The flag is the clue .....

Most people mark important dates in their diaries or on  calendars to remind themselves of events. There are 8 dates which I remember every year but never need to write down - they mark important events in my life which I will never forget and which cause me to say each year 'ah, this is the day when ......' Today is one such day, because it was 6th February    -   1952 (Wednesday) – the day the King died.


This is my earliest memory of a nationally important event which I felt part of. (There had been a street party in 1945 to mark the end of the war; I remember the party but not the date – I was, after all not yet 5 years old at that time.)
We were in school, 11 years old, waiting for the BBC Radio for Schools programme. The radio warmed up and, instead of hearing the end of the previous lesson and the interlude music, we heard silence then the sound of Big Ben followed by a very serious announcer saying  ‘This is London. It is with the greatest sorrow that we make the following announcement. His Majesty King George the Sixth died peacefully in his sleep early this morning….’ The announcement ended with the words ‘The King is dead, long live the Queen’ and the playing of the National Anthem. There was nothing else on the Home Service but sombre music and this announcement. The Light Programme and Third Programme closed down, as did all Theatres, Cinemas and Sports venues for the rest of the week so far as I recall.