“I am pleased to see something of the younger people.”
Those words, spoken by Queen Elizabeth II during her first official visit to Suffolk in 1961, perfectly summed up our late monarch’s lifelong interest in meeting, listening to, and supporting the younger generations.
During that 1961 visit, which began at Shotley and continued to Ipswich, Stowmarket and Bury St. Edmunds, the Queen saw literally thousands of young people and children.
After travelling from London aboard the Royal yacht Britannia, Her Majesty spent some time at HMS Ganges at Shotley, then the home of nearly 2,000 young naval ratings.
Her 90-minute stay included watching the dramatic “Button Boy” ceremony, when ratings climbed the Ganges mast, with one of them finishing at the very top - on “the button.”
The Royal party then drove to Ipswich, where the Queen officially opened the Civic College, where some 7,000 full and part-time students were studying.
Then it was on to Portman Road football stadium, home of Ipswich Town Football Club, where 16,000 schoolchildren were waiting. The monarch also met football club chairman John Cobbold and manager Alf Ramsey, shortly to take over the England team.
As her own words suggested, the Queen would have loved a day seeing so many young people. During her long reign, she was patron of several charities supporting youngsters, including Barnardo’s, Action for Children, the NSPCC, and Save the Children UK, and youth work organisations Girlguiding and Scouts.
Her Majesty was brilliant with young people. I was privileged to have a close-up view of how she put nervous children at ease.
When she visited Ipswich Waterfront in 2002 as part of the Golden Jubilee tour, I was lucky enough to meet her.
I was accompanied by a young schoolboy who had won a writing competition. As the time drew near, he was getting increasingly nervous.
But the moment the Queen walked up to us, beaming that wonderful smile, he was absolutely fine. She was so interested in him, and his schoolwork. They just chatted away like old friends. It was wonderful to witness.
Picture research by David Kindred.
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