1950s: A deep voice announced that George VI had died

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An eyewitness account, published in Bygones, of the funeral parade of King George V, which took place on January 24, 1936, reminded reader Derek Limer of the moment he learnt of the death of King George VI.

Derek, of Derby, writes:

“On the morning of February 6, 1952, I was at Castle School in Traffic Street, taking part in a BBC Radio schools programme for eight-year-olds called Music and Movement. This involved us children doing exercise to music.

“At about 11.15am, suddenly it went off air. Our teacher, Miss Elizabeth Taylor, went to the radio, thinking it had somehow switched itself off, when an announcer with a very deep voice came on to say we had to prepare for an important message.

It was announced from Sandringham that His Majesty the King had died in his sleep. All radio programmes would cease except for the news.

We, children, were stunned. I know that I had never before been told that somone I had heard of had died suddenly.

“At lunchtime, I rushed home to tell my mother who gave me sixpence to go out to get a copy of the special edition of the Derby Evening Telegraph that had been rushed out in under an hour.

“A few days before the King’s funeral at Windsor, I was taken to the Council House and joined a big queue of people to see the enormous wreath of flowers that the Corporation were sending to the funeral on behalf of the people of Derby.

“Our headmaster, Mr Tims, told us that the boys must get their mothers to make black armbands and, I think, the girls were asked to have black hair ribbons.

“On the day of the funeral, we had a special assembly of all the school at 2pm for the two minutes silence our new Queen had asked the nation to observe.

“All went well; we eight-year-olds stood in silence for what seemed an age. The headmaster then asked us to sing the National Anthem.

“Unfortunately, not many of us had ever been anywhere to hear it, so a sort of second silence took place.

“Mr Tims was very upset and every teacher was instructed to make sure we learnt it as soon as possible.

“I wonder if anyone else remembers that day at school 54 years ago!”

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