Riverbend School for Girls - Vox Fluminis Yearbook (Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada)

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VOX FLUMINIS 25 for a day to attend the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. Marjorie and I were very fortunate in being two of the few who received invitations. On June 24 our week at Eastbourne came to an end and those of us who stayed after the tour was over said good-bye to the girls who left for Southampton to sail home. The following three weeks, our last in England, Marjorie and I spent with her relatives in Northampton. During our stay there we visited Kenilworth and Warwick Castle. We were also for- tunate to be able to see the State Apart- ments and the Queen's Doll House at Windsor Castle. Some of the days we spent bicycling around the country- side and other days picnicking and hiking. So passed our last days in England and on the 16th of July we left Liver- pool on the Duchess of Bedford for home. MARJORIE GARDINER, '38, Douglas Hall. THE CORONATION AY 12, 1937. We were awakened at three a.m. to find it was very dark and dismal. It was also quite misty,-real London weather. The question even came to our minds whether it was worth while getting up, but this day was to be the climax of our trip, so, despite our sleepiness, we jumped out of bed. We hurriedly dressed and after a big breakfast we started out. The streets were unusually quiet and what amused us was to see so many people sleeping on the pave- ments. As we looked we realized how fortunate we were in having excellent seats provided for us. As we had to stand fo-r some time it felt nice to get to our seats at last and sit down. The Canadian boys arrived soon, looking very smart in grey fiannels and red blazers with caps and ties the same as ours. ' Suddenly the gates were opened and shivery thrills ran through our bodies as we realized that the procession was starting. Most of this has been so well described in our papers that I am afraid I cannot do it justice. The brilliant colors and the- splendor of the uni- forms seemed even more intense on this dull day. The first coaches and automobiles contained members of the Royal Family and representatives of foreign powers. Then came the prime ministers. Natu- rally the carriage bearing Mr. Mac- kenzie King, surrounded by Royal Ca- nadian Mounted Police, drew thunder- ous applause from our section. At last came the golden, royal coach, bearing the King and Queen. They really looked like people out of a story-book riding in this beautiful carriage. Long after they had passed we could hear the roar of applause in the distance. The time seemed to pass very quickly until the procession began its home- ward journey. It had barely started when a heavy rain set in. However, de- spite the downpour, the crowd re- mained in a good humor. It was very funny to see the Canadian boys with the red dye from their caps running down their faces. The return procession was much the same as the former, except for the addi- tion of Queen Mary. looking extremely beautiful. She is so regal-every inch a Queen. Lastly came the royal coach with their majesties, now wearing their sparkling crowns. Some of the crowd began to leave but we stayed to see the Royal Party come out on the balcony. When they finally did, the noise was terrific. After screaming ourselves hoarse, and being soaked through we decided to go home. After satisfying that hollow feeling we listened to the King's speech over the radio. It was hard to realize that this day was over but we didn't ponder long. We were worn out and went to bed where we could dream about the glorious things we had seen and heard. A few days later we attended the first Youth Rally at Albert Hall. Seven thousand boys and girls from the Em- pire were there. The two most inter- esting events of the evening were ad-

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24 VOX FLUMINIS tion, Montreal, and there was barely time to greet our friends before we were hurried aboard the Duchess of Athol. Marjorie McKinnell and I found ourselves in a cabin with two girls from Ontario Ladies College, Whitby. The following days passed quickly, some- times pleasantly and due to sea-sick- ness, sometimes not so pleasantly. There were movies, concerts, deck games and group meetings to fill our days. Our first sight of land was Greenoch, Scotland. The following morning we docked at Liverpool and as you can well imagine there was great excite- ment. We boarded the train for Lon- don immediately and from the station there we were taken to a house in Tor- rington Square. The first evening in London we at- tended an illustrated Coronation lec- ture at the County Hall. After seeing pictures of the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary, we were welcomed to England by Major Ney. Sunday afternoon we attended a beauti- ful service in St. Paul's Cathedral. Monday morning began our busy time in London. First, we visited Whip- snade Zoo. Our other visit that day was made to the General Post Office. The following day, May 12, was the highlight of our trip, but I will leave it to Marjorie McKinnell to tell you about it. One afternoon we visited St. Nicholas Church, Compton, one of the oldest in England, part of it having been built in Saxon times. Another afternoon we visited the British Broadcasting Studios. Two very important services were the Youth Rally at Royal Albert Hall where H.R.H. the Duke of Gloucester and Prime Minister Baldwin spoke to us, and the Service of Youth at West- minster Abbey, where the Archbishop of Canterbury spoke to us. On one other occasion we had an op- portunity of visiting the Abbey. This time thirty of us were entertained at tea by Mrs. Bulloch, the Abbey organ- ist's wife. While we were there we were allowed to visit the Abbey Mu- seum. Another day was spent visiting the historical Hampton Court Palace, Wolsey, and then Kew Gardens. The hydrangea were in full bloom making the grounds a beautiful sight to behold. Next we saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace from within the gates. Another day we were given the unusual privilege of seeing Big Ben at close quarters. One week-end we spent in the historical town of Canterbury and visited the cathedral for two or three hours. On the 28th day of May we set off to spend the to the different schools next three weeks of our visit overseas. being able to I was very fortunate in go to Cheltenham Ladies' College which is considered one of the finest,English boarding schools. Of the nine hundred girls in the school, six hundred were boarders. They were divided into houses which were in the vicinity of the main school building, each house containing thirty or forty girls. Every morning with the exception of Sunday morning, the entire school attended classes and with exception of two afternoons a week, they were allowed to study in their own houses. The classes I found very similar to our own here and I was soon doing home- work. Every Saturday afternoon each house went, usually, on a picnic to the Cotswold Hills. One morning we were taken to Strat- ford-on-Avon where we visited Anne Hathaway's Cottage and saw Cym- beline played in the new Shakespeare Memorial Theatre. Another afternoon we visited the remains of an old Roman Villa at Chedworth. Another time we visited Tewkesbury and another time, Tintern Abbey. From Cheltenham on the 17th of June we went to London where we joined the whole group and set off for Eastbourne, one of England's beautiful sea-side resorts. At Eastbourne we spent a week of sea-bathing, hiking on the downs, horseback riding and at- tending band concerts on the pier. In the afternoons we- were entertained by the different schools there. It was dur- ing this week that we went to London

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26 VOX FLUMINIS dresses by the Duke of Gloucester and Stanley Baldwin. It was immensely thrilling to be in the centre of this World Wide Youth Movement. The next day was another resem- bling that of the Coronation. Early in the morning we departed for Bucking- ham Palace where we watched the King and Queen begin the State Drive. I can't truly say that we saw the King' and Queen, for five- limousines left the palace and we didn't know in which their majesties were sitting. After this we went to Westminster Abbey for another Youth Service, con- ducted by the Archbishop of Canter- bury. We sat in the seats formerly oc- cupied by the peeresses at the Corona- tion. In the transept opposite was a lovely stained glass window. The sun shone through it in a myriad of colors onto St. E'dward's Chair. This chair, which always looks so hard in pictures had a golden cushion on it that appeared very luxurious and comfortable. Suddenly the rumor was spread around that we were to see Queen Mary. After the ceremony we were led by a police escort to Marlborough House. It was great fun having the police hold up traffic for us. While we were waiting in the court- yard the Queen returned from a drive. She stepped out of the car onto a thick blue rug before us. She was dressed in a silvery gray gown and cloak, em- broidered with silver beads. Major and Mrs. Ney spoke to her and then we were instructed to file by and curtsy. Most of us were out of practice so you can imagine how we felt. Then we were privileged to wander about the beautiful gardens and admire the flowers, also see the famous dog grave-yard begun by Queen Alexandra and containing several of her dogs. It was with great reluctance that we fin- ally had to leave this lovely place. Before long we had to leave the ex- citing and romantic city of London. The next three intriguing weeks of our trip were spent in the Perse School for Girls in Cambridge. Of course I at- tended school too, but only in the morn- ings and I didn't'have to do any prep. The girls were all very friendly and eager to learn about Canada. While I was there I found very little difference in the school work except for their su- periority in languages. The English teacher, however, told me that she thought we were farther advanced in grammar. Towards the end of our trip, another very important 'day arrived, the day on which Marjorie Gardiner and I at- tended a Royal Garden Party at Buck- ingham Palace. We went to London from Eastbourne and we spent the morning and afternoon shopping. At four o'clock we departed for the palace. The driver of our taxi would not drive us right in as there was too large a crowd, so he let us out in front of the gates. We were too scared to go in! We stood arguing for some time and finally a policeman held a path through the crowd and we walked in very nerv- ously. We felt very silly in our plain skirts and blazers among all the frills and flounces. Soon we found we were two of the ten thousand people in the garden. We were wandering about when suddenly a path was cleared in the crowd for the Queen. We naturally pushed to the front row. The Queen passed less than a foot from us. We heard her speak to several people and her voice sounded soft and sweet. Following her came the two little princesses, dressed in em- broidered organdy frocks with sun- bonnets to match. They are very tiny, much smaller than you'd imagine, but they are very pretty and doll-like. We stood for about half an hour against a rope, stretched around the table of food and watched the Royal Party eat. Then they returned to the Palace and the band played God Save the King. Many people spoke to us because of our uniforms. We were really glad then that we had worn them. We left shortly afterwards and caught our train back to Eastbourne. It had been a won- derful day. CContinued on page 48D