Eton and Slough Share Town’s Greatest Day
Windsor Slough and Eton Express 12th June 1953
Published in Windlesora 29 (2013)
© WLHG
The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, will make her Royal entry into Windsor tomorrow afternoon. Windsor, in common only with Edinburgh and Belfast, shares this distinction of a Royal entry after Coronation. It will be Windsor’s great day, but both Eton and Slough share in it as they did sixteen years ago when George VI and Queen Elizabeth made their entry.
This time Slough will have greater part than in 1937, for not only will Her Majesty drive slowly through its streets, but will stop at the Granada to receive a loyal address from its Mayor. The Queen will motor from London passing through Colnbrook, and will arrive at the Granada at about 3.50. After the presentation of the address, Her Majesty will drive to Agar’s Plough.
After a reception there by Eton College and Eton Urban Council, the Queen and the Duke will change into a carriage drawn by the Windsor Greys. Then escorted by the Captain’s Escort of the Household Cavalry, They will proceed to Windsor to be received on Castle Hill by the High Steward, the Duke of Gloucester, the Lord Lieutenant (Mr H. A. Benyon), and the Mayor of Windsor.
After the ceremony on Castle Hill the procession will be resumed and passing along High Street and Park Street, enter the Castle grounds by the Beresford Gate.
At Colnbrook, where the Queen is due at 3.30, crowds of people will line the High Street with school children predominating. In the village square, near the George Hotel, Colnbrook’s own Coronation ‘Queen’ Miss Iris Greengrass will wave to the real Queen as she goes by with the Duke. A crowd of 50,000 is expected to converge on the centre of Slough. The Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, is due at the forecourt of the Granada Cinema in Windsor Road at 3.50pm. There Her Majesty will receive a welcome from the Mayor, Alderman Reg Abbott, on behalf of the town.
The 1st Slough Company Boys’ Brigade Silver Band will play the National Anthem, and the following will be presented to the Queen by Alderman Abbott: The Mayoress, Mrs Abbott, the Town Clerk, Mr Norman T. Berry, the Deputy Mayor, Alderman J. Manning, the Deputy Mayoress, Mrs Manning, the ex-Mayor, Councillor W.H. Jennings, and the ex-Mayoress, Mrs Jennings.
At Eton the Royal Party will arrive at 4 o’clock at Agar’s Plough. The Royal cars will draw up near the Tea Barn, and there will be awaiting them The Provost and Fellows of Eton, the Head Master and the boys, and with them the Chairman, Mr J.T. Ireland, and members of the Urban District Council and their wives and the officials.
The school cricket XI is playing the MCC that afternoon and the match will be stopped and the players presented to the Queen and the Duke.
The ceremony at Eton is expected to last about ten minutes. The Queen and the Duke will then enter the open landau drawn by the Windsor Greys and a procession formed with outriders and postillions in Ascot livery. Then accompanied by a Captain’s escort with Standard of the Household Cavalry, the Royal carriage will move by way of Fifteen Arch Bridge to the Burning Bush and down Eton High Street.
In the High Street in front of Porny School special places will be reserved for schoolchildren and old people will be seated in front of Eton College Memorial Hall where chairs will be provided for them. The old people are asked to be there early in the afternoon.
The streets of Windsor will be lined with troops and members of the following units and organisations:
Royal Horse Guards, 2nd Scots Guards,
881 Amphibious Observation Bty (TA),
345 Med. Regt,
RA Sig Trp (TA),
County Boys’ School Cadets,
Beaumont College Cadet Force,
Berks Army Cadet Force,
Windsor and Eton Unit Sea Cadet Corps,
459 (Windsor) Squadron Air Training Corps,
Old Contemptibles Association (Windsor branch),
British Legion,
Old Coldstreamers Association (Windsor branch),
Grenadier Guards Old Comrades Association (Windsor branch),
RAF Association (Windsor branch).
The Horse Guards will move to their positions in the Long Walk from the Combermere Barracks, the Scots Guards from the Victoria Barracks, and the others from Home Park.
The band of the Royal Horse Guards will play during the afternoon near Queen Victoria’s statue.
The Mayor and Corporation robed, will leave the Guildhall at 4 o’clock and will proceed to the stands near the Victoria statue.
THE HIGH STEWARD
At 4.15 pm the Duke of Gloucester will arrive by car and will be received by the Lord Lieutenant of Berkshire, Mr H.A. Benyon and the Mayor.
The Royal party is due to arrive at 4.25. Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh will be received by the High Steward (the Duke of Gloucester), and the Lord Lieutenant and the Mayor.
A number of presentations will be made and the procession will then continue along the High Street and Park Street, down the Long Walk and enter the Castle grounds by Beresford Gate.
THE CHILDREN
Special arrangements are being made for schoolchildren, Scouts, Guides etc, who are coming not only from Windsor and Slough but from a considerable distance around. In fact from many parts of Berks, Bucks, Surrey and Middlesex.
The schoolchildren from the Windsor Division will be admitted by the Cambridge Gate and other children and members of youth organisations by the Beresford Gate. The Long Walk should provide ample room for the public.
THE MARATHON
The Marathon race will start from the George IV Gate at 2.30 that afternoon. The Mayor and Mayoress will be there together with Lord and Lady Freyberg, and Lord Freyberg VC will start the race at 2.30. The competitors will run down to the Castle Hill and then down Thames Street and through Eton.
Before the procession arrives, Morris dancers will give demonstrations of Old English dances along the routes. This has been arranged by Miss F.A. Wilks, who is secretary to the Windsor group of the English Folk Dance and Song Society.
All who have tickets for the stands must be in their places by 3.45. It is advisable that they arrive some time earlier for people are coming from long distances and the approaches are likely to be crowded.
Tickets for stands can still be obtained from Kipling Buildings or the Kiosk on Castle Hill.
Article reproduced by kind permission of Windsor Express newspaper.
The two photographs are not part of the original newspaper article but were taken by Mr Reginald Tye, and permitted to be used by his daughter, Mrs Valerie Batt-Rawden.
Windsor Local History Group 