South Yorkshire Times, February 12th, 1944
King and Queen
Tour of Yorkshire Coalfields
Pithead Canteen Lunch at Elsecar
Queen’s Interest in Hickleton Production Feats
In the course of a tour of the West and South Yorkshire coalfields on Wednesday, the King and Queen visited open-cast workings at Wentworth, had lunch in the pithead canteen at Elsecar Main Colliery and called at Hickleton Main colliery, where they chatted with directors, officials, members of the Pit Production Company, and with several of the colliery workmen.
Although news of the royal visit was only made public on Wednesday morning, crowds of children, many carrying flags, gathered at the places through wish the King and Queen passed and enthusiastically greeted them. At the pits also miners and their wives gave their distinguished visitors a warm Yorkshire welcome.
Canteen Lunch
An incident in the Royal visit which captured the imagination of the mining communities was the visit of their Majesties to the pit-head canteen at Elsecar Main Colliery where they had lunch with some seventy miners who had been chosen by ballot for this honour. This followed the tour of the open-cast mining site at Wentworth. It was no specially arranged formal banquet, but just the usual shilling lunch.
The lunch consisted of roast beef, which the King specially commended (or lamb), Brussels sprouts, mashed or backed potatoes and golden sponge pudding, or rice pudding. Miss Crossley, manageress of the canteen, said it was the kind of meal ordinarily served to the miners. “I must say,” remarked the Queen to a miner afterwards, “we haven’t had a better meal for a long time.” The King told Miss Crossley “It was delicious, where do you get your beef, it’s the best I’ve tasted for many a year?”
Of the seventy miners who joined the King and Queen at the luncheon some had just come to the surface at the end of the morning shift and having refreshened up at the baths, still had that “oven fresh” complexion which distinguishes the miner of the new generation. It was obvious from their expressions that they deeply appreciated the honour that luck had accorded them. They included a 19 years old haulage hand and a 67 years old coal hewer. Each had received his brief note “You are invited to attend for lunch in the canteen tomorrow at 12-45 p.m. Please try to attend.” That was all. The secret had been well kept.
During the proceedings the King looked thoroughly at home, while the Queen seemed very happy, occasionally looking round solicitously in the manner of the perfect hostess. The Yorkshire Miners’ President, Mr. J. A. Hall J.P., who spent a good deal of time in the present of Their Majesties in the course of the tour, occasionally leaned over to chat with the King.
On the right of the King sat Mr. Abert Edward Wilkinson, check weighman at Elsecar Main and president the branch of the Yorkshire Mineworkers’ Association, Maj. G. Lloyd George, Minister of Fuel and Power, sat between the King and Queen, while Mr. H. Danby, General Manager of Earl Fitzwilliam’s Collieries was on the left of the Queen.
Countess Fitzwilliam presented Mr. and Mrs. Danby to Their Majesties and Mr. Danby, on behalf of the Countess, presented the other officials. Also present at the luncheon were Maud, Countess Fitzwilliam, Lady Nunburnholme, Ald. T. Tomlinson, J.P., Mr. R. G. Baker (manager), and Mrs. Baker, Mr. John Brass, Coalowners’ Association), Mr. J. Machin (overman) and Mrs. Machin, Mr. G. E. Evans (treasurer Elsecar Y.M.A. branch), and Mrs. Evans, Mr. W. Cookson (delegate), and Mrs. Cookson, Mr. J. R. W. Short (secretary, Elsecar Main Branch) and Mrs. Shott, Dr. H. S. Houldsworth (Chief Coal Controller), Mr. A. Naylor (undermanager), Mr. W. Blacker (Acting Chief Constable of the West Riding Constabulary), Captain Grant, Sir Eric Mieville. Many of these were presented to Their Majesties.
A Toast!
At the end of the luncheon Major Lloyd George gave the toast of “Their Majesties” and three hearty cheers were raised. The gesture brought a warm flush to the cheeks of the Queen. The King and Queen chatted later with a 67 years old coal face worker and a 20 years old haulage lad.
Mr. Wilkinson said afterwards “I felt very much at home with the King. He is a sociable man and broad minded. We talked a bit about coal production. He asked me if we were peaceful people. I said “Yes, definitely,” I said we succeeded in getting more by having tolerance and that we were not in a hurry at Elsecar. But I told him that we didn’t give in. We kept on pegging away. I also told him that we had 12 times beaten the monthly production target, and when he asked how we had managed this, I said that good meals and good baths had all helped.
At the tables the service was supervised by Mr. William May, butler at Wentworth Woodhouse, who has been in the service of the Fitzwilliam family for 41 years and wore two service ribbons.
Although only very brief notice had been given of the visit, a large crowd of miners and their women-folk assembled at Elsecar Main to greet the Royal couple, many of the women bringing children, who were lifted up whenever a glimpse of the King and Queen was possible. The more agile ones climbed on stacks of pit timber. There was a good deal of competition for front places, but the conduct of the onlookers was always very orderly. The Royal couple moved about with perfect ease and freedom, stopping to have a few words of conversation with anyone at the edge of the crowd whom their eyes happened to light on.
Man With a Baby
It was such a warm, intimate, and informal introduction that John Hadley Saxby, eight months old, liege, and subject of King George VI, had with Their Majesties. It was a rare distinction and it happened just outside the door of the canteen as the King and Queen were about to enter. Mr. John Saxby, 162, Wath Road, Elsecar, who is employed at Elsecar Main, stood near the door with John Radley, heavily muffled in a brown check wool shawl against the biting wind, held up in his arms. The Queen looked at the babe and smiled understandingly. Then she graciously chucked him under the chin and John, (seemingly conscious of the high honour conferred upon him) gurgled his appreciation and smiled spaciously under his white wool cap. The Queen remarked to Mr. Saxby, “What a fine little boy. How old is he?” a man might have made a bad guess as to sex. Mr. Saxby doffed his cap and replied, whereat the Queen remarked, “And is he yours?” I think he looks very sweet,” said the Queen “and so do all these little children around.” Mr. Saxby told the Queen he was very pleased she had spoken to the baby. He said his wife would be pleased also. Unfortunately, she was ill and had to stay at home. “There would be good news for her when he got home. Mr. Saxby said that was the very first time he had seen the King and Queen in person and the fact that they had spoken to him made him feel that it was his lucky day.
Mystery of the Flags
What those in the Royal cars wanted to know was where all the flags had come from. This was all the more mystifying in view of the fact that the visit had not been announced in the schools until that morning. Given a brief respite from their lessons the children rushed home for the bits of red, white, and blue which they waved excitedly as the Royal car passed.
Reform Row, Elsecar, made a particular bright show, hundreds of children with flags being drawn up at the roadside in a cheering and waving mass.
There was no formal call a either Wombwell or Darfield, but at both places the children turned out and there was a particularly big crowd near Wombwell Town Hall.
The somewhat sombre, monotony of dull brick houses at Low Valley had been relieved by a grand show of flags, while in Illsley Road, Darfield, where the Royal Party joined the main Doncaster Road on their way to Hickleton Main, the schools of Darfield Church School and Shroggs Head Schools gave Their Majesties a great reception.
At Hickleton
Queen’s Interest in Production Records
Although the visit of the King and Queen to Hickleton Main, stated to be the biggest pit in the country, which employs 3,200 men, was kept secret, school children were told on Wednesday morning and the news spread quickly. Shops selling Union Jacks did a brisk trade, and when the crowd gathered in front of the colliery offices after lunch there was an impressive array of flags.
The Royal Party came through Goldthorpe, and Hickleton village to the colliery and many people at Goldthorpe and Thurnscoe hung out flags, while there was a Union Jack flying from the pithead gear. Hundreds of people, including colliers just out of the pit, tiny children from day nurseries and hundreds of school children sent up a rousing cheer as the party arrived. As the King and Queen stepped from their car at 2.55 p.m. the charm of the Queen, who was attired in a powder blue coat, won the immediate admiration of all. It was a colourful scene with the King’s uniform of Admiral of the Fleet standing out against a background of enthusiastic Thurnscoe villagers. Those accompany the Royal visitors included: Maor G. Lloyd George (Minister of Fuel and Power), Sir Eric Mieville (Assistant Private Secretary to the King), Lady Nunburnholme (Lady in Waiting to the Queen), Capt. John Grant (Equerry), Dr. H. S. Houldsworth (Controller General, Minister of Fuel and Power), His Honour Judge Stewart (Regional Controller, Ministry of Fuel and Power, Mr. John Brass of South Yorkshire Coal Owners’ Association, the Rt. Hon. Sir William Sutherland (Joint Chairman of the Regional Board), Mr. J. A. Hall (President Yorkshire Y.M.A. and Mr. D. R. Serpell.
Presentations
In the Institute adjoining the colliery offices, the King and Queen were introduced to Mr. W. Humble (Chairman of Directors of Doncaster Amalgamated Collieries Ltd.), Mr. J. Hunter, (Managing Director) and Mrs. Hunter, Mr. M. LeBrun (Assistant General Manager), and Mrs. LeBrun, Mr. F. Doxey (Agent and Chairman of Pit).