0:00:26 > 0:00:32In the summer of 1953, a group of amateur filmmakers captured this
0:00:32 > 0:00:34wonderful colour footage
0:00:34 > 0:00:36of the Queen's Coronation celebrations,
0:00:36 > 0:00:39held in towns and villages in Northern Ireland.
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Soon, they would have the chance to film the new queen herself,
0:00:42 > 0:00:46as she arrived here for a three-day visit, her first stop
0:00:46 > 0:00:48on an ambitious seven-month tour of the Commonwealth.
0:00:49 > 0:00:53Through these evocative images and the personal memories
0:00:53 > 0:00:57of some of those who were there, we're going to tell the story
0:00:57 > 0:01:00of that unique royal tour, and what it meant to us.
0:01:09 > 0:01:10So, here I am
0:01:10 > 0:01:12in Lady Grey's sitting room in Hillsborough Castle,
0:01:12 > 0:01:14which is the Queen's official residence
0:01:14 > 0:01:16when she's in Northern Ireland.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20Now, during the programme, I'm going to try and piece together
0:01:20 > 0:01:23that quite remarkable visit back in 1953,
0:01:23 > 0:01:25to find out where the Queen went, exactly,
0:01:25 > 0:01:28who did she meet en route and, from my own point of view,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31how Northern Ireland has changed since I was a young girl.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33I was 13 at the time.
0:01:34 > 0:01:37In fact, I have my own very special memory
0:01:37 > 0:01:39of seeing the Queen that summer.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42I was cycling along a country road,
0:01:42 > 0:01:44and I had to pull in close to the hedge
0:01:44 > 0:01:46because a cavalcade of cars drove past,
0:01:46 > 0:01:50and there in one of the cars, I saw for myself the young Queen.
0:01:50 > 0:01:53She was on her way here, to Hillsborough Castle.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56It was only four weeks after her Coronation,
0:01:56 > 0:01:59an event that captivated the nation.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01As you can imagine, I'm really enjoying this,
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and probably the only opportunity I'll ever have to sit on a throne.
0:02:05 > 0:02:08But I do remember Coronation Day very, very clearly.
0:02:08 > 0:02:12All the kids, of course, got a day off school and at home, somewhere,
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I still have my little Coronation mug, which we all received.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18But we didn't have a television in our house in those days,
0:02:18 > 0:02:21and there was only one woman in our entire road
0:02:21 > 0:02:24whom I knew did have one. She was called Mrs McCracken.
0:02:24 > 0:02:26So I was the first in line, early on that day, to say,
0:02:26 > 0:02:29"Please, can I come in and watch the Coronation?"
0:02:29 > 0:02:31Thankfully, she let me in.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37'From now, until after five o'clock this afternoon,
0:02:37 > 0:02:39'television cameras take you into the heart of London
0:02:39 > 0:02:43'to watch and share in each phase of this great day's events.'
0:02:52 > 0:02:56Televisions were few and far between in the '50s.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57Most people had to make do
0:02:57 > 0:02:59with listening to the commentary of the Coronation
0:02:59 > 0:03:01on the good old wireless.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05So, when we heard that the Queen was coming to Northern Ireland,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and that we might actually get to see her in the flesh,
0:03:08 > 0:03:10well, the excitement was palpable.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13All of a sudden, you have this very young woman
0:03:13 > 0:03:18who's going to be the new queen, and so after
0:03:18 > 0:03:21a difficult period of world conflict and austerity,
0:03:21 > 0:03:24you now have this new young woman coming to the throne,
0:03:24 > 0:03:25which was quite exciting.
0:03:25 > 0:03:29Of course, not everyone here was a fan of the monarchy,
0:03:29 > 0:03:31but it does seem that there was
0:03:31 > 0:03:34an overwhelming feeling of goodwill towards this visit.
0:03:34 > 0:03:36Royal visits to Northern Ireland
0:03:36 > 0:03:39always have the potential to be sensitive,
0:03:39 > 0:03:43because there's always the, there is a minority
0:03:43 > 0:03:46within the Northern Ireland population
0:03:46 > 0:03:49who are assumed to be opposed to the visit.
0:03:49 > 0:03:52That's not always the case. It's not a simple opposition -
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Unionists and Protestants love the monarchy coming
0:03:55 > 0:03:58and Nationalists and Catholics don't like the monarchy coming.
0:03:58 > 0:03:59I mean, nothing is a simple opposition.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02There are people who found it just as exciting
0:04:02 > 0:04:06to have the Queen going past and lots of pomp and ceremony,
0:04:06 > 0:04:10and people dressed up nicely and buglers bugling and so on,
0:04:10 > 0:04:12whatever their political background,
0:04:12 > 0:04:14because they'd been through a long war,
0:04:14 > 0:04:16and things were quite dull and it was quite exciting.
0:04:16 > 0:04:19When he heard the Queen was coming to Northern Ireland,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21Harold Paterson saw an opportunity
0:04:21 > 0:04:25to film something other than family parties and church outings.
0:04:25 > 0:04:28But how was an amateur camera enthusiast from Lisburn
0:04:28 > 0:04:31going to get anywhere near the Queen?
0:04:31 > 0:04:35In those days, we knew the police in our towns,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37and even the County Inspector.
0:04:37 > 0:04:39He was in the shop one day and I said to him,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42"Any chance of getting a pass
0:04:42 > 0:04:45"to take photographs of the Royal visit?"
0:04:45 > 0:04:47So he said, "I'll see what I can do."
0:04:47 > 0:04:50So a few days later, I got the letter from his office,
0:04:50 > 0:04:55authorising me to take cinema film
0:04:55 > 0:04:57of the Queen's visit.
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Clutching his letter of permission,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02Harold made straight for Aldergrove,
0:05:02 > 0:05:04where the Queen was due to land.
0:05:04 > 0:05:07This was the camera that I had when I arrived at Aldergrove.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12It was small, so, of course, it looked like an amateur,
0:05:12 > 0:05:13which I was, really.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16But then, when I arrived, they put me with the press, actually.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19So, of course, these men all have their big cameras
0:05:19 > 0:05:22and there's about 15 press men there,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25and you soon learn, actually, why they're taking their photographs.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27They want them for the paper or whatever,
0:05:27 > 0:05:29and they're all out to get their photographs,
0:05:29 > 0:05:31so don't worry about who's behind them.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34So, they just stand in front of your lens.
0:05:34 > 0:05:36But I enjoyed it, and then, as I went,
0:05:36 > 0:05:38I always kept away from the press.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43At the various venues, I was able to move around, I discovered that.
0:05:43 > 0:05:45Nobody asked a question.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48I had complete freedom to take my photographs.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50Having got the shots he wanted,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53Harold then jumped into his Austin 10
0:05:53 > 0:05:55to get ahead of the Royal party,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58so that he could film them driving into Lisburn.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03His film captures the excitement and enthusiasm
0:06:03 > 0:06:05of those who lined the roads along the way.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10One of those waiting to see the Queen at Lisburn
0:06:10 > 0:06:11was Eileen Matchett.
0:06:11 > 0:06:17That's my mother and these are just people that were in the crowd.
0:06:17 > 0:06:22We had all Union Jacks, and I'm here in the corner
0:06:22 > 0:06:25and we're waiting in Lisburn for the Queen to go through.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Eileen would get an even better view of the Queen
0:06:29 > 0:06:32later that evening, back home in Hillsborough,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35where the Queen stayed for the duration of her visit.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40There was a big dinner on in the castle,
0:06:40 > 0:06:44and everybody in Hillsborough was out.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50She came out onto this balcony, sort of place,
0:06:50 > 0:06:52and then everybody cheered and cheered
0:06:52 > 0:06:54and God Save The Queen, you know.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56So, on the very first night that the Queen came
0:06:56 > 0:07:00to Hillsborough Castle, she would have had dinner in this room
0:07:00 > 0:07:03and then she came out on these very steps to be serenaded,
0:07:03 > 0:07:06if that's the word, by two Lambeg drummers.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10My husband was mad keen on the Lambeg drums.
0:07:10 > 0:07:15Any chance he ever got, he played the drums.
0:07:15 > 0:07:19We were all there and he came over and said
0:07:19 > 0:07:23that he had been invited into the castle,
0:07:23 > 0:07:28inside, to play the drums, take the drums in.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31'The Queen meets Donald Crooks and Garfield Matchett,
0:07:31 > 0:07:33'two of a large party of Lambeg drummers,
0:07:33 > 0:07:36'who give their own special Orangemens' welcome.'
0:07:36 > 0:07:38He came back smiling like mad,
0:07:38 > 0:07:42and he told us about the Queen asking him, was he married,
0:07:42 > 0:07:44and he said yes, he was just married.
0:07:44 > 0:07:46They got a big cheer,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50cos they had been in seeing the Queen.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53Very proud of them. Very proud. I thought it was great.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02The next day was packed with royal engagements.
0:08:02 > 0:08:05Again, Harold filmed the whole occasion.
0:08:05 > 0:08:07At the City Hall, there was all the pomp and ceremony
0:08:07 > 0:08:09you'd expect for such a visit,
0:08:09 > 0:08:12with members of the Army, RAF and Royal Navy
0:08:12 > 0:08:14lining the surrounding streets.
0:08:19 > 0:08:21At Queens University, a problem with the flag,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24whether a student prank or a political protest,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27was quickly forgotten, as eager crowds
0:08:27 > 0:08:29got their first glimpse of the Queen.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33COMMENTATOR: The Queen, in a steel blue silk coat, very full-skirted,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36and a small hat, quite close and her hair curling over the brim,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41pearls and a diamond broche and bracelet, looking so lovely.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Her clothes and the clothes of all of those people who were
0:08:44 > 0:08:47attending events were commented upon quite a lot.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50And, really, the way to think about that is, first of all,
0:08:50 > 0:08:53that she is a celebrity,
0:08:53 > 0:08:56and we know now about celebrities who can't come out in the morning
0:08:56 > 0:08:58without their pyjamas being talked about,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00so you're looking at her, thinking, "What is she wearing?
0:09:00 > 0:09:03"What colour is she wearing? And look at her handbag,
0:09:03 > 0:09:06"and look at the ladies who are with her and what they're wearing."
0:09:06 > 0:09:09But it's a period of big change for women,
0:09:09 > 0:09:11so women...in Northern Ireland, particularly,
0:09:11 > 0:09:14women have been involved in a lot of the war industries.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16They've had rationing, they've had queuing,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19they've had looking after children, they've had fear about,
0:09:19 > 0:09:23you know, more bombing, and it's quite nice to think about
0:09:23 > 0:09:28what somebody's wearing and whether you think they look nice or not.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31Sharing your opinions about what shade her dress really was,
0:09:31 > 0:09:35so that part of the visit isn't superficial.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38It's an important part for people to be able to talk about
0:09:38 > 0:09:42and to think, "Well, hasn't she turned out very smart?
0:09:42 > 0:09:44"Isn't she lovely?"
0:09:51 > 0:09:54The garden party at Stormont provided the perfect setting
0:09:54 > 0:09:58for local ladies to show off their own finery.
0:10:01 > 0:10:02Inside the Great Hall,
0:10:02 > 0:10:06the Queen addressed the assembled politicians.
0:10:06 > 0:10:10'As your Queen, I am now even more closely concerned
0:10:10 > 0:10:13'with the affairs of Northern Ireland.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15'And I assure you that I shall always strive
0:10:15 > 0:10:18'to repay your loyalty and devotion
0:10:18 > 0:10:21'with my steadfast service to you all.
0:10:21 > 0:10:25'May God give you wisdom and faith in all your labours,
0:10:25 > 0:10:30'and may the future bring peace, contentment and true happiness
0:10:30 > 0:10:31'to the people of Northern Ireland.'
0:10:33 > 0:10:35At a youth rally at Balmoral,
0:10:35 > 0:10:39so many thousands of children came to see the Queen
0:10:39 > 0:10:41that extra trains had to be laid on to bring them.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Alistair Simpson was one of a group of boys' brigade members
0:10:45 > 0:10:47who made the journey from Londonderry
0:10:47 > 0:10:50to see the Queen at Balmoral.
0:10:50 > 0:10:51We had to go early in the morning,
0:10:51 > 0:10:54about seven, eight o'clock in the morning.
0:10:54 > 0:10:59We were so exuberant, getting there, and excited.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The whole lot of us were all around the same change age group,
0:11:02 > 0:11:04young teenagers.
0:11:04 > 0:11:06And we were all wondering how we were going to see her,
0:11:06 > 0:11:09what she was going to say when she'd seen us.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11We all thought that we were so important that she would stop
0:11:11 > 0:11:13and have a conversation with us.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17You imagine 24,000 children stuck in Balmoral Showgrounds
0:11:17 > 0:11:18for six hours or seven hours,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21and how many of them needed to find where the toilets were,
0:11:21 > 0:11:24and somebody who got lost.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27You can just imagine it must have been mayhem.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30I was fairly small at that time,
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and the small ones were always put at the front,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34and the bigger ones were put at the back.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36So I got a good view.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39But it was interesting to see her.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43She looked so small, compared to what you would think.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46You expect these people to be maybe six foot tall.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50Afterwards, we went to the cinema to see the whole thing,
0:11:50 > 0:11:54and you could see faces you recognised.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56And you'd say, "Is my face going to come up?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58"I'm going to be famous, you know.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00"This is great, getting up on the big screen."
0:12:00 > 0:12:05But, that was the boyhood dream that you had at the time.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08It had been a dream come true
0:12:08 > 0:12:11for thousands of people who saw the Queen in Belfast.
0:12:11 > 0:12:14But the organisers of this visit were keen to take the Queen
0:12:14 > 0:12:16out of Belfast into the country
0:12:16 > 0:12:19where people, who would normally never get to see her,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21could be part of the occasion.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23On the last day of the Queen's visit,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26a special train was laid on to take her from Lisburn to Londonderry,
0:12:26 > 0:12:31stopping off at places like Ballymena, Ballymoney and Coleraine.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35I can remember where I was on the 3rd July, like yesterday.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39Frank Dunlop was a railwayman all his working life.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I was doing the 12.40 to Belfast,
0:12:42 > 0:12:46and then the 5.25 from Belfast to Londonderry.
0:12:46 > 0:12:49And we were put up a siding in Coleraine,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52until the royal train arrived in Coleraine.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54And then we left Coleraine and went to Ballymoney.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58You weren't allowed to use your engine whistle.
0:12:58 > 0:13:01That was a distraction.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09'This is very different from the trains I'd have travelled in,
0:13:09 > 0:13:12'in the 50s, going from, say, Portadown to Belfast.'
0:13:12 > 0:13:14They were steam.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16And they were pretty dirty at times.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19But, do you know what? I loved them, and I still have a passion for them.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But, naturally, the Queen wouldn't have travelled in any old train.
0:13:22 > 0:13:24She had a rather posh one.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28The 102 was the engine that took the royal train
0:13:28 > 0:13:33and had been in the works getting some overhaul or repair.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37So they decided that they'd take 102.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41It was in the best mechanical condition after being in the works.
0:13:41 > 0:13:42But they had a problem.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Because 102 had no name.
0:13:45 > 0:13:48The name, Queen Elizabeth, was number 100.
0:13:48 > 0:13:53It was too big a problem to overhaul number 100 for the royal train,
0:13:53 > 0:13:57so they took the name plate off 100 and put it onto 102,
0:13:57 > 0:14:00just for the time.
0:14:00 > 0:14:02Once that was over, it was taken off the following week
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and put back onto 100 again.
0:14:05 > 0:14:06As you might imagine,
0:14:06 > 0:14:09the press could not get enough of the royal visit.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13I have actually a page from the Belfast Newsletter.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16And I love the way they describe the train the Queen was travelling on.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19It says, "The coaches are blue and cream.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21"All shining and newly painted.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24"Inside, Ulster linen, Ulster carpets,
0:14:24 > 0:14:27"and dark polished mahogany have brought a new luxury
0:14:27 > 0:14:30"to the compartments in which the Queen and the Duke will travel."
0:14:30 > 0:14:32And then, they also show
0:14:32 > 0:14:36a picture of this beautiful lounge on the train.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38Very comfy chairs. Absolutely gorgeous.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40Decked out with flowers, etc.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Then, on a different page in the paper,
0:14:43 > 0:14:47it says, "No modern plastics
0:14:47 > 0:14:49"could possibly compete with the magnificent,
0:14:49 > 0:14:50"aged mahogany panelling.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54"No ultra-modern design could better the simple dignity of its form.
0:14:54 > 0:14:59"So it is, throughout the whole 100-feet-long train.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02"And even the locomotive which will pull it
0:15:02 > 0:15:07"was built at York Road workshops in Belfast, more than 13 years ago."
0:15:07 > 0:15:08So the detail is fantastic.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12And I have to say, the train looks magnificent.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15There was some debate at the time
0:15:15 > 0:15:18as to who should drive the royal train.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23The reason Joe Shields was taken to drive the royal train,
0:15:23 > 0:15:25he was the senior driver.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28Now, there was a rumour
0:15:28 > 0:15:32that Joe Shields shouldn't have been driving the royal train,
0:15:32 > 0:15:36because he was over 65, and should have been retired.
0:15:36 > 0:15:40And the reason some people told
0:15:40 > 0:15:43was that the records were lost in The Blitz,
0:15:43 > 0:15:46and everybody had to get a new birth certificate.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49And he belonged to Ballymoney,
0:15:49 > 0:15:51and Ballymoney was full of Shieldses.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55And he got a birth certificate that wasn't his.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59And that was how he was supposed to be under 65.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01There was an enormous amount written
0:16:01 > 0:16:05when Queen Elizabeth II becomes Queen about a new Elizabethan age.
0:16:05 > 0:16:06This was a new Elizabethan age
0:16:06 > 0:16:10with a modernity, and the modern family woman, and so on.
0:16:10 > 0:16:14And the idea that she would be progressing through her realm,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17and the idea that she would be doing this on a train,
0:16:17 > 0:16:19through Northern Ireland,
0:16:19 > 0:16:22there is something both traditional and ancient,
0:16:22 > 0:16:25as well as trying to be very modern and forward looking.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27So, you have all of these tensions,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30these temporal tensions around what she's doing.
0:16:30 > 0:16:34And I just really like this idea of advertising this
0:16:34 > 0:16:36as this modern woman is going to come,
0:16:36 > 0:16:39and then go on this Edwardian train.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41People turned out in huge numbers
0:16:41 > 0:16:44to see the Queen at all the stations along the route.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47They stood in the fields, they hung off telegraph poles
0:16:47 > 0:16:49and raced alongside the train in tractors,
0:16:49 > 0:16:53in an effort to catch sight of the royal party.
0:16:53 > 0:16:54I have to admit,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58I find all the detail that was recorded absolutely intriguing.
0:16:58 > 0:17:02For example, "4,000 children joined in Ballymena's welcome.
0:17:02 > 0:17:06"For nearly two hours, before the train was due to stop at Ballymena,
0:17:06 > 0:17:08"children had gathered at the station.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11"Guides, very neat in their bright blue glasses and navy skirts,
0:17:11 > 0:17:16"the brownies, scouts and cubs, with bright bird-like eyes.
0:17:16 > 0:17:17"And everybody clutching a flag."
0:17:17 > 0:17:21But it was down to nine-year-old Eileen Roberta Simpson,
0:17:21 > 0:17:23who was the daughter of the town clerk.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26And she was the one who presented the Queen with cushion covers.
0:17:26 > 0:17:30So that was the gift of the day.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35I do remember walking down this slope,
0:17:35 > 0:17:36which had a red carpet.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40And on either side, painted white borders.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44And, behind me came a man with a hand-brush shovel,
0:17:44 > 0:17:49brushing my footsteps, so that it would be immaculate for Her Majesty.
0:17:49 > 0:17:51As the daughter of the town clerk,
0:17:51 > 0:17:53Roberta Simpson was chosen to present the Queen
0:17:53 > 0:17:57with a gift from the people of Ballymena.
0:17:57 > 0:17:58I don't remember being nervous.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02I think perhaps my parents were nervous, on my behalf.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05I was concentrating on the lines which I had learnt, which were,
0:18:05 > 0:18:09"May it please Your Majesty to receive this gift,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12"on behalf of the people of Ballymena."
0:18:12 > 0:18:16I'm sure I said it in my sleep every night for a few weeks beforehand.
0:18:16 > 0:18:21I was taken to my father's office to see the box.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25And was told to practise carrying it around his office,
0:18:25 > 0:18:27to get the feel of it.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29I think both my parents were very worried
0:18:29 > 0:18:31that I would drop the box on the day.
0:18:31 > 0:18:33But that, thank goodness, didn't happen.
0:18:33 > 0:18:36I'm not sure whether it was my mother poking me,
0:18:36 > 0:18:39or somebody else indicating, or my father nodding,
0:18:39 > 0:18:41that that was the time that I was to take the box,
0:18:41 > 0:18:43and climb those stairs,
0:18:43 > 0:18:46and hand the box to the Queen.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48She thanked me.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51But the words that I do remember were the Duke of Edinburgh,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54because he said, "Oh, what a big box you've got."
0:18:54 > 0:18:56And that was exactly what I was thinking.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00Another little girl at the time remembers the occasion very well.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02My father who was a guard,
0:19:02 > 0:19:06was the oldest member of staff in Ballymena at the time.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10So, he had the honour of opening the door for the Queen.
0:19:10 > 0:19:18And all the railway staff got lovely new uniforms for that day.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21I can remember my father getting dressed up at home,
0:19:21 > 0:19:23and practising his bow,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27saying he was opening the door to the Queen, he had to practise.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30But he didn't have to, but it was a bit of fun,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33him practising his bow for the Queen coming out.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36Kathleen Carey's father
0:19:36 > 0:19:38got her a plum position on the station platform.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42We were quite near. I think we were nearer than we should have been.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45Honestly. I always remember that bit.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50What strikes me, just looking at all the reports,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53is just how up close people got to the Queen.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55They were right there, face to face.
0:19:55 > 0:19:59And you've got to remember that in those days, very few people had TVs,
0:19:59 > 0:20:01so we had to depend on newsreel at the cinema
0:20:01 > 0:20:05or, indeed, reading in the newspaper to have a look at the Queen.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07So to think of all these people so close to her
0:20:07 > 0:20:11in a small place like Ballymoney, well, it was magical.
0:20:12 > 0:20:17The kind of excitement that people now articulate about William and Kate
0:20:17 > 0:20:20and the new royals and how young and a new generation
0:20:20 > 0:20:22and faith in the future
0:20:22 > 0:20:24is kind of what was being invested in her, you know,
0:20:24 > 0:20:27and that's a huge burden, obviously, for her to hold.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29But it's part of that.
0:20:29 > 0:20:32And you see in photographs of her in 1953
0:20:32 > 0:20:35just how young - very polished and very composed -
0:20:35 > 0:20:39but just how young she is, you know, during this whole visit.
0:20:39 > 0:20:44I was there because I was in charge of the St John Ambulance,
0:20:44 > 0:20:49the cadet division, which I had started.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52And we were all geared up. We hardly knew where we were.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54We were so excited.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58I think the people of Ballymoney were quite amazed
0:20:58 > 0:21:00that Ballymoney was one of the towns selected
0:21:00 > 0:21:03to be visited.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Although it was a very short visit,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08the idea that they would come to Ballymoney
0:21:08 > 0:21:12was not something that people really thought would happen.
0:21:12 > 0:21:15My mother was the principal of the school,
0:21:15 > 0:21:17and I was the assistant,
0:21:17 > 0:21:22and she had been allocated a position in the railway station,
0:21:22 > 0:21:23on the platform.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28So I had the responsibility then of bringing the children down
0:21:28 > 0:21:32from the Ballymoney playground, where they had congregated.
0:21:32 > 0:21:38And we wended our way down, toddling down as quickly as children would go,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42down High Street, Main Street, Seymour Street,
0:21:42 > 0:21:44down to the station yard.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50Oh, I still remember that day, because who would forget it?
0:21:50 > 0:21:55I mean, the children were absolutely wonderful, they were all in line
0:21:55 > 0:21:59and doing what they were told, and each waving their little Union Jack.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02The schoolchildren were all in an enclosure at the front,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06and we were all supposed to stand there, and that was our bit.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11But when the excitement of the train came and the Queen got out,
0:22:11 > 0:22:13the adults were so excited
0:22:13 > 0:22:15that many of the women, for example, jumped the rope
0:22:15 > 0:22:18and came in amongst us to get a better view.
0:22:18 > 0:22:20And there was great excitement
0:22:20 > 0:22:22and nearly pandemonium at one stage, I think.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25We had a great view,
0:22:25 > 0:22:29and everybody was just so pleased to see their queen.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32This RAF band played the national anthem,
0:22:32 > 0:22:37and quite spontaneously the people all sang the anthem.
0:22:37 > 0:22:42And, of course, in the enclosed space of the station yard,
0:22:42 > 0:22:45it sort of reverberated, and the noise was colossal.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48I remember seeing her looking quite pale,
0:22:48 > 0:22:52and she looked kind of nervous and kind of shaky
0:22:52 > 0:22:54when this great noise started.
0:22:54 > 0:22:56I don't think she spoke to very many,
0:22:56 > 0:23:00but the Duke of Edinburgh spoke to a number of people.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03This is the Prince speaking to me. There I am, in there,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07my little white hat. Oh, he was lovely to talk to.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11And, of course, being a young girl, as I was,
0:23:11 > 0:23:12I knew he'd picked out
0:23:12 > 0:23:14the best-looking one at the railway station!
0:23:14 > 0:23:18I always remember a schoolboy friend of mine
0:23:18 > 0:23:24had called with my grandmother on the evening of the royal visit,
0:23:24 > 0:23:28and my grandmother said to him, "Well, did you see the Queen?"
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And he said, he did. And she said, "What did you think of her?"
0:23:32 > 0:23:34And this wee boy said,
0:23:34 > 0:23:36"Oh, she's just like our Jean."
0:23:36 > 0:23:38As the train moved slowly out,
0:23:38 > 0:23:41the band again played the national anthem,
0:23:41 > 0:23:42and everybody again sang.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45And that was it, and it was all over in about ten minutes!
0:23:45 > 0:23:47HE LAUGHS
0:23:49 > 0:23:53Of course, so much has changed since 1953, but you know what?
0:23:53 > 0:23:56Looking out at the fields and the towns, as we travel along,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59it's not really that different to what the Queen would have seen
0:23:59 > 0:24:03from her royal saloon on the train all those years ago.
0:24:04 > 0:24:05After Ballymoney,
0:24:05 > 0:24:10the royal party travelled on towards the spectacular North Antrim coast.
0:24:11 > 0:24:13Now, this is Downhill Strand,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17and it was actually here that the train stopped on that particular day
0:24:17 > 0:24:20so that the royal party could enjoy the magnificent view
0:24:20 > 0:24:21and have their lunch.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Now, on the menu that day there were prawns in aspic,
0:24:24 > 0:24:28there was shoulder of mutton, or lamb, I might say,
0:24:28 > 0:24:29and, of course, strawberries and cream.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33Well, I'm enjoying the view tremendously,
0:24:33 > 0:24:34and, of course, here I have
0:24:34 > 0:24:37my prawns - not exactly in aspic jelly, but lovely -
0:24:37 > 0:24:40I have my lamb, of course, here, and a very nice salad,
0:24:40 > 0:24:42and I have my strawberries and cream.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44So I can kind of re-enact that royal lunch.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48From Downhill, the royal train travelled on
0:24:48 > 0:24:49to the last destination of the day,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Londonderry.
0:24:52 > 0:24:56Now, all along the route, people had amazing access to the Queen,
0:24:56 > 0:25:00but that doesn't mean that security was lax,
0:25:00 > 0:25:03and as she came nearer to Londonderry, it became even tighter.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05The Queen going to Derry is seen as,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07you know, the triumphal progress of her train
0:25:07 > 0:25:10through the Northern Ireland, you know, hinterland,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12and off she goes to Derry.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17And a third of the RUC force had been sent to Derry, just in case.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20Now, tucked away on this page, the headline goes,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25"'B' Men Were Mobilised As Guards - Record Security Network By The RUC".
0:25:25 > 0:25:29It says, "The personal safety of the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh
0:25:29 > 0:25:31"on their journey today was ensured
0:25:31 > 0:25:34"by the most extensive security network ever spun
0:25:34 > 0:25:36"by the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39"Throughout the week, watch was kept night and day
0:25:39 > 0:25:43"on all the 90 miles of rail track between Lisburn and Londonderry."
0:25:43 > 0:25:46You know when they send that many police to Derry
0:25:46 > 0:25:50that they know that, really, there's an awful lot of discontent
0:25:50 > 0:25:53just below the surface, all the time, just below the surface,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and they're afraid that something will embarrass them,
0:25:55 > 0:25:57that something will happen
0:25:57 > 0:26:00while the cameras of the world are in Northern Ireland.
0:26:00 > 0:26:02But the Queen had a particular reason
0:26:02 > 0:26:05to want to go to Northern Ireland's second city,
0:26:05 > 0:26:07for it had played a pivotal role in the war effort.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11She probably would have wanted to go to thank those people herself.
0:26:11 > 0:26:15I mean, she has an extraordinarily strong sense of duty
0:26:15 > 0:26:16and of her role as monarch,
0:26:16 > 0:26:19and she would have seen it as the right thing to do,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22to thank people for their efforts during the war.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25It's still very much, you know, a post-war context.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh
0:26:28 > 0:26:32made the final leg of the journey into Londonderry by boat,
0:26:32 > 0:26:35arriving to cheering crowds at the Guildhall.
0:26:35 > 0:26:38Jeanette Wark had been looking forward to this moment for weeks.
0:26:38 > 0:26:41I do remember hearing the Queen was coming.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44I'll tell you, it was a big event in the house
0:26:44 > 0:26:47when we found out that all the Brownies in the city at that time
0:26:47 > 0:26:49and the uniformed organisations
0:26:49 > 0:26:53were invited to come along and to line the route.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57Looking forward to actually going there to stand and wait, and,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59you know, the Queen coming,
0:26:59 > 0:27:02it was just like a fairy tale for us, to be honest.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04You know, and the preparation leading up to it
0:27:04 > 0:27:06was exciting, as well.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09Well, I do remember one way that I got ready,
0:27:09 > 0:27:11and it was like a horror story,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16sleeping on pipe cleaners in my hair all night.
0:27:16 > 0:27:19And I remember, of course, that the big tin bath was brought in
0:27:19 > 0:27:22and you were scrubbed, till you'd no skin left.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24And, of course your hair was gleaming,
0:27:24 > 0:27:27but twirled up in these long pipe cleaners,
0:27:27 > 0:27:29which men used to clean out their pipes.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33But it was a form of a curler in those days, to make your hair curly.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37And I had very straight hair, so my mum was determined
0:27:37 > 0:27:40that this straight hair was going to be really curly.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43But do you know, the one thing that sticks in my mind
0:27:43 > 0:27:46is actually seeing the huge black car,
0:27:46 > 0:27:51and I can see the Queen, I can just see her sitting, a young girl,
0:27:51 > 0:27:54you know, and the car so perfect.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59As the Queen and Prince Philip flew out of Eglinton Airport,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02I'm sure there was the most enormous sense of relief
0:28:02 > 0:28:04on behalf of those who'd organised the visit
0:28:04 > 0:28:05that it had all gone so well,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08and believe me, it was a really great success.
0:28:08 > 0:28:11Now, naturally, there have been many, many royal visits since then,
0:28:11 > 0:28:16but I don't think there's ever been the magic or the intimacy
0:28:16 > 0:28:18of those three fabulous sunny days in 1953.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20And from my own point of view,
0:28:20 > 0:28:21seeing the Queen in that open-top car
0:28:21 > 0:28:23in the countryside not far from here
0:28:23 > 0:28:27is certainly a sight that I personally will never forget.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd