One of our residents looks forward to witnessing his THIRD Royal Coronation this weekend
05 May 2023
Following an appeal for coronation stories from our residents, we are delighted to share a unique account from one of our Surrey-based residents who was fortunate to have witnessed the two last Coronations and is looking forward to observing the third of King Charles III this weekend.
The Coronation of Charles III and his wife Camilla as King and Queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth is due to take place at Westminster Abbey on Saturday 6th May 2023. There have been a total of 39 coronations at Westminster Abbey since 1066 and there are few people who can say they have witnessed three of them, including one in person.
After we sent out an appeal to our estates for coronation stories and celebration plans, we heard from one of our Estate Managers that Jim Smith, who lives at an estate we manage in Surrey, had shared his rare and precious memories of the previous coronations with her and fellow residents, as they watched a recap of The Queen’s Coronation together online. Jim kindly agreed to share his memories of attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in June of 1953.
Jim, whose father was a Clerk of Works for the Ministry at the time of the Queen’s Coronation, said:
“My Dad was responsible for ensuring all the preparations along the route of the procession complied with the critical path network. In recognition of a job well done he was allocated six seated locations along the route for family members.
At that time, I was doing my National Service, stationed at RAF Nuneham Park, and together with a friend managed to obtain a 72-hour pass to take advantage of this opportunity.
We caught the milk train to get ahead of the crowds and were delighted to find that we were seated close to the Admiralty Arch in the front row of an elevated VIP stand complete with light refreshments and latrine. Appropriately, Sailors lined the edge on this section of The Mall before allowing the crowds to gather in the space behind.”
Jim described the build up to the arrival of the Queen’s procession as he waited eagerly with the rest of the crowd:
“The crowds were in good spirits occasionally breaking out in song with a few old wartime favourites. The procession could be heard long before it finally arrived, and the crowds cheered and applauded with cameras clicking to record their presence on this historic occasion. Unfortunately, coloured film at that time was at a stage of infancy and the camera lens reduced this glorious galaxy of colour into various shades of black and white.”
Upon the arrival of the gold coach the noise of the crowd reached a crescendo which was an out pour of love and affection for the newly crowned Queen.”
