0:00:20 > 0:00:23It was special, yes, I think everybody joined in.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24It was such a lot of fun.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30It brings back so many memories.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33Unbelievable memories. Great, you know?
0:00:33 > 0:00:35So much happiness in those days.
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Of course it was a great occasion
0:00:41 > 0:00:44and it's an occasion where everybody got together.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51And the mood was absolutely brilliant.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55It was after the war, you see, and this was something new, wasn't it?
0:00:59 > 0:01:03It was a day that would be etched into the memories of millions,
0:01:03 > 0:01:05such was its spectacle.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09People were huddled around their television sets,
0:01:09 > 0:01:10many for the first time,
0:01:10 > 0:01:15watching in wonder as their new Queen emerged to the world.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20And, like the rest of Britain, Wales erupted in celebration.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23On every street, on every corner, in every community,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25there was an outpouring of affection
0:01:25 > 0:01:28from people captivated by their new Queen.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30And, amazingly, these unique scenes
0:01:30 > 0:01:35were caught on camera by amateur filmmakers in glorious colour.
0:01:44 > 0:01:47The magical images captured all kinds of people.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51Almost six decades, on I'm taking a journey around Wales
0:01:51 > 0:01:53to find them and see what they remember
0:01:53 > 0:01:56from that first summer of Elizabeth's Wales.
0:01:57 > 0:01:58I meet the friends from Newport
0:01:58 > 0:02:03with memories of the last great party on their street.
0:02:04 > 0:02:08I track down the fairy queen and her childhood friends,
0:02:08 > 0:02:12girls back then, now with grandchildren of their own.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15And I join a reunion party.
0:02:15 > 0:02:19Dozens of people brought back together to watch a long-lost film.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27Eight years had passed since the end of World War II.
0:02:27 > 0:02:32In Wales it was a time of uncertainty and severe austerity.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35But the 1950s ushered in a feeling of optimism.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37It was that hope for the future
0:02:37 > 0:02:41that drove people to extraordinary lengths to celebrate the Coronation.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45Elaborate home-made decorations adorned the streets,
0:02:45 > 0:02:49made from basic materials like crepe paper and tinfoil.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52Miles of bunting had been painstakingly sewn
0:02:52 > 0:02:55from scarce scraps of cloth and pictures of the young Queen
0:02:55 > 0:02:59hung from houses as if she were a member of the family.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06It was about the future. Elizabeth was a young, beautiful Queen.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Even her name was symbolic. People were talking about,
0:03:09 > 0:03:12this may be the beginning of a second Elizabethan age,
0:03:12 > 0:03:15where Britain will rediscover its position in the world.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18So, the Coronation matters, not just because it is a fun event
0:03:18 > 0:03:20but because it captures the time.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23A Britain looking back to its history for a sense of security
0:03:23 > 0:03:25but also looking forward to the future,
0:03:25 > 0:03:29trying to work out where we are going with a degree of hope and optimism.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35The terraced houses that have criss-crossed Newport for generations
0:03:35 > 0:03:40are nestled alongside the modern developments these days.
0:03:40 > 0:03:43Times have changed.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48In Pillgwenlly, streets that existed in 1953
0:03:48 > 0:03:51have all but disappeared.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53This is all that remains of Raglan Street,
0:03:53 > 0:03:58where the Coronation was celebrated with feverish excitement.
0:04:01 > 0:04:03There were banners.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Because they were sash windows, they could just go in the bedrooms
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and string them across window to window
0:04:09 > 0:04:14and our house won the best-dressed house in the town.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20And it was just fabulous because it was just festooned with colour.
0:04:20 > 0:04:24There you are, this is Raglan Street now, there I am, Sian.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27There's Robert, and there's me ducking underneath.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31In 1953, these five called Raglan Street home.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34Having survived the trials and tribulations of war,
0:04:34 > 0:04:37they were ready to party when the Coronation came around.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40And they've reunited to tell me how they did it.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42How much effort went into preparations?
0:04:42 > 0:04:47An enormous amount. Everybody mucked in with it. Everybody did.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50We all made flowers, we made the bunting.
0:04:50 > 0:04:56There was a kind of going to see Father Christmas in a department store, you know?
0:04:56 > 0:04:58It had that sort of effect on you.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01You know? Well, on me anyway!
0:05:01 > 0:05:03It was just magical, it was really incredible.
0:05:03 > 0:05:05- What's going on here? - This is Raglan Street.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- This is when they were putting the big banner up.- That's right.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11- Amazing banner, that, isn't it?- Yes, amazing.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14It was spread from one side of the street to the other
0:05:14 > 0:05:17and it said "God save the Queen", but it was all in flowers.
0:05:17 > 0:05:21And they had three stepladders, old wooden stepladders,
0:05:21 > 0:05:24with a plank across. Health and safety it would be these days!
0:05:24 > 0:05:26And that's how they put it up.
0:05:26 > 0:05:30There they were, the young fellas, putting this banner up!
0:05:30 > 0:05:35Nothing to protect them at all. But it had to be 20 foot in the air.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39- The big crown there, I can remember the women making it.- Yes.
0:05:39 > 0:05:42In the house, making the flowers for it and gathering them together.
0:05:42 > 0:05:46You made them with crepe paper and you rucked it together
0:05:46 > 0:05:50and you squizzed the bottom and you tied a little bit of wire around it.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Not posh, they weren't posh like the Watts's.
0:05:52 > 0:05:56- THEY LAUGH - Your family did a posh version? - Yes, they did a posh version!
0:05:56 > 0:05:59We waxed them. We melted candles and dipped them in the wax
0:05:59 > 0:06:03because it rained on the day of the Coronation,
0:06:03 > 0:06:08and it was obviously forecast, so to preserve them against the elements
0:06:08 > 0:06:11of the bad weather, they waxed them.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17It wasn't only the streets that were given a new look.
0:06:17 > 0:06:19Just as much effort went into making costumes.
0:06:19 > 0:06:22Fancy-dress shops were almost unheard-of,
0:06:22 > 0:06:26so an army of mums and grandmothers took out their needles and thread.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Some where elaborate, others more simple.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Dressing up was all part of the fun.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39They dressed us up as two tramps.
0:06:39 > 0:06:42The neighbour, she put her hand up the chimney,
0:06:42 > 0:06:45because we had the old coal fires in those days,
0:06:45 > 0:06:48- she put her hand up the chimney... - To get the soot!
0:06:48 > 0:06:51She put it over my face and over Norman's face.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55My father kitted me out with a nightshirt
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and an old-fashioned Scrooge-type hat
0:06:57 > 0:07:02and I was Wee Willie Winkie and I came third.
0:07:02 > 0:07:03Oh, not bad!
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I decided to dress up as Monica, schoolgirl.
0:07:06 > 0:07:08I don't know why, don't ask me.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10It was probably my female side coming out.
0:07:10 > 0:07:11THEY LAUGH
0:07:11 > 0:07:15I had Maureen's gymslip... THEY LAUGH
0:07:15 > 0:07:19..and I had dark stockings, I don't know where they got those from.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23Black stockings and I made the wig myself, believe it or not.
0:07:23 > 0:07:26I'm very proud of that, even though it was odd. Dreadful.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28THEY ALL LAUGH
0:07:35 > 0:07:38This sign is all that remains of Raglan Street,
0:07:38 > 0:07:41where those childhood memories were made.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43The people that pass by now will have little idea
0:07:43 > 0:07:47that it was the setting for such colourful celebrations.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55It was a real community spirit.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59Everybody... Everybody did something towards it.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04I've always said it is something I will never, ever forget.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06People were so happy, and everybody mucked in.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10It was the last great party. Great party in the street.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24The Coronation prompted lavish displays of civic pride.
0:08:24 > 0:08:28Councils competed with one another to make their area look the best.
0:08:28 > 0:08:33Pictures of Queen Elizabeth adorned high streets. From department stores to local greengrocers,
0:08:33 > 0:08:37everyone made an effort with their red, white and blue.
0:08:37 > 0:08:39Special bus tours were even organised,
0:08:39 > 0:08:41so sightseers could see all the decorations.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47In North Wales, too, people were pulling out all the stops.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50On this estate in Ruthin, families were making
0:08:50 > 0:08:53new lives for themselves after the war.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55The Coronation was an excuse
0:08:55 > 0:08:58for them to let their hair down.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01Parc Y Dre was a focal point for celebrations, with residents
0:09:01 > 0:09:06working together, to put on a party that would unite the street.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16Beryl Harvard remembers her mother
0:09:16 > 0:09:20mobilising a team of party planners a year before the Coronation.
0:09:21 > 0:09:24It was my mother's idea.
0:09:24 > 0:09:30She mentioned it to a few friends and then they decided they'd have
0:09:30 > 0:09:35a meeting of all the residents, which was held at the town hall.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38It was very successful and well attended,
0:09:38 > 0:09:45and in this meeting, there were volunteers for different things.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49She proposed that we had a street party, that there was carnival,
0:09:49 > 0:09:51that there would be sports,
0:09:51 > 0:09:55a fireworks and a bonfire.
0:09:55 > 0:09:57- Gosh! And food?- And food, yes!
0:10:00 > 0:10:04'Food was a pivotal part of the party. Beryl and her friends
0:10:04 > 0:10:07'were given the task of ferrying plates of sandwiches
0:10:07 > 0:10:11'along this lane, from the local hall to the party on Parc Y Dre.'
0:10:14 > 0:10:18It must have felt like quite a responsibility at the time, for a 12-year-old?
0:10:18 > 0:10:23I suppose, at that time, I didn't think of it as a responsibility,
0:10:23 > 0:10:25but if you I look back, it probably was,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27because if I had dropped the egg mayonnaise,
0:10:27 > 0:10:29it would have been chaotic!
0:10:29 > 0:10:31They'd have had to start from scratch.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34- No egg sandwiches for the big C!- No!
0:10:45 > 0:10:48'Today, the hall is still at the heart of the community.'
0:10:54 > 0:10:56So, what is it like being back in the drill hall?
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Well, it is a lot different from what it was
0:10:59 > 0:11:01- all these years ago now.- Is it?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Yes, it was quite dark and gloomy, I remember.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08- Yes, it is nice and bright and clean.- So why did you come here?
0:11:08 > 0:11:11They did the sandwiches. It was like a production line.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14I remember I must have been sent on a message
0:11:14 > 0:11:16and I was to come here to look for my mum.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20And I was just amazed. All these women, all busy buttering bread
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and slapping bits of meat in.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27- So they'd be ferried from here, down the lane?- Down the lane, yes,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29to the tables.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33So there was quite a procession of the mums doing that.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36What are your memories, then, of the event itself?
0:11:36 > 0:11:40It was a wonderful atmosphere. That is something I will never forget,
0:11:40 > 0:11:42even though I was only a child.
0:11:42 > 0:11:48- It was a good community spirit, wasn't there?- Everyone knew everyone.
0:11:48 > 0:11:51And everybody wanted to participate
0:11:51 > 0:11:54and to make cakes or to help, in one way or another.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56It really was a wonderful day.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07In the footage, my mum is running up and down.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09I think she was organising the water for the teapots.
0:12:09 > 0:12:12And I'm amazed I cannot see my dad anywhere.
0:12:12 > 0:12:17I think he must have been doing his bit in the kitchen, boiling kettles!
0:12:17 > 0:12:20Did they not do an enormous amount, then, the men?
0:12:20 > 0:12:23No, I don't remember anything much of anything else.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26They probably weren't allowed to! Weren't as capable!
0:12:33 > 0:12:37Beryl was the fairy queen and I was one of her attendants.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43I remember my little dress. It had has been starched into submission.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47It was sticking out here all the way round, just like a little ballerina.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49I was really made up.
0:12:49 > 0:12:52You were in charge then, Beryl, as fairy queen?
0:12:52 > 0:12:57Yes, I thought I was the bee's knees, sitting there on my throne,
0:12:57 > 0:13:00when we were going round the town. I thought it was quite special.
0:13:00 > 0:13:07I mean, I am very modest about it now, but, no, it was a great thrill.
0:13:09 > 0:13:12I really remember being made up that day.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15I had my hair all curls, because my hair was dead straight.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19My mother put the ringlets in the night before, to get it all wavy.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21So that was really nice. It was special.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25Yes, I think everybody joined in. It was such a lot of fun.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32A huge attraction at parties across Wales were the sports and games
0:13:32 > 0:13:37organised for the children. And the adults, too.
0:13:39 > 0:13:44Three-legged races, egg and spoon and tug-of-war contests
0:13:44 > 0:13:47all took place. It was good innocent fun.
0:13:48 > 0:13:51And it was no different on Parc Y Dre,
0:13:51 > 0:13:54where the neighbouring field was taken over.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58- What were you doing in the sports? - Lots of events.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00I had butterflies in my tummy and everybody was watching
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and clapping every time you were successful.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04It was nice, everybody was there.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13- You didn't have your gym kit on, though, did you?- No. You noticed(!)
0:14:13 > 0:14:14ALL LAUGH
0:14:14 > 0:14:18My skirt was tucked into my knickers, but there we are.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21- You still did it, though. Still did the jumps.- Yes.
0:14:21 > 0:14:28Yes, I came second in the 80-metres sprint and second and the hurdles.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32I won the balloon race. I don't know what it was, I can't remember.
0:14:32 > 0:14:34Then I won the 11-13 high jump
0:14:34 > 0:14:39and then I went into the 13-15 age group and I won that, as well.
0:14:39 > 0:14:44- Did you?- And my friend Sybil, who won the 80-metres sprint,
0:14:44 > 0:14:47she reminded me that we won sixpence.
0:14:47 > 0:14:49ALL LAUGH
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Can remember what you did with your sixpence?
0:14:51 > 0:14:54I collected quite a bit, overall, that day, with the all the events.
0:14:54 > 0:14:56I can't remember, but we had a lot of money.
0:15:08 > 0:15:11What are your thoughts, looking back?
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Everybody was so good tempered, weren't they?
0:15:13 > 0:15:20Yes, yes. Yes, it was great fun. Yes, it was great fun.
0:15:20 > 0:15:22Happy memories.
0:15:33 > 0:15:35Before leaving Ruthin, there were two more people
0:15:35 > 0:15:37I wanted to meet.
0:15:37 > 0:15:40Bill Pritchard had made a life for him and his family on Parc Y Dre
0:15:40 > 0:15:44after the war. The 94-year-old didn't even know
0:15:44 > 0:15:46that film from the street party existed.
0:15:49 > 0:15:53'Bill's son, Glyn, has travelled from his home on Anglesey.
0:15:53 > 0:15:57'He is keen to have a look at the footage and to try to spot himself.'
0:15:59 > 0:16:03- There he is, that's Glyn. - Is that you?- That's me.- Oh!
0:16:03 > 0:16:05You looked a bit cheeky.
0:16:05 > 0:16:07The uniforms are quite elaborate, weren't they?
0:16:07 > 0:16:09They were. Very elaborate.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11You couldn't go to the shops and buy one of those,
0:16:11 > 0:16:14- could you? They would have been made from scratch.- Later on, you'll see
0:16:14 > 0:16:17the painted moustaches that my dad did.
0:16:17 > 0:16:19These boys with moustaches, that's your work?
0:16:19 > 0:16:23Yes. In my younger days, I was involved with amateur dramatics
0:16:23 > 0:16:26and I had a make-up box in the house.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30And they made me paint moustaches on most of the soldiers,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I don't know if I did all of them.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34The women look like they are doing a lot of the organising.
0:16:34 > 0:16:38- Well, they did all the organising. - What did the men do?
0:16:38 > 0:16:39Nothing!
0:16:39 > 0:16:41THEY LAUGH
0:16:41 > 0:16:43- Eating.- Eating!
0:16:46 > 0:16:51It's easy to sit back and watch old films these days,
0:16:51 > 0:16:53television is taken for granted.
0:16:53 > 0:16:57Six decades ago, though, TVs were rare and incredibly expensive.
0:16:57 > 0:17:02But televising the Coronation encouraged those who could afford it to buy their first set.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06Incredibly, 20 million people managed to watch
0:17:06 > 0:17:09the Coronation unfold on a screen in front of them.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14Television turns the Coronation into a shared experience,
0:17:14 > 0:17:17people come together to watch it. Not everyone had a TV
0:17:17 > 0:17:19and some people watched it in the homes of neighbours,
0:17:19 > 0:17:23some people watched it in public buildings such as hospitals
0:17:23 > 0:17:26or old people's homes or pubs. What the Coronation
0:17:26 > 0:17:28maybe does for television is give television
0:17:28 > 0:17:30a degree of respectability.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Before 1953, there was a degree of distress that this was
0:17:33 > 0:17:36a popular thing, this was something maybe for the working classes.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40But it makes it respectable for many middle-class families, who were
0:17:40 > 0:17:42the ones who could afford televisions.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44But they did come together to watch it.
0:17:46 > 0:17:50We were one of the few people on the estate who had got a television
0:17:50 > 0:17:54and it was a colossal-sized box, but the screen was only about that big.
0:17:54 > 0:17:55And it was black and white.
0:17:55 > 0:17:59It ended up with 17 people, I think, in that little room,
0:17:59 > 0:18:02round that box, watching the telly.
0:18:10 > 0:18:14- It looks like a very happy time. - It was.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17- Can you remember the atmosphere on the day, Bill?- Oh, yes.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20Just the crowd and the happy family, you know.
0:18:20 > 0:18:24And the children and...
0:18:24 > 0:18:30It was great. Granny was there. Nye was there.
0:18:30 > 0:18:35It was wonderful, when I think back.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48The street parties were carried out with military precision.
0:18:48 > 0:18:55But the real Army were on manoeuvres during the Coronation, in honour of their new Commander-in-Chief.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02On Pontypridd Common, vehicle convoys and tons of artillery
0:19:02 > 0:19:05rolled onto the hillside for gun salutes.
0:19:05 > 0:19:09Even the regimental band - and goat -
0:19:09 > 0:19:11were in attendance for the ceremony.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14And amongst the ranks was an amateur cameraman,
0:19:14 > 0:19:16catching everything on colour film.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Hundreds of residents made the journey from the town itself
0:19:21 > 0:19:24to be part of the pomp and ceremony,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and gathered together as the guns were fired.
0:19:30 > 0:19:35In Newport, it was reported that the 21-gun salute rattled windows,
0:19:35 > 0:19:37almost to the point of shattering.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47The Welsh towns, villages
0:19:47 > 0:19:51and hamlets that exploded in celebration have evolved since 1953.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54People have left the homes where they grew up
0:19:54 > 0:19:56and memories of the Coronation have faded.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05But this man's passion could help rekindle them.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Evan Morgan was fascinated with film
0:20:07 > 0:20:12and captured life in South Wales as the 1950s unfolded.
0:20:13 > 0:20:17This forgotten footage of a Llantwit Fardre street party
0:20:17 > 0:20:19hasn't been seen publicly for decades.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Until now.
0:20:22 > 0:20:26Nearly 100 people have been invited to a special screening
0:20:26 > 0:20:29at the pub down the road from where the party took place.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32There are guests in attendance, hoping to spot themselves on screen.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34- You OK?- I'm fine.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38Some haven't seen each other for nearly half a century.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Others have travelled hundreds of miles just to be here.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46And this unique reunion wouldn't be complete without some VIPs.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49Glan ran the local shop and was the chief party planner.
0:20:49 > 0:20:53Pat is related to a very important person.
0:20:53 > 0:20:56- Of course, your father shot all the footage, didn't he?- Yes.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58He was a fitter by trade.
0:20:58 > 0:21:00He just picked it up.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03And he was with the Cardiff Cine Society and he started from there.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06And he made his own room up in the house,
0:21:06 > 0:21:09he had the films on the reels and then he would stop it
0:21:09 > 0:21:14and splice it and then join it up again and I used to help him.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19With his white gloves on. We used to spend hours up there.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21He thoroughly enjoyed it.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Pat's dad was run off his feet during the Coronation as
0:21:30 > 0:21:33he lugged his camera kit from valley to valley and street to street.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36Today, with the guests in their seats,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38his work flickers to life again,
0:21:38 > 0:21:40watched by its biggest audience ever.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43- Is it one of those streets off Broadway?- Yes.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45Like Egypt Street?
0:21:51 > 0:21:53When it's time for the main event, silence falls.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56The film from Llantwit Fardre,
0:21:56 > 0:22:01known locally then has Llantwit Main, is just 60 seconds long,
0:22:01 > 0:22:05but it's enough to transport everyone back in time nearly 60 years.
0:22:19 > 0:22:24Mary, what is it like watching the footage after all these years?
0:22:24 > 0:22:25It's really quite exciting
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and it's nice to see everyone here today that took part in that,
0:22:29 > 0:22:33because we were a very small village and we were all very close.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35We didn't just go to school together,
0:22:35 > 0:22:37we practically lived our lives together,
0:22:37 > 0:22:40until we all moved away to get married,
0:22:40 > 0:22:44and a lot of us lost touch, which is a bit sad, really.
0:22:44 > 0:22:46But it is really nice, yes.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49And of course, my uncle took all the film, which is lovely.
0:22:49 > 0:22:50So that brings back nice memories too.
0:22:56 > 0:23:00And what about the mood on the day? What was it like?
0:23:00 > 0:23:03- It was a great occasion. - It was, wasn't it? Yes.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06This is a small village and there wasn't an awful lot
0:23:06 > 0:23:10happening in this village, so of course, it was a great occasion.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14And it's an occasion where everybody got together.
0:23:14 > 0:23:15And they made it something.
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Some of you have lost touch, but to see people
0:23:21 > 0:23:24after all these years, what's that been like?
0:23:24 > 0:23:28I think we've all changed hair colour since then!
0:23:28 > 0:23:31It's marvellous to see all these people here today.
0:23:31 > 0:23:32Because all these families,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35they represent the village, don't they, really?
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- Yes.- We enjoy their company, and we did then and we do now.
0:23:39 > 0:23:43- Oh, yes, everybody knew everyone else in the village.- Yes.
0:23:44 > 0:23:49The festivities were held a stone's throw away from the pub.
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Everyone was invited and everybody brought something along to share,
0:23:53 > 0:23:58all piling out of their homes to be together for the Coronation.
0:23:58 > 0:24:05Everybody pitched in with the food. The cakes and sandwiches, and jelly.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07I don't like jelly!
0:24:08 > 0:24:13Mr Brown lived here and he offered to give the committee
0:24:13 > 0:24:16lemonade for the children for the day.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20On the committee was a minister, Mr Howells.
0:24:20 > 0:24:27Mr Howells said, "You cannot give children lemonade from a pub!"
0:24:27 > 0:24:28THEY LAUGH
0:24:30 > 0:24:33You could never believe it now, could you?
0:24:37 > 0:24:40There's me at the back, with my pigtails!
0:24:44 > 0:24:47- John!- I think that's me. I can remember a street party,
0:24:47 > 0:24:50but I would only have been about five then, so, you know.
0:24:50 > 0:24:53You look like you're enjoying yourself!
0:24:53 > 0:24:57LAUGHTER
0:24:58 > 0:25:00I'm pouting for something, by the look of it!
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Do you think you were aware at the time of how important a day
0:25:08 > 0:25:13it was, that it was the Coronation? Because you were quite young.
0:25:13 > 0:25:16Yes, I mean, I was only 10,
0:25:16 > 0:25:19so we had it in the back of our mind what was going on,
0:25:19 > 0:25:21you know, the celebrations.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25And there wasn't many with televisions in the street, see?
0:25:25 > 0:25:27And just to think, if it wasn't for your father,
0:25:27 > 0:25:30nobody would be here together, celebrating it, would they?
0:25:30 > 0:25:35No, no, no. Because I knew we had some of the street parties
0:25:35 > 0:25:41on this tape, you know, for everybody to see and enjoy.
0:25:47 > 0:25:51It's lovely to see it and it's nice to see,
0:25:51 > 0:25:53but it's more important
0:25:53 > 0:25:57to see the people here today, that's what I think is marvellous.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07Everybody made an effort to enjoy it, and they did enjoy it.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09That's all that it's all about, really.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22I wish children could have the sort of childhood we had.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25But, you know, it's not the same, is it, any more?
0:26:34 > 0:26:37The footage has brought back some amazing memories.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41There was a powerful sense of community here in 1953
0:26:41 > 0:26:43and it's still evident today.
0:26:43 > 0:26:44I think I'll leave them to party.
0:26:44 > 0:26:46It's going to go on for a few hours longer.
0:26:46 > 0:26:49Just like it did almost 60 years ago.
0:26:52 > 0:26:55Across Wales, hundreds of bonfires and beacons
0:26:55 > 0:26:59were waiting to be lit in Queen Elizabeth's honour.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02At Thornhill near Caerphilly Mountain,
0:27:02 > 0:27:07a log tower soaring 80 feet into the air was visible for miles.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15On the neighbouring Garth Mountain, a precarious beacon
0:27:15 > 0:27:19had been built by both adults and children.
0:27:22 > 0:27:26It's hard to imagine the 60-foot bonfire would be allowed today.
0:27:28 > 0:27:33As dusk fell, the evening sky exploded with orange and gold,
0:27:33 > 0:27:37as flaming tributes pierced the night-time blackness.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43It marked the end of an historic day.
0:27:43 > 0:27:47A day that brought people together across Wales.
0:27:51 > 0:27:54The coming to the throne of a young, glamorous woman mattered to people.
0:27:54 > 0:27:55People were interested in it,
0:27:55 > 0:27:58not just out of deference and respect.
0:27:58 > 0:28:01There was a degree of what today we'd call soap opera about it.
0:28:01 > 0:28:03People were interested in her life.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06She was an icon just in the way that Hollywood film stars were.
0:28:09 > 0:28:10Next time on Elizabeth's Wales,
0:28:10 > 0:28:14we'll discover more about her first summer.
0:28:15 > 0:28:18How tens of thousands lined the streets for a first glimpse
0:28:18 > 0:28:22of their new Queen as her Coronation tour came to Wales.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26I'll meet those who say they got so close,
0:28:26 > 0:28:29they could have leant out and touched her.
0:28:30 > 0:28:32And the Welsh coronation queens.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Find out how Honora had regal duties of her very own.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd