| Date | 23 October 2015 |
|---|---|
| Source | Slough Observer |
| Reference | VP-0088 |
| Volume | Views of the Past |
| Collection | Views of the Past |
Transcript
Special Royal Arrival
EXACTLY one month after the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth there was great excitement in Windsor as residents awaited the arrival of the new King and Queen on Saturday, June 12, 1937.
They had started their journey by car in Slough and then got into open Royal landaus at Agar’s Plough, and proceeded to Eton College and continued up Eton High Street.
They then passed under a specially constructed archway outside the Eton Rural District Council Offices and under a second archway of oars erected by the Eton Excelsior Rowing Club.
The Royal party continued over Windsor Bridge and up Thames Street and stopped by the Jubilee statue of Queen Victoria, where the mayor of Windsor with the rest of the Corporation of Windsor were gathered.
The procession continued along High Street and Park Street and along the Long Walk and entered the private Castle grounds at the Frogmore Gate where schoolchildren and girl guides greeted them.
After the Royal procession had finished, there followed a procession of floats with a number of tableaux depicting Windsor’s history produced by Hugo Bolton.
The lorries were supplied by Wellman’s Garage and platforms by a number of builders.
Floats included “Windsor during the time of the Norman Conquest” by Windsor County Boys School, “The Founding of Eton College” by the Licensed Victuallers’ School in Slough and “The plundering of St George’s Chapel by Roundhead soldiers in 1642” by Windsor and Eton Football Club.
There then followed a procession of decorated motor cars from surrounding garages.
The day was rounded off with a torchlight procession which started at St Mark’s Road.
There were 600 torchbearers which were made up of firemen under the leadership of Chief Officer JG Tull and ex-Service men from the area headed by the drums of the 2nd Battalion of the Coldstream Guards, followed by Maidenhead Military Town Band.
A splendid day was had by all.
Image: The royal couple at the Queen Victoria Jubilee Statue in 1937
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