I was there!

Living almost in the centre of Newport, my parents, my younger brother and myself (he was 5 & I was 11) walked into Newport to catch the booked coach to London. It was dark when we started our journey but light by the time we reached London. My parents’ priority was to get something to eat and drink, we found a Lyons Corner House – I remember having a slice of some sort of cake with curly bits of coconut on top. All the side streets were barriered off with high wooden walls leaving just one small lockable door. While we were eating, a shout went up ‘They are locking the barriers. There was a scramble as everyone rushed to get through that small door. The crowds lining the route were already several deep but all the children were pushed to the front. It was a horrible day, cold & raining, I have a vague memory of some lucky children sheltering under policemen’s cloaks. Obviously the highlight of the procession was seeing the Queen in the golden coach but what sticks in my mind was – bearing in mind that it was cold and raining – seeing Queen Salote of Tonga in an open carriage (the only open carriage in the whole procession) with Queen Salote waving to the crowds. She had a smile a mile wide. She endeared herself to everyone.

The Queen’s Jubilee 1977

We lived in a cul-de-sac off the main road through our estate. The residents of the main road were going to hold a big street party but our cul-de-sac was not included as they wanted to keep certain ‘unruly’ children out. So as not to disappoint our seven-year old daughter we went to Devon for a week, the hotel put on many events for everyone especially the children.