Day the King died, today 6th February

We were summoned to a special assembly, and I was quite taken aback when my Irish Headmaster announced " YOUR king is dead." it was my first indication that Ireland and England were separate countries.

We lived abroad and I'd never heard of the king but was thrilled to see the Shah of Persia at about that time!

I was just three months off being six and remember being told at school that the King was dead.

I can remember the teachers coming out to the playground to announce the King`s death. Felt sad, but not overwhelmingly so, I was only 8.

I was at grammar school in Muswell Hill...

I'm with baubles where ever we were.

Not even a twinkle in my daddy's eye!

I was nearly 2. Like Gally, I did see the Coronation the following year on the tiny-screened Philco television which was bought especially for the occasion.

I was 3 so don't remember it. I do remember seeing the Coronation on the tv the following year [crown emoticon]

I was I the first year of Grammar school and can remember a note being brought round and handed to the teacher taking the French class - she read it out to us.
My much loved grandfather had died less than a month before and the shock of that had totally numbed me - the first person I really known who had died. I had not got over the grief we were all feeling at home - especially my mother. I can remember feeling so much sadness and compassion for the Queen as she flew home from Africa and how awful she must have been feeling.
I was amazed that she had a black coat and hat in her luggage!

I was a university student (London).My friend came into common room for her lunch break and said 'The king is dead'

I was six, and remember seeing a girl in tears in the playground. Someone said to me "Well, she is eight so she's known him longer than we have."

I was five and not at school because we were about to fly out to Malta and join my father who was already there in the RAF. We were staying with grandparents and I remember us all standing around the radio as the news was announced - funny how we all stood up. Gran told me that I now had to say God Save the Queen instead of King as though it was something I said every day.

I recall the head coming into the classroom and telling us the king had died, didn't mean a thing to me, he was just a name spoken of in history class , as distant as Charles 1 & 2. One boy did ask - King who?

I was 11 and in the top class in primary school. We were told by our teacher that the king had died. I don't remember feeling especially sad, but the royal family meant a lot to my parents' generation because of their leadership during the war - staying in London and not sending the princesses to Canada as some had advised.

my mother always remembered the day as it was when I started school - back in the day you started school the day you were 5 (probably the monday after) and so there were extra pupils popping in all through the term who had to get up to speed quickly.
anyway as the youngest child my mother was inundated with sad music all day while suffering some kind of empty nest syndrome - until I came home from school.

I was 13. We had a special assembly too, with all the teachers looking glum but not telling us anything until everyone was in place. Several girls started blubbing, and I wondered why - none of us had met him. An important occasion, yes, and sad for his family and in a general way, but they wept because it was presented as momentous, not for any real grief.

School dinner that day was cold ham and salad. They thought we needed something hot to sustain us, so we got brown beef gravy with it, drowning the salad.

We had a special assembly, and I remember looking round and thinking 'why are those girls crying?'

No! I was not quite 4, but I remember being entranced by the Coronation.

He died of lung cancer as he was a very heavy smoker. I think his Dad George V did as well.

I was 7, and I remember some of the girls in my class going all sad. Couldn't see why, myself.

I was in the playground of my convent schol and one of the nuns came and told us.

On this day

The date has always stuck in my mind. Had to go home from school at lunchtime and find a piece of black ribbon.