What were you doing when the Princess Elizabeth became Queen.

Blimey fanny you must be very young. Well, my daughters age more or less!!

What a brilliant thread. Thanks WW
I’ve read every post.
I will ask DH and my dad what they remember.
DH would have been six, and dad five.
My Nan would have been the person to ask, she would have been in her mid twenties and a new mother of two girls.
Sadly she died last year, I miss her terribly

Callistemon21

I was six and at an infant school a little walk a short distance away and was put in charge of little friend Susan, who lived next door but one; she was five.
I remember pictures in the papers of the new Queen arriving back home from Kenya.

We lived with my maternal grandparents - housing short due to Plymouth being targeted during the war.
My FIL apparently got leave in the war, got to the top of Haldon Hill and could see a glow - it was Plymouth on fire after the bombing.

‘Little Friend Susan’
That’s stirred a distant memory -was it from Milly Molly Mandy?

The coronation took place the following year in June 1953. I realise that I have made my sister a year older in my first post, as I travelled with my father to London on a coach to see the coronation. It has been planned for Mum to go as well, but she was pregnant with my sister.

I stood at Hyde Park Corner right in front of a policeman who held his cape up for me to stand under - so had a front row seat. The parade passed by our bit after the coronation had taken place. The Queen if Tonga was very impressive and must have been freezing as she had on her traditional robes in the rain sitting in an open coach.
The Queen was on the other side of her huge coach so I only had a glimpse of her. I only have a vague memory of all the other coaches.

Weirdly I have no other memory if the day except the soldiers and sailors marching, the rain and those periscope things people at the back of the crowds used to watch.

I was 9 years old at the time. I can remember when the king died and I complained about the solemn music that was on the radio. I wanted to play Radio Luxemburg which had pop music. My mother snapped "The king's dead. Have some respect."

My main memory of that summer (1953) was of all the street parties I went to and compiling a "Royal Family" album in a beautiful silver scrapbook which my grandmother bought me for the purpose.

My mother was 17 and my father 20 and they wouldn't be married for another 6 years. They hadn't even met so I wasn't even a twinkle.

As I was one probably being pushed around in my pram by an older cousin.
I have photos of the Coronation celebrations and there was a big tea on the village green and we all had cardboard hats on. I got a bible from the Chapel my mum went to good non Conformists that we were but she had to pay for it as I was too young to go to Sunday school.

I was 3 and have no memory of this but, I do remember going to watch the coronation the following June. My grannie got the first tv in the family especially so we could watch the coronation. We all crowded into her sitting room - I was often told shhhh, watch this, history is being made but I wanted to go out and play.

I still have my coronation glass tumbler though the spoon is lost.

I wasn't born but it was when my sister died suddenly at 15 months. My parents probably didn't think about the royal family they were devistated.

I remember a lot of people sold their pianos to buy a TV to watch the Coronation.. I was very impressed by the coach and a young Prince Charles.

I was 5 and remember my mother bursting into tears and dragging me off to ring her mother. This involved finding a phone box and ringing her mother's next door neighbour who would then go and get her mother. Not sure if it was worth the bother.

I remember we all dressed up for a coronation concert at school and my father made models of the Eagle that held the oil for annointing the Queen and the spoon for the oil. We were given a coronation spoon and a little tin of chocolates.

My parents were married March 1952, and I arrived 18 months later, so I wasn’t even a twinkle!

It is interesting to hear all your memories though.

I was too young to remember the day Princess Elizabeth became Queen but I do remember the day she was crowned Queen. I was just over 3 and my mother was working in a big house where there was a television. The owners must have invited us in to see the coronation because I remember seeing something on a small tv in a cabinet and encouraging me to step forward but I didn’t understand what I was watching.

I was growing in mum’s womb. For the Coronation in 1953 I was given a teaspoon in a box and my older brother was given the Coronation Coach and horses. We still have them. I’m still jealous of the Coach!

No idea. It was just before my first birthday. I imagine it must have been a shock for my parents and grandparents as apparently it was unexpected, sadly I can’t ask them now.

Apparently I was toddling around then,vino room in front of TV, sitting in the jam sandwiches and generally being the clumsy three year old who is now still a bit of a klutz.

Wasn't born yet. Interesting all the memories others have though.

I was seven years old and in the infants school standing beside the wash basins in the cloakroom and a girl said ''The king is dead''.Se had been home for her dinner and sad her mother told her. I still remember that very moment 70 years ago. It must have been my first realisation that people die as my mother told me I became obsessed with dying the for a bit after seeing photos of his coffin in the papers.

We also went to see the film made for cinemas about the coronation - it was in colour and had a special schools showing at the local cinema. It was such a revelation seeing it in colour as the TV coverage had of course been black and white.

I was only 3 when the King died so have no memory of it. I do remember the Coronation. My mum made me a white dress with red and navy buttons and knitted me a red, white and blue striped cardigan. My family all went to a neighbours house to watch their tv but the room was so crowded I don't remember seeing any of it. I know we had a street party but I don't think that it was on the actual Coronation day because I don't remember any rain!

My paternal GM said she clearly remembered Queen Victoria dying - she’d have been about 6. The church bells were tolling and her father said in very deep and sombre tones, ‘The Queen is dead!’
And my poor little GM thought the world must be coming to an end, if the Queen was dead!’

I wasn't born until the end of 1954.
I've heard about the Coronation day from my older brothers.
They all gathered round a neighbours in the avenue to watch their small screen television. We didn't have a t.v at that time.
Bunting hanging from the windows to the front fences. There was to be a street party but I'm told it rained so the Co-Op manager arranged a party in the Co-Op hall for everyone living in the Avenue.
Children were given a money box in the shape of a crown and adults were given a mug.
A few years ago I bought an original Coronation day celebration serviette from a well known auction site.

Remember people walking round with black arm banks
I'd forgotten that until you mentioned it, Allsorts.

However, I have just today finished reading Lady Anne Glenconner's autobiography, Lady in Waiting, which describes her role in it all in marvellous detail. A good read.
Yes, I didn't think I'd enjoy reading that but it was most enjoyable.

I was doing what a baby does. Born in December 1951 so I was 2 months old.

The headmistress came into our classroom and we stood to be told the King was dead. I was nine.