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Remembering King George VI who died on this day in 1952

Within a day Princess Elizabeth,the new Queen, returned to London from a holiday in Africa.She was driven in a subdued limousinefrom Heathrow ... passing along Chiswick  High Road on her way to the Palace.There were crowds of us outside Gunnersbury Station to watch the procession.A Chiswick event remembered well.

Jim Lawes ● 385d6 Comments

Interesting, thanks.

Janice Evans ● 384d

Thank you for your replies.The Gunnersbury Station area was very different in 1952 ... with no IBM office block, with a spetrol station in it's place with a snack bar attached.There was a small crescent behind the petrol station ...lined with mini offices for coal merchants.and a sweetshop.The old Station booking hall was very poorly decorated. That dread ful staircase to the platform is still there. It was used by thousands each days mainly from the Chiswick Works Bus Maintenance Depot opposite.But change was in the pipeline.A TORNADO  was on it's way!

Jim Lawes ● 384d

My husband was very small and remembers it as the day the King died and stopped the radio!

Philippa Bond ● 384d

Like Charles, I had my maternal grandfather die of lung cancer when I was 3. I guess we had to have something in common.

Susan Kelly ● 384d

I remember the day well.We were called from our classes and the headmaster made an announcement.We had the rest of the day as a holiday.

James Roy ● 384d

I remember the occasion, Jim, though I didn't live in Chiswick then, but in a small industrial town in the north-west of England. I was in the cubs at the time, and we all had to re-learn the part of our law where we promised to be 'loyal to God and the king'. It took some time to get used to chanting 'God and the queen'.

Colin Jordan ● 384d