The day the Queen visited

THE photographs published last week showing the visit of Queen Elizabeth to Dewsbury in 1954 created a great deal of interest and brought back many happy memories.

For this reason we are showing more of the stunning pictures taken that day and kindly loaned to us by Kirklees Image Archives as part of our Jubilee celebrations.

It is also interesting to note that two years before these pictures were taken, millworkers at Wormalds and Walkers, Thornhill Lees, sent the royal couple six pairs of their famous Dormy blankets as a wedding present from Dewsbury.

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But whether these beautiful blankets, easily the best in the world at that time, ever adorned the royal bed, we’ll never know.

Royal events in Dewsbury have always been marked in special ways with all the villages competing to have the biggest and best, none more so than the coronation in 1902 of the Queen’s great grandfather, King Edward VII.

Among the festivities for this event was a meat tea for the elderly poor of Dewsbury served in the town hall with each guest being presented with a coronation caddy containing half-a-pound of tea.

The sick and poor were provided with gifts and 135 of the poorest children were given a new pair of boots, stockings and a hat.

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In Earlsheaton they had a huge procession through the village and afterwards the crowds were entertained to tea followed by amusements and sports.

At 10pm a bonfire was lit by Gladys Preston and on the following Sunday an old folk’s treat was held.

The village of Thornhill held a Children’s Day, starting with a grand procession which was organised with military precision. Two major events were held in neighbouring Thornhill Lees which included a procession of 1,200 children and teachers.

In Savile Town, the procession started from St Mary’s Parochial Hall headed by a brass band and a sports day was held in the cricket field.

Thousands of Coronation beakers were presented to local children that day and it does make one wonder what happened to them all?

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