A History of the 1954 Royal Visit

[size=5]The first visit by Queen Elizabeth II to Australia was beset with false starts, tragic setbacks and unforeseen challenges, but when she finally arrived in February 1954 the people of the Sutherland Shire embraced their Queen - and the small part they were to play in her visit - with unreserved enthusiasm and boundless energy.[/size] On 19 October 2011, hundreds of well-wishers and dignitaries greeted Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, when they arrived in Canberra for the start of their most recent – and possibly final - official tour of Australia. This ten day trip was the 16[sup]th[/sup] time that the Queen had travelled to our country, and although the spectacle generated a huge amount of media interest and public excitement, it was nothing compared to the frenzied anticipation of 1954 when the young and newly crowned Queen became the first – and so far only – reigning British monarch to set foot in Australia. Prior to 1954 Australia had never seen a British sovereign on its shores, however over the years it had played host to a handful of members of the royal family. In fact, when Prince Philip disembarked at Farm Cove in Sydney on 3 February he was not the first Duke of Edinburgh to do so. He was the second. In 1867, Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh, son of Queen Victoria became the first royal figure to travel to Australia. The trip was overshadowed by several unpleasant occurrences, not least of all an assassination attempt when the Prince was shot in the back whilst attending a fundraising picnic at Clontarf Beach on 12 March 1868. Thankfully, Prince Alfred’s bullet wound soon healed, but his would-be killer, a troubled Irishman named Henry O’Farrell, was quickly tried and then hanged at Darlinghurst Gaol on 21 April. When Prince Philip arrived here 86 years later, he would have envisaged a rather less alarming reception from the local inhabitants, particularly as he had already made two earlier trips to Australia. The first was in 1940 as a naval officer aboard the battleship [i]Ramillies[/i] and the second was as an officer aboard the destroyer [i]Whelp[/i]. Three future British kings also travelled to Australia in the late 19[sup]th[/sup] and early 20[sup]th[/sup] centuries, but it was not until after World War II that plans were made for an actual reigning monarch to journey Down Under. And that monarch was not Queen Elizabeth II, but her father, King George VI. As Prince Albert, Duke of York, the King had toured Australia in 1927 with his wife, Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), and by late 1948 preparations were well underway for the now ruling couple, along with Princess Margaret, to make a return visit early the following year. It was a trip which never came to be. On 23 November 1948, Prime Minister Ben Chifley announced to the nation that as a result of advice given to the King by his special medical consultants, the proposed royal tour of Australia and New Zealand was postponed indefinitely. A bulletin issued from Buckingham Palace stated: ‘The King is suffering from an obstruction to circulation through arteries of the legs, which has only recently become acute. The defective blood supply to the right foot causes anxiety. Complete rest has been advised.’ It layman’s terms, the King was had a blood clot. It was a huge blow - not only for the King – and carried with it far-reaching implications. Because of the postponement, both the Federal and State Governments, along with business interests and public organisations, all incurred heavy financial losses. But perhaps the hardest hit, despite having charged substantial premiums, were the insurance companies that provided cover for monetary risks sustained in the event of the tour being ‘postponed for a period of more than six months from the scheduled date of the King’s arrival in Australia or cancelled altogether.’ Something must have been in the wind regarding the King’s condition because policies originally purchased at the rate of 10 guineas for each £100, increased in price in October 1948 to 15 guineas, and then to 25 guineas just a few days prior to Mr Chifley’s announcement. In fact in September, a Sydney agent for Lloyds stated: ‘We will not accept this type of insurance as a bet. It is legitimate only if the person or business firm seeking it would suffer pecuniary loss in the … event that the tour would have to be postponed.’ As it turned out, many were affected. Hotel bookings were cancelled, sporting events were abandoned, event rehearsals were put on hold, and countless businesses – particularly those that had purchased special decorations for the one-off event – found that they were out of pocket, even after making hefty insurance claims.  For example, Walders Manchester Company had imported about £20,000 worth of flags, flagpoles, shields, bunting, and cotton draping, but only £8,000 to £10,000 of this was covered. A myriad of books, brochures, homewares and novelty items were also specially produced for the 1949 royal tour. Today many of these mementoes, thanks to their quirkiness, are quite collectable, but back then it would have been practically impossible for souvenir sellers to shift all their suddenly erroneous stock of keepsake mugs, ash trays, spoons and tea towels. It is therefore not surprising that when it was announced in September 1950 that the King, Queen and Princess Margaret would travel to Australia in early 1952, manufacturers and importers were wary and most opted against carrying any orders for the rescheduled royal visit until they were sure the tour was imminent. This was a sound decision because on 23 September 1951, King George VI had his left lung removed. On 10 October 1951, it once again fell to the Prime Minister, this time Robert Menzies, to explain to the country that the King was simply too unwell to undertake such a lengthy and exhaustive journey to Australia. Speaking in the House of Representatives, Menzies offered his profound regret regarding both the cancellation of the tour and its cause, but he did offer some consolation – Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth and her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, would travel in place of the King. “We look forward to their visit,” Menzies enthused, and “shall find in their presence another means of expressing in every way open to us our devotion to the Throne.” Arrangements for the 1952 tour then assumed a fresh energy more befitting the young couple. Unfortunately, heartbreak lay ahead. [quote][i][size=4]London, Jan. 31 (A.A.P.). – The King stood bareheaded and sad at London airport to-day as he watched Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh fly off on the first stage of their trip to Australia and New Zealand. The Royal couple left at 12:12pm (10:12pm Sydney time) for Nairobi, Kenya, whence they will travel to Australia in the liner Gothic … It was a departure without fuss, ceremony and emotion, but for the Royal family it was obviously a sad affair. [/size][/i] [Sydney Morning Herald, 1 February 1952][quote] It was also the last time the Princess would see her father, because on 6 February 1952 King George VI died. Elizabeth, now Queen, immediately flew back to London, but before leaving Africa she assured the people of Australia, New Zealand and Ceylon (Sri Lanka) that her visit to their countries was not cancelled, but merely postponed. NSW Premier, James McGirr, responded optimistically that the Government would preserve the records and documents compiled for the abandoned royal visits as they ‘may be useful for a tour later on.’ Not quite so useful were all the keepsake items which had once again been produced to celebrate the impending visit. Indeed, the general consensus had been so overwhelmingly confident that this tour would take place, that insurance cover against cancellation had been very small. Unfortunately, most of the 30,000 illustrated booklets which had been specially printed for presentation to schoolchildren as souvenirs of the 1952 royal tour had already been distributed. As it turned out, it was another 2 years before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh finally made their way to Australia - and the Sutherland Shire. ‘By November 1953, when the Queen left London en route to Australia,’ wrote Jane Connors in her 2015 book, Royal visits to Australia, ‘the inflammatory effects of the coronation, plus the two painful episodes of tour interruptus had brought the desire to see a reigning monarch actually here at last and standing on Australian soil almost to boiling point.’ What eventuated was ‘the most complex, most witnessed and probably most expensive journey ever through this country’. (A comprehensive [url=http://nma.gov.au/blogs/daimler/2012/05/31/facts-and-figures-from-the-1954-royal-tour-2/]list of facts and figures from the 1954 royal tour[/url] is found on the National Museum of Australia website). To ensure the success of the Australian leg of the tour, an unprecedented amount of preparation and participation was required at multiple levels of government and society. Whilst programs and appointments were overseen by the Director General of the royal visit, Lieutenant General Frank Berryman, district councils formed planning committees to deal with the arrangement of events within their local areas. In October 1953, the Sutherland Shire appointed its working party of (then) President D.G. Welch and Councillors Pollard, Fitzpatrick and Monro. Even though the Queen was not scheduled to stop, but just pass through the Sutherland Shire on her way to official functions in Wollongong, they still had an awful lot to organise. The National Archives of Australia is full of photographs, documents and records pertaining to the royal visit and includes a digitised copy of the 125-page book: Notes for planning the visit of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness, the Duke of Edinburgh. This verbosely-titled item was prepared from information obtained from Buckingham Palace and was intended to assist officials make practical decisions regarding provisions for the Queen’s visit. It is a fascinating publication and contains some insightful titbits, such as: [ul] [li]Inquiries are often made as to the Queen’s favourite colour. Her Majesty has no marked preference but does not like magenta.[/li] [li]The Queen and His Royal Highness do not like oysters or soup. Alternatives such as grapefruit, paw-paw or melon are suggested.[/li] [li]Her Majesty may have a glass of sherry before a meal and occasionally a little wine or champagne with the meal but normally the Queen prefers a fruit drink, such as a long orange.[/li] [li]Strictly speaking, there are no ‘Royal Colours’. The nearest approach is the Queen’s Racing Colours, which are – Purple, gold braid, scarlet sleeves, black velvet cap with gold fringe. It should be noted that the purple here referred to appears as an extremely dark blue.[/li] [/ul] There is also quite a lot of information and direction in the book regarding transport procedures. During their 1954 tour, the royal couple travelled by royal aircraft, royal barge, royal yacht, royal car and royal train - the latter not without some controversy. The first problem was that a coupled pair of Canadian diesel-electric Alco locomotives had been chosen to pull the carriages in which Queen and her entourage would travel. This did not sit at all well with steam enthusiasts who thought that a C.38 coal-burning locomotive – built locally in the Eveleigh workshops – should haul the royal train as a tribute to Australian engineering. Instead a green steam C.38 was given the less prestigious job of pilot engine and would precede by 30 minutes the royal train - with its royal blue diesels - on the Queen’s journeys to Bathurst and Newcastle. The second issue was that members of the Australian Railways Union felt that seniority had not been observed in the Minister for Transport, Mr E. Wetherell’s choice of guard for the royal train in NSW. There was even talk that guards might call a stop-work in protest on the day of the Queen’s arrival. Fortunately, this storm in a railway teacup soon subsided and in late January technicians undertook a thorough trial run of the Queen’s train journeys. This was a task which was not taken lightly. During rehearsals the signalling, the internal telephone system and the Queen’s radio were all tested. Stewards even prepared the royal dining-room and three plates of cold chicken and ham salad were laid on the table – but were not eaten. At Lithgow, Katoomba, Bowenfels and several other stations, a railway official alighted from a carriage and paced up and down the platform. He was making sure that when the royal train pulled into each station it would stop at exactly the right position so that the Queen could simply step straight onto the royal carpet. One railway station that was not tested was Bulli. This was because, despite all the months of intense preparation, the royal train was never supposed to visit the seaside town, nor journey north along the line through the Sutherland Shire. Not until the eleventh hour that is. The Queen’s first week in Australia was crammed full with official functions, whirlwind trips to rural centres, and frequent outings through Sydney streets packed to bursting with an expectant and animated public. Many people had waited hours just to catch a fleeting glimpse of Her Majesty. On Thursday 11 February 1954 it was finally the Sutherland Shire’s turn to see the Queen.  

At 10am the royal couple stepped out from Government House and into a dark and cloudy morning. Coordinating noticeably with the overcast conditions, the Queen was dressed in a gunmetal paper shantung coat with matching hat, black shoes and accessories. The Duke wore a light grey single-breasted lounge suit. From their city accommodation, the royal couple then drove off in a luxury landaulet towards Wollongong for what was probably the most relaxed day of the tour to that date. After leaving the CBD the royal entourage travelled south through the St. George district, down Rocky Point Road and then along the Princes Highway. Crowds cheered and waved them on their way. When the royal car entered the Sutherland Shire, the Queen was met with a ‘rousing and enthusiastic’ welcome. Not to mention, most likely, a huge sigh of relief. After months of hard work and years of waiting, Elizabeth II had, at last, arrived in the Shire. ‘It is estimated,’ reported the [i]Propeller[/i] newspaper, ‘that about 20,000 persons lined the route through the gaily decorated township.’ Along what is now the Old Princes Highway, Council buildings and local businesses were bedecked with red, white and blue flags, bunting and streamers. (At a later Sutherland Shire Council meeting, a certain Mr E.G. Whitlam was thanked for his efforts in decorating the Post Office). In a special enclosure reserved for the elderly, 500 sat on rugs or in chairs along the roadside. As the Queen continued on towards the National Park and Lady Rawson Drive, one old lady waved a rather sodden flag and called out in a high, clear voice: “God bless you, dearie”.  [quote][i][size=4][And then] a magnificent view greeted the Queen. For a mile ahead, beautiful trees lined the straight stretch of road and two floral gates of dahlias, surmounted by crowns picked out in marigolds, stood on the shoulders of the road, whilst just ahead of them was a large decorative arch, built by Sutherland Shire Council, with the inscription “We Welcome Our Queen”.[/size][/i][/quote]  

Once through the arch (a second had been erected at Sylvania) the Queen and her entourage were greeted with a thunderous reception. 17,000 children and 300 teachers from 60 schools had assembled three to five deep on both sides of a 2km stretch of Lady Rawson Drive. The excited youngsters had arrived in Sutherland that morning by train, bus and on foot. Special signs, with information painted on both front and back sides, had been specially erected to help guide the children and their teachers to the correct marshalling areas. Indeed, five chains on the western side of Lady Rawson Drive had earlier been cleared and debris removed to make room for the young crowd. Ambulance tents, shelters for lost children, and temporary sanitary facilities were also provided and as the royal tour coincided with the height of summer local Bush Fire Brigades were on hand in case an emergency should eventuate. The Queen and Duke smiled and waved constantly as the royal car literally crawled through the cheering congregation at Sutherland, but after twelve minutes they had passed by all the children, as well as a group of assembled ex-servicemen, and then they continued on their journey south. More crowds lined the highway at Engadine, and at Waterfall some 270 tuberculosis patients, with 50 nurses, sisters and doctors, gathered alongside the sanatorium. “Sitting outside is not too good for some of the patients,” commented Dr N.C. Wright, “but you have to compromise at a time like this.”  

Following their official functions at Wollongong, the original plan was for the royal couple to return to Sydney in the manner they had come – in the landaulet. But just one day earlier, on 10 February 1954, the NSW Premier, Mr J.J. Cahill, announced a change to the itinerary – the Queen and her party would travel back in the royal train from Bulli. A Mr Harrison, who returned with the Queen from her northern tour to Lismore said: “It was thought that at the end of a long day it would be infinitely better for the Queen to be able to relax on the train, rather than travel over the same route by car.” Although this was most likely true for the Queen, the unexpected change would not remotely have been a relaxing proposition for all those who had to spring into action to accommodate the amended travel plans. Never-the-less, by late afternoon on 11 February, the royal party had boarded the royal train at Bulli and was en route to Sydney. Large crowds congregated at stations or positioned themselves at vantage points along the way in the hope of catching sight of the royal couple, and indeed many thrilled onlookers were rewarded as the Queen repeatedly interrupted her tea to stand and wave from the train’s observation platform. ‘As the train passed along the coastline,’ reported the [i]Sydney Morning Herald[/i], ‘the Duke pointed out landmarks and beauty spots to the Queen.  

At Sutherland, the train slowed to walking pace as the Queen waved to people crammed on either side of the station. A girl stood on the railway track beside the royal train with two cocker spaniels flying coloured pennants from their leads.’ Just further along, huge groups had grandstand views from the enormous clumps of rock which ran alongside the railway line. Many of these boulders were painted in white letters the leftover catchphrases of political campaigns: ‘Peace: Stop War,’ ‘Victims of U.S. Dollar Plans,’ and ‘Vote So-and-So.’ Whether these unexpected slogans raised some royal eyebrows is not known. At 5pm, the royal train pulled in to Central Station and from here the Queen returned by car to Government House. The Duke, on the other hand, stepped into a separate waiting vehicle and then set off at pace through peak hour Sydney so he could arrive in time at the Sydney Cricket Ground to watch champion Victorian runner, John Landy, compete in the Australian Athletic Championships – which he won.  

It was another remarkable day in Queen Elizabeth II’s 1954 royal tour of Australia, and one which has endured affectionately in the memory of those who were lucky enough to be there – including perhaps, you. [size=6]REFERENCES[/size] [size=5]Sydney Morning Herald articles[/size] [ul] [li][i]Insuring on the royal risks[/i], 22 September 1948, p.1[/li] [li][i]High insurance claims,[/i] 24 November 1948, p.3.[/li] [li][i]Royal souvenirs not dead loss,[/i] 1 February 1949, p.2.[/li] [li][i]Royal tour plans will be kept for future,[/i] 8 February 1952, p.6.[/li] [li][i]Royal tour to be early 1954,[/i] 16 October 1952, p.3.[/li] [li][i]Sydney men to man royal train,[/i] 1 January 1954, p.1.[/li] [li][i]Protest at royal train decision,[/i] 5 January 1954, p.4.[/li] [li][i]Royal train trial,[/i] 1 February 1954, p.6.[/li] [li][i]Proud day for ‘Diesels’ – no steam for the royal train,[/i] 6 February 1954, p.2.[/li] [li][i]Queen back after busy Northern tour,[/i] 11 February 1954, p.1.[/li] [li][i]Laughing, joking Queen enjoys drive[/i], 12 February 1954, p.1.[/li] [li][i]The Queen left tea to wave,[/i] 12 February 1954, p.6.[/li] [/ul] [size=5]Other newspaper articles[/size] [ul] [li][i]Royal visit – school children to see Queen[/i], Propeller, 13 August 1953, p.1.[/li] [li][i]Wollongong gives Queen enthusiastic welcome,[/i] Daily Examiner, 12 February 1953, p.1.[/li] [li][i]Illawarra’s big day,[/i] Propeller, 18 February 1954, p.1.[/li] [/ul] [size=5]Other Sources[/size] [ul] [li][i]Royal visits to Australia[/i] by Jane Connors[/li] [li]NAA: D959, IA1953/154 PART 3C[/li] [li][i]Royal visit to Australia[/i] , Ben Chifley (Speaker) - House of Representatives Hansard, 23 November 1948[/li] [li][i]Royal visit to Australia[/i] , Robert Menzies (Speaker) - House of Representatives Hansard, 10 October 1951[/li] [li][i]Minutes and report of the special sub-committee meeting of the Council of the Shire of Sutherland,[/i] 12 January 1954[/li] [/ul]