PARTY AT THE PALACE Buckingham Palace on Monday 3rd June 2002 • ••••• by Jim Francis •••••• The letter dated 29th April 2002 began, 'I alternative if required. While we ate our have great pleasure in inviting you, on the picnic on the lawn, a pre-party Queen's behalf, to Tarty at the Palace' at entertainment would be provided by the Big Buckingham Palace on Monday 3rd June.' Buzzard Boogie Band, Bootleg Beatles, The I then remembered that, with other Magnets, Mee, Soulfish, Weapons of Sound members of the family, we had all phoned a and many more including magicians, in fact given number provided on the television, “to a typical family party introduction. apply for a special concert to celebrate the A few days after the invitation from the Queen's Golden Jubilee." Apart from the Palace a letter arrived from NUMAST, the attraction of the venue, the night was to Merchant Navy Union, asking whether I bring together great talent and great sounds would like to take part in the Golden Jubilee to span 50 years of golden memories Festival Weekend, that is, in a procession to including four stars who had been honoured take place on TUesday 4th June down and by the Queen: Dame Shirley Bassey, Sir around the Mall to mark the Queen’s Golden Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Sir Cliff Jubilee, as there was to be a Merchant Navy Richard. contingent in the Services Parade. We were soon to learn that many Mary, on learning about this advice millions had also applied for tickets and that insisted that if I was marching, then as she as far as our family were conerned, Mary and had been in the Merchant Navy for two myself were the only ones of the other years, she would also like to take part and so, 12,000 to receive the card stating that “The with this information passed to the General Master of the Household has received Her Secretary at head office, the following day we Majesty's command to invite Mr and Mrs each received our security wristbands and Francis to a Concert to be held in the instructions to be in Tbthill Street at 1pm. Gardens of Buckingham Palace on Monday, "Look out for the Red Ensign. First there will 3rd June 2002." be a practice form-up and position in the There followed a list of conditions and parade. A packed lunch will be provided. WC suggestions such as no children under the facilities close by". age of eight should attend, no luggage, video There also arrived in the same post, two cameras or food and drink would be allowed tickeles from the Queen’s Gallery into the gardens. The persons performing Buckingham Palace, that we had booked by apart from those mentioned came to over phone. "Royal Treasures: A Golden Jubilee thirty including Tbny Bennett, Eric Clapton, Celebration", for Sunday 2nd June. As we Tbm Jones, Queen plus special guests, Will were going to spend several days in London Young, Rod Stewart and many, many more. we had decided to pay a visit to the new On our arrival on the night we would Queen's Gallery opened in May 2002 as part each receive a hamper containing smoked of the celebrations. It provides over three salmon roulade, Golden Jubilee Chicken and a half times the display space of the with a Pasta salad, Strawberries and cream, previous Queen's Gallery, inaugurated in Oaten Cakes and half a bottle of Champagne. 1962. The contents are well documented and There would also be available beer, tea, quite breathtaking with portraits by coffee and water. Also a vegetarian Reynolds and Gainsborough. In the Cabinet Rooms are seventy pieces by Faberge. I don’t Red Ensign and roughly 140 Merchant Navy 27 know why they have on display the recent personnel, serving or ex-mariners, with addition to the Royal Collection of The ninety in uniform from the ferries and cadet Queen' by Lucian Freud, presented by the colleges, carrying three banner flags and artist in December 2001. We were told that it many smaller flags. The rest of the improves the further you stand away from it, contingent comprised an assortment of which, to a sailor, means over the horizon! retired pilots from different ports, retired And so on the big day, Monday 3rd June, ships' captains, (one in his eighties complete with 12,000 other members of the public with uniform and walking stick), and quite a who had won prized tickets in the ballot, we few elderly DEMS, (one had twenty medals made our way past more than a million and a certificate at hand complete with spectators who were determined to join in confirmation of each war zone - three from first hand with the celebrations by watching Russia, two from America, one from giant screens around the palace and in the Canada.) I learned that you could wear your parkWithin minutes we were inside the father's medals on your right breast with palace collecting our hampers and out onto your own on the left side. the lawn picking a spot close to an agreeable It was interesting 'yarning' away with all group of entertainers. We were struck by these retired mariners. Every year between how orderly and well mannered the guests 200 to 300 go back to Archangel and were, the attendants also, in fact by Murmansk for reunion gatherings. Goodness everybody during our stay in London over knows what they get up to! One said it cost several days. When we entered a building a him £100 for a night in a local hospital to be door was opened by somebody with a smile. treated after some heavy celebrating! Some When we left they hoped we had enjoyed spoke of comrades who had married Russian ourslves. girls which proved disastrous for these The concert itself has been well ladies. On their return to Russia the seamen documented but you have to be at a venue to found that their wives had been sent off to appreciate the atmosphere. Quite a lot of the the salt mines by Stalin and were never time we were standing up, singing and heard of again. One retired mariner showed waving our arms to the music. When the me photographs of his father during the first artist finished the audience sat down and at world war in a prison camp in Germany. the next song or hit, we were up and off After the war he went back into the again. Finally the Queen, complete with her Merchant Navy and was drowned when the family, came on-stage and we all listened to hospital ship he was on sank in 1944. On the Prince of Wales paying a public tribute to board were 400 stretcher cases bound for the both his mother and father. When he finally U.K. Quite a few marchers belonged to the turned to the Queen and said “Mummy!" Merchant Navy Association, where there is a there was a deafening cheer from the strong demand for The Merchant Navy to be audience. It was great to have been one of recognised for the 33,000 killed during the the lucky "few" to have been there that night. last war alone, possibly through the award of Then followed the fireworks and within a medal. minutes afterwards we were leaving the Close behind our contingent was a small grounds, with the parade to look forward to group of men who I thought were Morris the following day, “down the Mall and round Dancers. I was to learn that they were Coast the Queen Victoria memorial at 108 paces a Guard officers from Falmouth depicting the minute!" service in the eighteenth century when On the following day arriving at the farmers performed this service, part time. In meeting point at 1pm, we soon found the Horseguards Parade Ground they had a cart and two bullocks to climb into, complete to have a military band playing. Once we with equipment. were in the Mall , Mary and I, together with As the time grew nearer for the march, the 138 others in our group were striding out our elderly parade marshal arrived, leaning as if we were in the Brigade of Guards. The heavily on a walking stick, arranging us into shouting and cheering from one million lines often. Then, as happens at such spectators was unbelieveable. One man moments, a police van full of uniformed shouted out, “Good old British Merchant police officers, pulled up beside us. The Navy! We wouldn't have won the last war parade marshall "wasn't having none of without you!" It then suddenly, seemed all this?" He went over to the police driver and worthwhile being there. As we rounded the said, “I suppose you've stopped here because Queen Victoria memorial, with the we're in the Merchant Navy and we're going uniformed block marching ahead, we 'oldies' to get drunk and start a fight!" "Watch it", at the rear waved our flags, the captain from came the reply, “any trouble from you Palm Line raised his walking stick, the grandad, and I'll get extra 'back-up'and put invalid in his wheelchair his cap, and the you in the 'cooler'." On his return, the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, both marshal winked at us and said, “that’s put laughing, waved back. that lot in their place! Now, how about a sing­ Soon we were back at base. With song." farewells said, then it was onto the tube, into As the time passed, slowly we edged our the car and back to Dover after a most way up towards the top end of the Mall, remarkable memorable few days. different groups being shuffled to and fro'. N.B. Statements overheard from the public: Eventually, the lifeboat service were in front "How could Britain he so good at making such of us with a large craft being towed by a ceremonies run like clockwork - yet he so tractor. Behind us was the British Legion of incapable of making trains run on time". about a hundred strong, each carrying a large 'All those who thought the Windsor dynasty banner, little did we know that when we could not survive the pressure of modernity came within sight of the T.V. cameras, David were wrong. The British monarchy is alive and Dimbleby wouldn't give the Merchant Navy well!" a mention with such competition fore and What we will remember, most of all, is the aft! sound of one million cheering people in the We were soon to find how helpful it was centre of London and not one cross word. The Western Heights Preservation Society report from Chris Thft The Western Heights Preservation Society The Western Heights Preservation Society (WHPS) has now been in existence for almost was formed for the conservation, preservation two years. It was set up not only to help and restoration of the Western Heights preserve Dover's Western Heights, but also to fortifications at Dover. disseminate information on its history and Since the official foundation of the group make people more aware of the site and its in July 2000 we have launched several fascinating and important development. At projects, both public facing and behind the the foundation of the Society the following scenes. mission statement was adopted, which Some of our past and present work is highlights our aims: summarised below.