Remembering the day a princess became our Queen
3:00pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Latest News By David Wiles
AS THE Queen marked the 60th anniversary of her accession to the throne yesterday, pensioners in Swindon shared their memories of the occasion.
The Queen, 85, officially became the monarch when her father, George VI, died on February 6, 1952, with her coronation taking place on June 2, 1953, after a period of mourning following the death of a sovereign.
On the death of the king, the Adver ran a special edition with the front page headline: ‘The King Dies in his Sleep: Princess Elizabeth Becomes Queen.’ The article featured photos of the king, the king with Princess Elizabeth, and mourners outside Buckingham Palace.
Joyce Murgatroyd, 95, a retired school teacher, of Rodbourne Cheney, said people were initially unsure that Elizabeth would become Queen because they were shaken up by the abdication of Edward VIII.
She said: “You thought ‘Oh gosh, what’s going to happen next?’ It was a feeling like everything is up in the air, upside down.
“We did wonder whether she would accede to the throne. It seems a strange thing to say now, but after what we had experienced, we wouldn’t have been surprised with anything.”
She said the coronation itself saw street parties spring up all across Swindon.
She said: “There were all these street parties and celebrations. It was not a good day weather-wise when she came to the throne. A lot of the street parties were taken inside.
“We had ours in the school in Rodbourne Cheney. And by then, people had TVs. We had a TV and we got to see what was going on on that.”
Edward Randell, 88, a retired railway worker, of Elgin, said the atmosphere was sombre when the king died because he was very popular.
He said: “The princess was in Africa at the time and seeing the pictures on the TV, that brought my memories back.”
Mr Randell said he could remember the street parties for the coronation, with flags everywhere and a banner on the town hall.
The Queen herself celebrated the milestone yesterday with a visit to a school in Norfolk.
Gun salutes were held around the UK, although the main celebrations for her Jubilee will be in June.
