Danny Howell writes:
The great success of Warminster’s 1937 Coronation Celebrations can be gained from the opening remarks in a newspaper cutting published soon afterwards:
“Warminster on Wednesday [12th May 1937] showed Wiltshire just how to celebrate a Coronation. The Coronation of King George VI will probably go down in history as the most brilliant spectacle up to 1937, and in Warminster the local celebrations cannot do other than rank very much higher than anything that has ever yet been attempted in this district – higher even than the amazing Jubilee celebrations of 1935. Once more Warminster has stepped into the limelight with a most amazing show of patriotism and loyalty. Its loyalty has been emblazoned all over the town and district in most marvellous decorations. The old Minster town, in its grand Coronation robe, soiled probably by mid-week rain, claims very rightly to be equal to any other Wiltshire town in the matter of its decorations, and streets ahead of the majority in the magnitude and variety of its celebrations. Warminster has been saying it with flags and with flowers, with carnival and concert, with football and fireworks. Never have bigger crowds thronged the town’s streets. The carnival, attracting over a hundred entries and something like 200 actual participants, would have done credit in any town considerably bigger than Warminster. Warminster’s day of rejoicing was kept up till a late hour, culminating with a grand torchlight procession through brightly decorated and illuminated streets, a gigantic firework display in the lake pleasure grounds, illuminated by 2,250 scintillating fairy lights, and by a huge bonfire near the football ground.”
Warminster’s Coronation Carnival was described as “the finest event ever organised in Warminster.”
Knowing how much Warminster readers like to see their names or those of their ancestors or families in print, I make no excuse for including here a list of the people (adults and children) who took part in the carnival in fancy dress. If you are old enough see if you can find yourself, or see if you can find the names of people you remember. There are rather a lot:
John Ashman (Empire Fruit)
Betty Baden (Coronation Pierrot)
June Bailey (Swan/Pride Of The Park)
Mr. F. Baker (Road Signs)
Ada Besant and Joan Pearce (Darby and Joan)
Nancy Bowen (Flanders Poppy)
Eileen Brown (Coronation Dress)
Jesse Brown (Char lady)
Ann Chambers and Eileen Jones (Coronation Twins)
Gwyneth Collier (St. George)
Cynthia Combs and Frederick Adlam (A Bundle Of Trouble)
Mrs. R. Compton and Miss V. Baker (Mr. and Mrs. Down And Out)
Geraldine Conway (No More Strikes)
Peter Conway (Soldier)
Eileen Cope (Flowers)
Stephanie Cripps (Queen of Hearts)
Mrs. Critchell (India)Betty Curtis (Empire Daisy)
Peggy Dicks and Dorcus Daniells (Tea makers)
Florence Elloway (Coronation)
Mildred Evans (Little Boy Blue)
Margaret Farley (Nurse With Pram)
Joyce Fear (Giraffe-Necked Woman)
Derek Foreman (Cowboy)
Guy Foreman (Yeoman Of The Guard)
Mrs. Foreman (Hungarian Dancer)
Reggie Foreman (British Workman)
Alan Fox (Cowboy)
Joan Gandy, Vera Taylor and Alice Baker (Adult Bisto Kids)
Mary George (England – The Land Of The Free)
Miss Giles (Britannia)
Mrs. Kathleen Goddard (Golliwog)Lynda Goddard (Gipsy)
Cynthia Godden (A Chip Off The Old Block)
Catherine Grist (Chinese Girl)
Joyce Grist (Dutch Boy)
Dennis Head (Tuppeny Dreadful College Boy)
Barbara Hennessey (Nurse With Pram)
Mrs. Hibberd (Early Victorian Lady)
Mrs. Hicks (Gay Nineties)
Robert Hicks (Polo Bear)
Phyllis Holton (Welsh Girl)
Peter Hooper (Robin Hood)
Mrs. Horlock on a tricycle (Centenarian Learner)
Joan House and Kathleen Fry (Kentucky Minstrels)
Sylvia Howell (Little Boy Blue)
Peggy and Bridget Ladd (New Zealand Lamb)
Kenneth Lowe (Rajah)
Mrs. Marsh (Half Lady/Half Gentleman)
Violet Marsh and Lewis Prince (Darby and Joan)
Gladys Mills (Witch)
Phyllis Morement (Lavender Girl)
Grace Norris (Soldier)
Alec Pitcher (Red Indian)
Lois Pitcher and Josephine Howell (Bisto Kids)
Eileen Prince and Jean Hudd (The Dolls)
Rita Prince (Miss Ovaltine)
Cyril Pollard, Robert Dicks, and Seymour Daniells (Coronation Pierrots)
Raymond Quick and Basil Haines (Jack Tars on H.M.S. Minster)
Peggy Randall and Sylvia Penny (Night And Day)
Mr. & Mrs. Ronald Rawlings (The Wedding And After)
Joan Redfern (Red Riding Hood)
Bernard Reynolds (Gipsy musician)
Margaret Robbins and Margaret Daniells (Eat More Fruit)
Margaret Robson (Miss Rusk)
Desmond Shorto (Witch Doctor)
Michael Silcox (Jockey)
Mrs. Silcox (Pierrot)
Myra Silcox (Gipsy)
Raymond Silcox (Bill The Bookie)
Roland Smart and a seven year old Welsh Mountain pony (Joey The Clown)
Pamela Smith (Cornflower)
Margaret Sollars (Train Bearer)
Francis Staunton (Soldier)
Miss E. Withers (Africa)
Mrs. Wyatt (Indian Lady).
A wedding Group was represented by:
Mrs. C. Ovens (Bride carrying a cauliflower bouquet)
Mrs. Shorto (Bridegroom)
William Hicks (Page Boy)
Bertha Grist (Bridesmaid).
Representing Countries Under The Crown were:
Miss M. Bishop,
Miss E. Brown,
Mr. H. Brown,
Miss A. Butcher,
Mr. L. Butcher,
Mr. W. Butcher,
Miss A. Butler,
Mr. J. Davis,
Mr. E. Hayne,
Miss M. Kill,
Miss L. Kingsbury,
Miss Q. Ludlow,
Miss M. Moody,
Miss E. O’Shea,
Miss C. Penny,
Miss B. Prince,
Miss D. Searle,
Mr. F. Wheeler.
A group entry calling themselves The Muddlecombe Laundry comprised:
Mr. E.M. Bower,
Mr. W.J. Channell,
Mr. E.C. Collins,
Mr. R.C. James,
Mr. B.K. Kitley,
Mr. W.E. Northeast,
Mr. C.W. Turner.
Another group entry, called Ye Old Wiltshire Moonrakers featured:
Miss Betty Fielding,
Miss K. Hobbs,
Miss Beryl Pearce,
Mr. Lionel Pearce,
Miss M. Presley,
Miss N. Presley,
Miss N. Scott
Miss Jean Smith.
A third group, called Warminster Coronation Jazz Band, included:
Master H.J. Whale,
Miss Gladys Pearce,
Miss Kathleen Pearce,
Miss Joan Pratt,
Miss Maisey Pratt,
Miss Mary Prince
Miss Elma Wade.
The Warminster Motor Company’s effort, Coronation Fever, was manned by:
Mr. H. Moody,
Mr. P. Moody
Mr. W. Harding.
The 1st Warminster Guides, with an entry called Bohemia, featured:
Gwen Baker,
Joan Blake,
Christine Brely,
Jean Brely,
Joan Cane,
Marjorie Cane,
Doris Clifford,
Olive Clifford,
Dorothy Dredge,
Joan Gilbert,
Joan Long,
Molly Middlebrook,
Joyce Morement,
Olive Norris,
Betty Noyce,
Peggy Noyce,
Jean Perry,
Betty Phelps,
Olive Pitcher,
Peggy Richens,
Betty Sargood,
Iris Till,
Bridget Whatley.
Some of the local schools were represented.
The Avenue School had two entries.
The Good Old Days comprised:
Frank Arnold,
Ernest Bachelor,
Cherry Coleman,
Edward Cool,
Maureen Cornish,
Betty Gilbert,
Brian Harvey,
Ian Ingram,
Kenneth Lapham,
William Marsh,
Douglas O’Brien,
Leslie Polden,
Norman Titt,
Charles Webber.
The Avenue School’s other entry, Cowboys, included:
Margaret Dicks,
Stewart Day,
Kenneth Dyer,
Margaret Mallett,
John Moody,
Brenda Sexty,
G. Silcox,
Mr. T.U. Silcox,
Madeline Thorne.
The Close Junior School also had two entries.
The May Queen featured:
Betty Baverstock,
Peggy Cope,
Barbara Cornaby,
Joan Cornelius,
Pamela Curtis,
Dorothy Dossett,
Kathleen Ford,
Douglas Hicks,
Norman Jacques,
Ivy Partridge,
Billy Payton,
Frank Pearce,
Joan Pearce,
Peggy Pearce,
Betty Penn,
Peter Redfern,
Jack Siminson,
Billy Sims,
Maureen Smart,
Pamela Smith,
Desmond Taylor,
Gordon Taylor,
David Vaughan.
The Close Junior School’s other entry, Growth Of The Post Office, included:
Desmond Bishop,
Dennis Bower,
Cyril Curtis,
Joan Jones,
Peter King,
Greta Kingstone,
Brenda Penny,
Eileen Reed,
Betty Roberts,
Anthony Silcox.
The Minster School presented An Empire Group, which featured:
Jean Acland,
Hilda Besant,
Colin Bond,
Mervyn Brown,
Jesse Bull,
Betty Cable,
Kathleen Carroll,
May Clifford,
Queenie Clifford,
Mary Critchell,
Lily Doel,
Audrey Eyres,
Betty Farley,
Ella Farley,
Elsie Foster,
Gladys Foster,
Gwen Gilbert,
Wilfred Goddard,
Barbara Godden,
Betty Grist,
Iris Grist,
Sybil Haines,
Dennis Hawkins,
John Hellard,
Mary Hellard,
Elizabeth Hennessey,
Eva Hennessey,
Betty Hill,
Mary Hill,
Doris Holton,
Ireland,
Maureen Kitley,
Betty Ladd,
Marjorie Lewis,
Connie Morris,
Joan Northeast,
Bernice Pearce,
Mavis Pearce,
Pamela Peck,
Muriel Perry,
Harold Pike,
Kathleen Prince,
Iris Scane,
Mary Smith,
Nancy Smith,
Grace Snelgrove,
Margaret Sollars,
Alan Titt,
Walter Wade,
Gwendoline Wiltshire,
Barbara Young.
Sambourne Senior School’s entry, Moonrakers Through The Ages,
was made up of:
Edna Hill,
Jose Siminson,
Reginald Whatley,
Gordon White.
A class in the carnival for decorated bicycles comprised:
W. Atkinson and H. Curtis (Speed Devils)
J. Button and G. Dowdle (Coronation Coach)
Miss Molly Button (1937 Threepenny Piece)
Philip Hill and Sylvia Sims (Red, White and Blue)
Pamela House (Crown Of Roses).