So Many People!

A Memory of Cold Ash.

I was five years old in 1953 and the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II was the first vivid memory I have of my childhood.
We lived at Midway, Cold Ash Hill, the major road through the village. Dressed as a pirate with silver buckles on my shoes, an eye patch and a wooden cutlass painted silver, with my childhood friend, Keith Stroud, we joined the throng of people making their way up the hill to the recreation ground. I had never seen so many people together in one place before in my life. In fact Keith, pushing his baker's van with special small loaves of bread made by his baker father, was completely overwhelmed and decided it was a good time to have a comforting cry. It was not surprising, then we lived in a small community and rarely travelled outside the village, whereas today's children would find it the norm.
We all arrived at the recreation ground where the children's fancy dress was judged and prizes awarded. Alas, neither Keith nor I attracted the attention of the judges. We then made our way into The Ackland Hall where seated at long trestle tables each of the children received a picnic tea and a commemorative Coronation mug. Mine still has pride of place in a wooden display cabinet in my lounge.