An 83-year-old Upminster great-grandfather is celebrating the Platinum Jubilee by dusting off a near-immaculate programme from the Queen’s 1953 coronation, when he played a special role as a boy scout.
Terry Morris was 14 when Her Majesty took to the throne. He had been evacuated to Wales during the war, before returning to his widowed mother in his then-home of Custom House, Newham.
He joined the 48th West Ham Scouts in 1950, and with the group, sold programmes along the route from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey for the coronation.
After an early start getting kitted out with money boxes and shoulder bags of coronation programmes to be sold at two shillings and six pence each, Terry said when they arrived at the route, it was already packed.
They were able to see the Queen several times throughout the day, he added.
Terry said by the end of the coronation, he and the other scout were “shattered”, and he ended up missing his own street party.
“What a day for us 14-year-olds," he said.
As Her Majesty celebrates her record-breaking reign we have delved into our archives to create a tribute to her life and 70 years of service. Filled with photos and history, Our Queen's Platinum Reign is a magazine we hope readers will treasure for years to come. This special souvenir is available for £9.99 online and in-store.
Order online by clicking this link www.gblshop.co.uk/jubilee. Find shops stocking the magazine near you by heading over to seymour.co.uk/storefinder/. Select 'Our Queens Platinum Reign' from the drop-down menu along with your postcode and radius.
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