth died on the 6th of February 1952 and obviously this triggered the whole event. But what is lesser known is that Queen Mary died on the 24th of March 1953, but stipulated in her will that her passing should not affect the planning of the Coronation.
4. The Coronation was watched by a television audience of some twenty million people worldwide.
5. Over two hundred microphones were positioned along the route towards Westminster Abbey with seven hundred commentators broadcasting in thirty-nine different languages (phew!).
6. The return procession took a route that was some five miles in distance passing through Whitehall, Hyde Park, Oxford Circus and many other memorable locations.
7. The length of the procession was over two miles long and it took around forty-five minutes to pass any given point.
8. I am led to believe that guests at the Coronation were given the opportunity to purchase their stools with all profits going towards the cost of the Coronation. (Imagine how much one of the stools wouldfetch today).
9. In common with her father’s Coronation, acorns from Windsor Great Park were shipped around the Commonwealth and planted in various locations. They were known as the Royal Oaks or Coronation Oaks.
10. To celebrate the event a football tournament called The Coronation Cup was held . This was won by Celtic who beat Hibernian 2-0 in the final. In essence, this one off tournament was a competition between the best in Scotland and the best in England. Arsenal, Manchester United, Spurs and Newcastle were the English clubs invited along with both Newcastle (0-4) to Hibernian and Manchester United (1-2) to Celtic going out at the semi final stage.
I could have gone on forever but we all have a home to go to so I will let you read up about the coronation and all the fun and games that surrounded it on the internet or elsewhere.
One souvenir that was issued at the time was an Overseas Daily Mirror and Sunday Pictorial (SundayMirror) special which is part of my current collection. It covers the period from May the 28th to June the 3rd 1953 and is in essence, the copies of the said newspapers for that period. Most of the features obviously are about the Coronation although there is other news and of course, Garth.
In retrospect, it seems (especially for a so called socialist newspaper) somewhat over the top, but have things really changed as the Daily Mirror is just an upmarket Sun these days?
The Jubilee of 1977 was a splendid affair as was Charles and Diana’s wedding in 1981.
The weddings of William and Harry brought a lot of happiness to the country so it would be wrong of me to suggest that when the next Coronation occurs, it would not be as big as the 1953 one. But have we really changed?
The curse of correctness inhibits the free thinking of many people and to some extent, we cannot use the language that was used only thirty years ago which in my view, was never offensive. It seems that most of the free western world is in on a guilt trip about the empires once held and about history itself. You cannot change history only understand it. When I was in my twenties whilst being aware of history, I also understood it well.
At college I studied the Belgium Congo and the awful things that were perpetrated in the name of their King. But I was also aware that when our neighbours pulled out in the early 1960s there was a rigid infrastructure in place with schools, hospitals, railways and the like serving this tragic country. Two of my heroes originated from this period, Pierre de Brazza and Henry Morton Stanley, but mention these to the average man/woman today and you would get a negative response.
It was not like this in 1953 as most people were very proud of their country (I would like to think that amajority of us are today) and souvenirs such as the Daily Mirror Overseas Edition would have sold in their thousands.
That is why when you walk around the Arcade there are so many 1953 souvenirs for sale.
Indeed, they outnumber the 1935-1937 and surprisingly the Charles and Diana ones by at least five to one.
Obviously, the further back you go then there is less chance that these items would have survived the ravages of time. This said, I often see Victorian memorabilia in very good condition so to some extent this defeats my soft argument. My mother tells me that the country in 1953 was overwhelmed with all kinds of coronation souvenirs.
One has to remember that this was the first really big occasion in the country since the cessation of hostilities in 1945. It was time for the country to celebrate and enjoy itself once more and the plethora of memorabilia that was produced is evidence of that. It was a televised event and although televisions were not that common everybody had a chance to be part of the big day. I am told that individual families (with televisions) had Coronation parties and that friends and neighbours crowded into their homes to witness the event. This is not to mention the street parties that took place (this was repeated in 1977 but seems to have diedout a little since). I have a large collection of royal souvenirs dating from 1887 onwards and it is not because I am an ardent royalist. I just collect them.
Contrary to modern thinking, the Royal Family has an important part to play in this the most democratic of countries. The Queen acts as a filter and always has done so and in my view, we are very lucky to have her. Her son is exactly the same and I think that this country will be in good hands when Charles takes on the position (this said, I hope the Queen like her mum stays with us for years to come).
I was in Lyon last summer and it is one of the most relaxed and agreeable of French cities, but last weekend there was violence on the streets between the right and the left.
We are more like the French than we like to consider, the main difference is that we still have a Queen and a Royal Family and this gives our Christian democracy a rigid stability.
I often watch visitors to the Arcade purchasing royal memorabilia even though they are not collectors like me. Whether they are coronation souvenirs dating from 1953 or just run of the mill items they mean something to a lot of people and I doubt that this is going to fade any time soon.
Before I close, I will return to my Daily Mirror coronation souvenir as there is a photograph that in the light of its history sends shivers down my spine. It is on the front page of the Daily Mirror dated May 29th 1953. This leads with with exclusive about The Shame of Piccadilly (it appears that someone did not decorate this famous area) but tucked away, there is a small photograph which notes the following:
“And look what the the families of Rillington Place , Notting Hill Gate, London have made of their street. These forty families collected their pennies and shillings and raised a Coronation fund of more than £114″.
The occupant of 10 Rillington Place was a John Reginald Christie who had been arrested in the March of 1953 and accused of a number of murders in the house. He was awaiting execution at the time of the Coronation. Whether the newspaper conveniently forgot about the ghastly history of Rillington Place or, this was a none to subtle error. is open to question.
Elsewhere in these newspapers, the coverage of the horrible Twickenham towpath murders was a little sensationalised and jarred greatly with the general mood of celebration that the Daily Mirror and its sister paper were promoting. To me, apart from the nostalgia of the occasion to read through these vintage newspapers, it is also a lesson in social history.
We have changed greatly since 1953 but in some ways we have not. Most of us are incredibly proud of this country and our heritage. When a royal occasion does occur (I do think that the Queen will hand over to Charles in the next few years) then we will be out in force on the streets in celebration. There will be dissenting voices (as there were in 1953) but these will be drowned out by the masses. The souvenir industry will go into overdrive and all the newspapers will issue special supplements with the exception of the Daily Worker, of course.
Tuesday June the 2nd 1953 seems very distant but in whatever circumstances, we will be celebrating another Coronation quite soon. I think on that day, there will not be a royal item left in the Arcade.
King George the Sixth died on the 6th of February 1952 and obviously this triggered the whole event. But what is lesser known is that Queen Mary died on the 24th of March 1953, but stipulated in her will that her passing should not affect the planning of the Coronation.
