Jubilation!

What a wonderful weekend!  A weekend full of joy and celebration, patriotism, national unity and togetherness.  A brilliant weekend for Britain, a great advert for the nation, a massive lift for a country badly in need of a cheer-up.

Our weekend started in the pretty cathedral city of Chichester, an hour's drive from Lizzie's Surrey home.  Our arrival coincided with a Jubilee parade, and the crowds were out in force to add their voice to the cheers and whistles resounding across the country.  It was brilliant - Saint George and the dragon were there, along with bagpipers, Royal look-alikes and classic vehicles.

On Sunday we wandered down to the common in Shalford, to take a look at their summer fete.  Despite it being an unfortunately cloudy day, the spirits were high as the loudspeaker played a host of period tunes, and we tucked into hog roast rolls and cake.  Lizzie didn't win any prizes in the raffles, and I didn't win anything on the coconut shy, but our hopes were high as Lizzie entered her dog, Poppy, into the dog show.  There were many categories, and Poppy was going for the crown of golden oldie, for dogs over nine years old.

Well, she may not have won the competition, but we all thought she was the best dog, and at least it meant we could enjoy a commiserative ice cream!  There was no time to hang around for the awards anyway, as the fascinating Jubilee pageant was about to begin on the television.  The coverage of one thousand boats making their way down the Thames in honour of the Queen was enthralling, inspirational stuff!

(Photo courtesy of www.telegraph.co.uk)

Day three of the celebrations, and to the little town of Godalming, which was hosting one of the 2,012 beacons due to be lit as part of the celebrations.  The townfolk gathered outside Borough Hall, where councillors were attempting to recreate a group photograph taken on the day of the Coronation, 60 years ago.  Army cadets then led a procession of torch-bearers through the town and into the park, where the festivities had clearly been well underway for hours.  A fabulous brass band kept the crowd amused as night fell, and after the saying of the Jubilee prayer, we all joined in the national anthem.  The beacon was lit to a rousing cheer, and then a seriously impressive burst of fireworks filled the sky, as the band struck up Land of Hope and Glory.  This, for me, was the best part of the whole weekend, so atmospheric and so very memorable.

Our final day of celebration, Tuesday, saw us up uncomfortably early for the train to London.  The capital was certainly busy as we navigated our way around closed-off roads and barriers, eventually ending up on The Strand, just in time to see the Royal car itself, Her Majesty on her way to Saint Paul's Cathedral.  Further down The Strand, a giant screen had been erected at Trafalgar Square, with the square itself shoehorned full of spectators.  From here we made for Whitehall, choosing a spot just beyond the Cenotaph to watch the pageantry unfold.  Considering the millions of people who turned up to watch the event, we didn't get too bad a view, as the bearskins marched through, followed by the cavalry with their perfectly trained horses.  After what must have been two hours, cheering could be heard from Westminster, the household cavalry galloped past, and the royal carriages came into view, Queen Elizabeth with Prince Charles and Camilla in the first, followed by William, Kate and Harry in the second.  We were taken aback by the speed of the procession, but we did the best we could to snap some photos, camera in one hand, union jack waving in the other.  The crowning moment of our Jubilee weekend, the Royal Family themselves, was an absolutely unforgettable moment for Lizzie and I, and every other spectator in the crowd.

Finally, a word about an 86-year-old woman who embodies the spirit of a nation.  In her 60 years on the throne, she has remained the one constant of the country, ever faithful to her sense of duty, unwavering in her national obligation.  Queen Elizabeth never asked or chose to be our Queen, but she has fulfilled her role unflinchingly since the moment she learned of her father's death in 1952.  Inspirational, brave and passionate, she is a national asset, the very best of British.  

This blog would like to thank Queen Elizabeth II for 60 glorious years of service to the nation.  God Save the Queen!

Exeter Looking Back, Exeter Looking Forward

Seventy years ago, the city of Exeter had wrought upon it the most devastating chapter of its history.  Exeter had long been considered one of Britain's most beautiful cities, from its medieval bridge, through its winding streets, to its magnificent cathedral.  On the evening of 4th May, 1942, this was altered forever, as the Blitz came shockingly to this peaceful city.

Devon had seen its fair share of German bombs in the course of the Second World War, with the enormous naval base of Plymouth bearing the brunt of the raids.  Exeter, however, was different; it had little military importance and, although a railway junction, there was little strategic gain to be made from the destruction of the city.  Military strategy, however, was not on Hitler's mind when the city was targeted - Exeter was a revenge bombing.  In March 1942, the R.A.F. razed the beautiful German city of Lubeck, and in retaliation the German high command highlighted several English cities - amongst them Bath, York and Norwich - to receive similar punishment.  As much of the information was taken from Baedeker travel guides, these raids became known as the Baedeker Raids.

Exeter had already received two minor raids in April, but nobody could have predicted the events that unfolded in the very early hours of 4th May.  At 01.36 in the morning, around 20 Luftwaffe bombers flew up the River Exe and dropped incendiary bombs, designed to ignite and cause roof fires. Despite the heroic efforts of firefighters, the flames spread quickly, and by 02.15 the High Street was ablaze.  At 02.50, the bombers turned around to return to their base, leaving behind a city engulfed in an inferno. 

Firefighters battled through the night, as Exeter lost historic buildings and unique architecture.  Among the biggest architectural losses was Bedford Circus, one of England's most notable pieces of Georgian town planning, widely regarded to be on a par with Bath's Royal Crescent.  Through the burning night, the city lost 1,500 houses (with a further 2,700 receiving substantial damage), 400 shops, 150 offices, 50 warehouses, and 36 pubs.  Eyewitnesses claimed that in some places the fires burned for a week afterwards.  In the morning, residents emerged to find a foreign city, flattened and unrecognisable - a scene that was repeated across Europe in six years of very cruel war.

The human cost of all the bombing raids on Exeter during the Second World War stood at 265 killed, 111 seriously injured, and 677 injured to a lesser extent.  Many of the dead were fireguards who gave their lives trying to protect the city. 

    

Exeter's Latin motto is Semper Fidelis, meaning ever faithful.  There can perhaps be no more fitting a motto for a city that, following this dreadful night, kept its faith and its belief, as was so iconically enshrined in the photos of the cathedral, poking through the devastation.  After the war, the rebuilding of the city began - there was a faith in a new age, more peaceful and prosperous than anything ever known before.  This culminated in the publication of Thomas Sharp's Exeter Phoenix Plan, which led to the city's new centrepiece, Princesshay shopping precinct, the first pedestrian-only shopping street in the country.  Building began in 1949 when the then Princess Elizabeth unveiled a commemorative plaque.  The Phoenix sculpture, one of Exeter's most prominent public sculptures, was erected in the centre in 1957 by Hughes of Exeter, on the sight of their former premises, to symbolise the city's growth out of the ashes.  Exeter was back on its feet and ready to move forwards.

The Princesshay shopping precinct survived until the turn of the 21st century, when it was torn down and replaced with a newer, more modern facility.  For some (but certainly not all!), this more accurately signifies the return of Exeter's prosperity over a period of some 65 years.  Opened in 2007, the new precinct has been a hit with residents and non-residents alike, so much so that, two days before the 70th anniversary of the bombing raid, it was revisited by  the now Queen Elizabeth II, as part of her Jubilee tour.  The crowds were out in their thousands to welcome Her Majesty, who looked radiant and lovely, truly regal in every sense.  Beyond the excitement of the day, however, lies a much more poignant meaning to her visit, for there can surely be no more proper a tribute to those who lost their lives in the Exeter Blitz than the sight of a crowd of thousands cheering their monarch, at the very heart of the city, under a very British flag.  It is surely a sight that every Blitz victim would have wanted to see.

With thanks to the always brilliant Exeter Memories website for the three black-and-white photos, http://www.exetermemories.co.uk/