A trip to London

In 1953 I was five and my sister Veronica was three. We lived in Birmingham with Mum and Dad. One day there was great excitement in our street when we got a TV. I think it was the first one in the street. It was a nine inch TV and had been bought so that we could watch the Coronation.

On the great day our front room was crowded with people. As well as the four of us, there were lots of neighbours and probably my Nan and aunts as well. There were also neighbours outside who had brought chairs and were attempting to watch through the windows. Veronica and I sat on the floor in front of the magic box and I distinctly remember watching the golden coach with the Queen in it, as well as the actual ceremony and the crown being placed on the Queen’s head. All the houses were decorated and Dad had made a box like a TV which was lit up and had a picture of the Queen in it. This was suspended from a first floor window and much admired. My sister also remembers that Dad won the Council award for his Coronation garden. He had planted rows of red salvias, white alyssum and blue lobelia all around the front lawn.

In the afternoon, we all went up to the big modern primary school at the top of the hill where we were to have our ‘street party’. There were races and other activities and trestle tables full of amazing food. Remember this was a time when we were still recovering from the rationing of the war years and sweets were only taken off rationing in February of that year.

As well as the races, there was a fancy dress party. At the time, the song ‘How Much Is That Doggie in the Window’ was very popular and reached number one in the charts so I was dressed up as the ‘Doggie in the Window’ complete with a glass-filled frame hung round my neck (What would health & safety have made of that?). Mum made my costume out of some fake fur.

Veronica was a Tate and Lyles ‘lump of sugar’ (a popular advert of the time). Dad carefully crafted her costume which from a cardboard box covered with paper (probably ends of wallpaper rolls turned over, and drawn on with Indian ink). Veronica says ‘I think we both got prizes for the fancy dress but no idea who came first. I do remember that when the results were announced we weren’t there as Mum was trying to get me out of my box as I needed the toilet!!’