Episode 2 Elizabeth's Wales

CHEERING CROWDS

We couldn't wait that day to see the Queen.

The crowds were that close, someone could have reached out and touched the Queen.

The crowd were wonderful.

Joyful and cheering.

It was a lovely day.

It will be something I will treasure all my life,

that I was able to see the Queen.

Everything went so quickly, though - we wanted her to come back and back!

It was a visit that brought the people of Wales

closer to the monarchy than ever before.

A mixture of excitement and curiosity swept towns and villages

as meticulous preparations were made

for a royal visit like no other in history.

'The Queen's reign was in its infancy'

when she visited Wales for her coronation tour.

Nearly 60 years later, we remember that visit with the people

who were there, using amateur footage in glorious colour.

As I continue to explore that first summer of Elizabeth's Wales,

I meet some of those who spent hours lining the streets

for a glimpse of their young queen.

I'll hear from a policeman who was on royal duty 60 years ago.

He tells me how he disobeyed orders to ensure the crowd

had the best possible view.

And six decades on,

one of Wales's very own coronation queens relives her special summer,

and how she saw off stiff competition to take centre stage.

I quite enjoyed all of it, really.

I felt like a princess!

In the days and weeks that followed the Coronation,

spectacular celebrations and pageants continued throughout Wales.

But it was the impending visit of the newly crowned Queen

that really caught the imagination of the people.

It was organised to take full advantage

of the unprecedented interest

in the royal family, and to encourage a sense of Britishness.

Wales had always had a strong commitment to the monarchy.

The Second World War, in many ways,

had reinforced that.

What Elizabeth's coronation does -

her coming to the throne -

is give it a new injection of life

and vitality - and youth, above all.

She was seen as a glamorous young woman,

and it got all kinds of people interested in the royal family.

It was this allure of the Queen that attracted many young girls

to try to emulate her. Across the country,

competitions were held to find coronation queens -

prestigious roles that gave a home-grown, regal touch

to civic celebrations and events that followed in the weeks after the Coronation.

# I'm a girl and by me that's only great

# I am proud that my silhouette is curvy

# That I walk with a sweet and girlish gait

# With my hips kind-a swivelly and swirly... #

84-year-old Honora Pendrous was born and brought up in Newport.

A butcher's daughter, she was far more interested in fashion,

working in clothes shops and department stores across the town.

# When I have a brand new hair-do... #

It was her striking good looks that got her out from behind the till

and gave her a taste of life in the limelight.

She was crowned Miss Newport,

but an even more majestic competition loomed in 1953.

# I enjoy

# Being a girl! #

It must have been advertised in the paper

that they were looking for a carnival queen.

I think my sister thought I had a chance

and she fancied dressing me up and making me look good, she thought!

I think she did a pretty good job, don't you?

This film of the contest hasn't been shown on television before.

It reminds Honora of a time

when she dreamt of stardom, with aspirations of being an actress.

On the day itself, she faced stiff competition

and there was a tough panel of judges to impress.

That's bringing back some old memories.

We had to read or recite something.

I'd had elocution lessons when I was a little girl,

and I think that helped.

It was quite a pleasant surprise when I won it.

I quite enjoyed all of it, really.

I think the other girls felt the same.

This is the civic centre, I remember that, yes.

We were introduced to the mayor.

Honora was treated like a VIP

and was whisked around Newport as the town celebrated the Coronation.

She had a very hectic diary, and she's still got all the invites

that suggest she had almost as many engagements as the Queen herself.

'We had a chauffeur-driven car.'

Quite a nice limousine.

We went from one place to another, you know,

just making appearances, really.

We went all around the town

from shaking hands with the elderly people who were having tea,

sports grounds and keep fit displays, all sorts of things.

We attended a dance at the Shaftesbury Park.

We held a musical festival.

Some of the things you weren't so interested in

but you had to be diplomatic about it!

Even if you weren't that interested, you had to look,

and this is what the poor Queen's been doing for years!

Across Wales, there was a huge schedule of events

for all ages to watch or get involved in.

They began in June with the Coronation,

and continued over the summer.

The amateur cameramen were there too.

Local councils vied to outdo one another,

lavishing what money and resources they had to put on the best show.

Honora was a special guest at events in Newport,

but being the centre of attention was tiring,

and made her sympathise with the Queen's gruelling tour.

I thought she had a terrible job in front of her,

a very frightening job in front of such a young person.

But she's been absolutely wonderful, I think, all these years

and coped with everything.

Although we enjoyed it for about a week,

I must say I was glad to get back to being a private little person!

And there was another person who was quite happy

when Honora's royal duties were over - her future husband, Ray.

He was cheesed off with the whole thing because he couldn't

come and see me every weekend!

He wrote in his letters,

"I'll be glad when it'll be over and finished!"

He wasn't impressed at all, he didn't like it.

It was nice for just a little time, and I enjoyed it while it lasted.

I felt like a princess.

Yes, I think I could say that quite easily, yes.

The partying continued as final preparations were being made

for Elizabeth's visit to Wales.

The coronation queens played a pivotal role in the pageants and parades

that were held in the days and weeks that followed the Coronation itself.

In fact, it was to be a whole summer of celebration.

In the early 1950s, there was a lot less cynicism

towards the royal family than there is today.

People didn't criticise it in the way they do today -

partly because they didn't know much about the people as individuals,

they were very much figureheads, symbols.

We didn't know too much about their personal lives.

The monarchy was very popular.

Towns and villages went to great lengths

to ensure there was no anti-climax in the weeks that followed the Coronation.

Businesses and local community groups were encouraged

to take part in spectacular parades throughout the streets

that were still awash with red, white and blue.

'It was an excuse for workers to clock off'

and for businesses to shut up shop.

This coal merchants was no exception.

In keeping with the party spirit,

its lorries were dressed to impress for spectacular parades

which saw people turn out onto the streets in their thousands.

Back then, Angela James was 11, and remembers the effort required

to organise the coronation parade at Pentonville in Newport,

where she lived.

For more than a century, her family, the Burstons,

have supplied coal to the local area.

But in the summer of '53,

something else was required of the coal merchant -

their transport.

My father supplied the lorries to the carnival most years.

He did sweep the back of the lorry,

hosed it all down until it was twinkling

and, er, had to drive very slowly with the precious cargo on the back!

This is one of their lorries making its way slowly

through the streets of Newport.

Just one of many carnivals that took place after the Coronation.

All sorts of businesses joined in,

turning their trucks into amazingly decorated floats.

These were the scenes in Pontypridd which had a carnival of its own

and an amateur film-maker on hand to capture the event.

There was even a mobile pub.

Well, being on parade seems to be thirsty work.

Taking part in these parades was fun for everyone involved.

But back in Newport,

one person was denied the chance to take centre stage.

I had been chosen as the local carnival queen.

But as my father supplied the lorry, Mum declined the offer

and said it would seem like favouritism,

so I got to walk behind the lorry, which was rather exciting.

I think I had more fun walking behind, chatting,

whereas on the back of the lorry, as the queen,

you'd have had to be more regal.

-What was the mood like on the day?

-Everybody was happy.

I don't know whether all the young people realised

how important it was, but it was a happy day, a joyful day.

At the end of it there was a party, and everyone's happy at a party!

And there was plenty of partying on 9th July 1953,

when the Queen and Prince Philip would finally begin

their two-day tour of Wales after months of planning and waiting.

The excitement was tangible.

In Newport, where the royal couple would start their visit,

final touches were caught on camera

as the town prepared for its special visitors.

People wanted to see the royal family close up,

and the tour was very much about taking the royal family

to the people and creating this idea that the whole of Britain

was one unit, regardless of region,

regardless of class, of gender.

It was partly about nation building,

about creating a sense of popular pride

and using the Queen as an icon of that.

The royal train pulled into Newport station, and with it

a first glimpse for the Welsh people of their newly-crowned Queen.

The streets were lined with thousands of people.

Every square inch was filled.

People even hung from windows

and gathered on rooftops to get a good view.

They had waited for hours,

and were finally treated with a fleeting glimpse

of the woman who had become the most famous in the world.

The scenes were repeated in Cardiff, the next stop on their tour.

But the royal couple's itinerary

didn't just feature major towns and cities -

they would travel through smaller communities, too,

like here, in Pontypridd.

The local press was talking about people lining the streets,

not just in towns and villages but also alongside mountainsides.

They were amazed there were so many people there.

The press tries to turn it into a big national celebration,

and on one level it is,

but it's also about curiosity and a sense of occasion.

The Queen's visit was designed

to give as many of her subjects as possible

the opportunity of seeing the royal couple

in the first few weeks of her reign.

Many people had been drawn closer to the monarchy during World War II

by King George VI.

It was hoped his daughter, the new queen, and her royal tour

would do the same.

Look at Cardiff Castle, Kingsway and the archway - weren't it marvellous?

-It was there for ages, wasn't it?

-Absolutely.

When the Queen came to Cardiff,

the Phillips twins were there to welcome her.

Then schoolboys, they were under strict orders

to be on their best behaviour and to look as smart as possible.

We had to get spruced up, washed down and change our clothes.

And believe me, what a crowd,

so we were jostling to get the best position

and we're all waiting and waiting,

and we couldn't understand why we had to wait such a long time.

We were excited, we wanted to see the Queen.

Everyone did.

The route the cavalcade took around Cardiff had been publicised

well in advance.

The Queen and Prince Philip would do a loop of the city

and visit some of the suburbs.

The armed services provided a bit of pomp...

while the police were in charge of crowd control.

And then a policeman there, a big sergeant, he was -

the police were big in them days,

they were about six foot six, I think,

and standing there they looked about seven foot six

because we were so small -

escorted us across the road onto this sort of greenery.

He said, "You stay there until the Queen comes.

"When she comes, you wave your flags".

We were so excited, we were waving our flags and everything

and everybody cheered her.

It was the most exciting thing that you could ever imagine,

seeing the Queen.

And she gave us a wave, it was absolutely thrilling.

Not only that, the car slowed down so we had a good look at her.

That made it even better. I thought, "That's very nice."

I think it was important for all of us at that time to see our queen

and she went out of her way to make sure that we did see her.

It was hard times for all of us after the war - people tend to forget that.

This was a joyous occasion, a celebration for her

and being the great queen she's been.

The new monarch made a huge impact everywhere she went.

At each stop of the tour the couple left their mark,

writing their names in visitors books.

This is the one they signed in Llanelli.

It's been preserved in the town's archives ever since.

The fleeting visit to the west Wales town

was the first by a ruling sovereign.

She would spend just under an hour here

after completing a full day of engagements elsewhere.

Many of those who live in Llanelli now will have little idea

of the overwhelming impression that this visit had

on its residents at the time.

Martin Lewis was a policeman in July 1953.

'He usually pounded the beat in Ammanford,'

but was called to stand guard for the Queen when she came to Llanelli.

You had been told to wear white gloves

and to take sandwiches with us.

We had the sandwiches at the police station before we went to do duty.

He needed to keep his strength up.

Tens of thousands of people from across Carmarthenshire,

Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire had swarmed into the town

to see in the flesh someone many had only seen on a postage stamp.

More than 7,000 feet of fencing was erected to corral the spectators

and the police were on hand to make sure everyone behaved.

You were told to stand on the road and face the crowds.

The crowds were about three or four deep.

A policeman, we had one every 60 yards.

Lots of flags.

Can't remember any red dragons but lots of flags.

The town hall was decorated from top to bottom.

Roads were closed and planes were banned from flying overhead.

There had been two dress rehearsals for the visit.

And, as Martin said,

police were told to stay in front of the crowds and face them.

But not every bobby obeyed orders.

People were, oh, restless.

The people out there in front of me told me,

"We can't see the Queen when she comes".

So I went round the back.

So, I had a good view of the Queen.

The royal train was due to arrive at seven o'clock in the evening.

But it was half an hour late, for which the Queen apologised.

Finally, her tour of the town began.

Were you worried at all about the number of people who were there?

The crowd were wonderful. I didn't see any incident whatsoever.

She came to Llanelli to show herself and the people appreciated it.

She and Prince Philip were in the back of the car, open topped.

And we had a good view, everybody cheered and that was that.

At the town hall, the dignitaries and VIPs anxiously awaited

their royal guests.

Outside in the crowd that day was Alun Bowen Thomas,

who later became the chief executive of Llanelli Council.

He was yet to meet his wife, Margaret,

but she was there on that day too.

Scores of people had gathered,

hoping for a glimpse of the Queen and her husband.

Alun was 18. He remembers the day as an excuse to meet girls.

And Margaret was one of the 8,000 schoolchildren

who were lining the streets.

'Today, back in the town hall,

'they vividly remember where they stood to see the royal couple.'

The teachers must have been given a plan of which year was to go where.

I was in Station Road.

Where were you standing?

I was standing on the junction of Murray Street and, erm,

Station Road, opposite what was then the Odeon cinema.

The Queen had requested that the route be changed

so she could see as many children as possible during the short ride

around the town,

which delighted those who'd waited all day for her to arrive.

I'd never seen the Queen, never thought we ever would see the Queen.

There was great preparation. What time shall we get to our spot?

We had fun watching people manoeuvring into a better position,

especially ladies, they're very good at it, aren't they? You know.

-Well, they wanted to see their Queen.

-Yes, yes.

-Full marks to them.

I think Welsh ladies are pretty good,

they're very forceful and determined!

And we were very, very excited and jumping for joy when she arrived.

It was absolutely wonderful.

Everything went so quickly, though. We wanted her to come back and back.

I know what struck Margaret was how good looking the prince was!

She says it frequently!

-Because he was in uniform.

-He was, yes, he was.

There were parts of the journey into this very building

where the crowds were that close

someone could have reached out and touched the Queen.

What do you think it meant for the people of Llanelli

for the Queen to visit?

Well, it picked us up as it did any other town,

because it was just eight years after the war.

War was very colourless,

and suddenly we had all this excitement and all this colour -

because there was a lot of colour. A tremendous amount of colour.

It was as though somebody had thrown a valve, you know,

and the frustration and the rigours of the war had been released.

The Queen and Prince Philip left Llanelli

as they'd travelled through it - in an open-topped car.

It made its way slowly through the thronging streets

back to the station for the royal train,

and its overnight journey to north Wales

for further stops at Caernarfon, Llangollen, Rhyl and Wrexham.

There was that happy atmosphere that you get on any event.

The conversation for a couple of days was,

"Where were you standing?", "What did you see?"

Never thought of that. 60 years ago.

Frightening!

THEY BOTH LAUGH

All the precious footage that was captured by amateur film-makers

has resurrected memories that had faded over six decades.

# Fairy tales can come true

# It can happen to you

# If you're young at heart... #

For Honora, our queen from Newport,

the Coronation seems like a lifetime ago.

The young girl has become a grandmother

and has seen the royal family's highs and lows

over the last 60 years.

# Don't you know that it's worth every treasure on earth

# To be young at heart... #

'It's brought back a lot of memories of when all this

'took place 60 years ago.'

I can't believe 60 years has flown.

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then.

All this reminiscing has reminded Honora that she's held on to

a treasured possession from that special summer of celebration.

And for the first time since then, it's been taken out of storage

and displayed in all its glory.

This was a present that I was given by my fiance

and it was just the finishing touch,

I feel, to go with this little outfit.

He thought he was a real lucky boy!

Yes! I've got letters to prove it.

SHE LAUGHS

He said I looked really regal as I came down the stairs.

60 years ago, and I can't believe it's the...

..that a dress can look this good after 60 years!

It's just like the day I wore it.

I really felt like a coronation queen.

There were many people made to feel special.

Those who played some part in the celebrations,

those who were presented to the Queen, and every single person

who turned out to witness history and who took her to their hearts.

While this was a British event,

at the same time, people also saw it as a Welsh event.

This was Wales taking part in a national, even global, event.

So it is about Britishness, but it also revealed people had a pride

in where they came from at a local level too.

When the Queen said goodbye to Wales after a whistle-stop tour,

she left behind memories that have lasted a lifetime.

Those memories are still vivid today

as people celebrate a remarkable milestone.

A reign that's already lasted 60 years.

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd