Royal Tour of the Commonwealth 1953-54
Y3091E/179 The Queen receiving a bouquet of flowers from a Fijian princess, Suva, © Royal Commonwealth Society
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee offers an excellent opportunity to celebrate her devoted service as Head of the Commonwealth, as reflected in the Royal Commonwealth Society Collections at Cambridge University Library. In fact, this began well before her reign, for as Princess Elizabeth she had embarked upon a major Commonwealth tour in 1952, on behalf of her father King George VI, who was too ill to undertake it. Princess Elizabeth was in Kenya when she received news of her father’s death on 6 February 1952 and returned to Britain.
Within five months of her coronation in June 1953, however, she set out upon the most ambitious Royal Tour yet seen, flying to Bermuda and, thence to Jamaica, boarding S.S. ‘Gothic’ which was to be her base for the remainder of the tour. After visits to Fiji and Tonga, ‘Gothic’ reached New Zealand on 23 December for a stay of over a month. February and March were spent in Australia and the return journey included Ceylon, Aden, Uganda, and Malta, where the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh were reunited with their two children and whence they sailed via Gibraltar to London on the new Royal Yacht ‘Britannia’.
Y3011E/49 Camel troop parading for the Queen and Prince Philip, Aden
The Royal Commonwealth Society and its local branches were closely involved in the organisation of the Royal Tour, and its library preserves a fascinating collection of photographs, invitations, programmes and other souvenir items documenting its many events. To view on-line catalogues of the archives please see:
http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FY3011EEE
http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FRCMS%20320
I was on board HMS Sheffield which escorted SS Gothic half way across the Pacific from Jamaica where we handed over escort duties to a RNZN Cruiser. I had recently been in the Royal Navy detatchment which marched through London at the Queen’s coronation, before that I was on board HMS Liverpool in the Mediterranean where the Princess Elizabeth visited frequently to be with Prince Philip and she always came aboard Liverpool for Church services with her sister Princess Margaret.
My Dad, John Marks, was in the Med at that time and Chaplain on the Liverpool. I would be grateful for any recollections, photos or contacts to follow up.
Dear David,
The RCS has a large collection of ephemera relating to the Royal Tour, RCMS 320, which you would be very welcome to consult, https://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FRCMS%20320 I’d also suggest getting in touch with the Royal Archives, which may be able to help, https://www.royal.uk/archives
John
Can I suggest a DVD of this important tour be made which has never been equalled. Including film footage. Regards Tony worsfold
Thank you for your excellent suggestion!
In 1952 the ‘Gothic’ was in Tilbury Docks preparing for a voyage to Australia to bring, the then Princess Elizabeth, back following her world tour, curtailed due the depth of George VI. The vessel was rescheduled to return to Cammell Laird in Birkenhead to have the Royal accommodation returned to its original state. My father was agent for Shaw Savill Line and sailed back on her to Liverpool with my mother and myself.
Greetings
Do any of you have photos of the flags that were on the SS Gothic when the royals toured the Pacific? In particular the flag that was flown in the front of the ship. I believe it was called the United tribes flag
Hi Kyla,
There may be some delay due to COVID restrictions at the library, but I will have a look and let you know if there are any photos showing the flags on ‘Gothic’. It might be worth asking the Royal Archives too, https://www.royal.uk/archives
John
I was a crew member on Gothic for the Royal Tour in 1953/54.
The flag on the bow of Gothic was the Shaw Savill Company flag
My father James Ewing was a crew member on the Gothic for Royal tour, sadly he just passed away on the 7th April 2022.
I was on the deck of the Troopship Fowey as the S.S Gothic returned to Southampton.,awaiting the order to remove berets and give three cheers to Her Majesty.
The Fowey was dwarfed by the liner.and as soon as it passed the wash,swayed our ship.At that moment the guy next to me was very sea sick and fell down.
I was ordered to join the party that took him to the sick bay.And there he stayed until we arrived at Gibraltar where he was taken ashore.
Earlier we had been billeted in the same hut at the Transit Camp when he displayed his Charles Atlas physique by doing countless Press-Ups.
When he was taken away on a stretcher,he was a broken man.
Did the Queen visit Kenya on her tour?
We are interested in finding a photograph of a friend who presented a bouquet to the Queen in Naivasha some time in the 1950s.
Thanking you for your help.
Princess Elizabeth visited Kenya for a planned Royal Tour of the Commonwealth. While there the King died and the tour was canceled. She became Queen at the time the King died. She returned to the UK.