On parade, David Niven and mizzle on Coronation Day

Queen Elizabeth II was crowned on June, 2, 1953 in Westminster Abbey. Her Majesty was the 39th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. The Queen succeeded to the Throne on the February 6, the previous year on the death of King George VI. She was in Kenya at the time and became the first Sovereign in over 200 years to accede while abroad.

Stationed at St James’s Street, Fred was a Bombardier in the TA, in 246 Squadron - the heavy artillery boys.

He was in his early 20s and recalls holding sacking over his back to help protect himself against the fine but persistent mizzle which refused to let up. He had been in position for hours before being treated to a flash of white and gold whizzing past as the Coronation Procession made it’s way back to Buckingham palace.

The outward journey had made it’s way directly to Westminster Abbey from Buck House along The Mall, Northumberland Avenue and the Victoria Embankment, but after wards the procession left the Abbey, and on the way back to the palace took in Whitehall, Pall Mall, St James’s Street (where Fred and other members of the Armed Forces had stood from early morning), along Piccadilly into East Carriage Drive, onto Oxford Street, Regent Street and the Haymarket before turning into The Mall and back to Buckingham Palace.

The Coronation service began at 11.15 am and lasted almost three hours, concluding at 2pm, and all that time Fred and his comrades stood and waited, in the one spot, as they had done from early morning. It was way after 4pm before they got an opportunity to stretch their legs.

“I remember it did not take very long for the procession to pass, it was only a few minutes. I remember the gold coach and the eight white horses. It was quite impressive, but it was only a flash as it went past. There was quite a big crowd,” Fred said reflectively.

“There was mizzle that morning but it was not up to much and never developed into rain. We had ground sheets with us and we pulled them over our backs to stop the mizzle,” he said of the poor weather, adding: “I think we took up position at about 10.30am and we were there until well after 4pm, standing in the one place.”

Asked how come he came to be in London for the Coronation, Fred recalled that three or four men from each unit had been selected, and to mark the occasion each of those who attended were presented with a Queen’s Coronation Medal. He still has his, polished to perfection, sandwiched between his Defence Medal (1939-1945) and his TA Efficiency Medal.

“The excitement that day was great. It did not seem such a long day because you were watching everybody and what was going on. I remember seeing the film star David Niven up on the balcony opposite where I was standing and he was looking down,” he said.

“I never really thought about how I came to be going to the Coronation. We just went and did what we were told,” he said.

Fred was married almost five years when he was tasked to represent his unit at the Coronation. Unfortunately ‘the wives’ were not included in the order, so Jane (formerly McCullogh, from Rasharkin) had to stay home that day. This year the pair, who are both in their 80s, will celebrate their 65th wedding anniversary on November 19, having married just a few days after Prince Charles was born.