I was in Standard I in the seniors and [my brother] Gilbert was still in the Infants at the time of the Diamond Jubilee, for which my sister had been named the previous year, and those celebrations remain as one of the highlights of my life. We learned patriotic songs, snatches of which I can still remember, such as ‘Three Cheers for the Red, White and Blue’ and ‘Rule Britannia’. 

We wore red, white and blue rosettes and carried and waved little flags. Everybody seemed excited and happy and boys whistled and sang as they delivered their goods. The excitement grew daily. 

One fine day the schools paraded to the Montpellier Gardens.  There were no trams or buses in those days.  We walked; then we stood in our various places - expectant - of what?

We just didn't know.   We wore our rosettes, waved our flags, sang 'God Save The Queen', and listened to someone talking in the distance.  Then we all cheered at the top of our voices and were then dismissed.