Night was turning into day, it was the dawn of a new era… we were finally on the road to recovery.
As we celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, it is also a time to reflect on events in the 1950s, and in '53, when Queen Elizabeth was crowned and the country was in party mood.
Two years before, in 1951, the then Princess Elizabeth had been in the city to open The Festival of Britain events, but times were tough.
We were slowly recovering from the Second World War But rationing was still in operation. Money was tight. Comforts were rare.
National Service was increased from 18 months to two years and soldiers from Norfolk were heading to take part in the Korean War.
In February 1952 the much-loved King George VI died at his Sandringham home. The people were in mourning.
At the end of that year the “Great Smog” smog arrived. Visibility was down to 10 yards across Norfolk but we were lucky. In London it was estimated that around 4,000 men, women and children died.
Then, in January 1953 a storm surge, driven by hurricane-force winds whipped up the waters of the North Sea. For East Anglia it was the most catastrophic tragedy in modern peacetime history. More than 100 people in Norfolk and Suffolk lost their lives and many more their homes.
But, as time moved on, the nation was preparing to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. It was a time for people of all ages and walks of life to come together…and rejoice.
Most people couldn’t afford television sets anyway the reception was appalling across most of Norfolk…I remember staring at a foggy screen on a wet day at a friend’s house while his dad was on the roof fiddling about with the aerial shouting: “Can you see anything?”
“Nothing but snow,” one viewer from Thorpe St Andrew told this newspaper.
But most people were outside having a great time, despite the rain. In street parties and celebrations across the county.
There were parties on village greens, recreation grounds and on the streets. Norfolk was covered in flags…and smiles.
In Norwich there was a big carnival procession, a concert at St Andrew’s Hall and dancing in Chapelfield Gardens.
Thousands turned up at Eaton Park to watch a display by stunt motorcyclists, the “Hell’s Angels,” a performance by members of the Peggy Carr School of Dancing, the Priory Gym and a Miss Coronation competition.
Across the city there was a carnival at the much-loved Firs speedway stadium where Peter Watson was Robin Hood.
He wrote in the book Norwich 1945 to 1960: A Journey from Austerity to Prosperity by Norwich Heritage Projects: “I clearly remember the Coronation, I particular my mother spending hours making my Robin Hood outfit for the fancy dress competition at the Firs.
“She went into great detail and even dyed my boots green. She dressed my sister, Mary, as the Maid of Hearts,” he said.
Afterwards, they got changed and went off to a party in Woodlands Road to enjoy sandwiches and jellies. “We had a really good day,” he said….and so did most of the children across Norfolk on June 2, 1953.
Five years on the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan announced: “You will see a state of prosperity such as we have never seen in my lifetime – nor indeed in the history of this country. Let’s be frank about it, most of our people have never had it so good.”
But then he asked: “Is it too good to last?”
Well…
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