This weekend, we all come together to celebrate Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years of devoted service to this country and the Commonwealth. We are immensely privileged that Her Majesty has served as our charity’s Patron since 1953. Her sense of duty and steadfast loyalty has inspired the UK Armed Forces for seven decades.
To mark this very special occasion, we are sharing personal memories of Her Majesty’s Coronation on 2nd June 1953 from two veterans in our charity’s Army family.
Ted:
Second World War veteran Edwin ‘Ted’ Hunt, aged 102, is a resident at Care for Veterans, which we are proud to fund. Ted fondly remembers the bustle of local street parties, the smell of bonfires in the air and the exhilarating joy of everyone coming together to celebrate, putting memories of Second World War behind them.
“In the East End of London, where I grew up, in every street the tables were laid out. It was a very happy time – we were leaving the war behind us and lots of derelict areas were being built up.”
Betty:
During the war, Betty worked at Bletchley Park, headquarters of the brilliant British codebreakers. She recently celebrated her 99th birthday and remains an active ambassador for one of our biggest fundraising challenges, Operation Bletchley.
Looking back to the Coronation, Betty says: “I remember Coronation Day being freezing cold, but I was with friends who had a TV, so we saw the ceremony. It was wonderful.”
We wish all our partners, supporters and beneficiaries a happy and enjoyable Platinum Jubilee with their friends and family.
To find out more about how our charity is marking this special occasion, visit our page here: https://soldierscharity.org/platinumjubilee/