A coronation carnival

If you are looking for events with which to celebrate King Charles’ coronation this year then why not take a look at the 1937 version and stage pillow fighting, cutting down a leg of mutton or even ‘climbing the greasy pole’? Like most towns and villages at that time a lot of effort was put into the celebrations in the parish of Armitage.

When Edward VIII abdicated on 11^th December 1936 there was a date already set for his coronation – Wednesday 12^th May 1937 – and planning was in progress, so the date was used instead for the coronation of George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

On Monday 18th January 1937 a Parish Meeting was held at the school with the intention of planning for the local celebrations for Coronation Day. The Parish was in the grip of an influenza epidemic though and attendance was very poor, and the meeting was quickly adjourned with the only issue resolved being the ordering of Coronation mugs. The previous day the Rector, Rev. Walter Holdcroft, had been too ill to take any services with the morning service taken by his nephew, the evening service conducted by the headmaster, Mr. Walter Hully, whilst St. Luke’s services in Handsacre had been cancelled. With school staff also off ill and virtually every household in the village affected the school had been cancelled for the whole week.

It wasn’t until 1^st March that another meeting was held, and a committee was set up to oversee the arrangements. Over thirty people were involved split pretty equally between men and women. H. Jackson was elected Chair, with A. C. Simpson as Treasurer and R. Evans as Secretary.

Money had to be raised to pay for everything, so the first task was to find the money – a house to house collection was arranged with most people being given a beat e.g., Mrs Straight covering Fair View to Fog Cottages and Mr W Carthy responsible for Running Hills.

Many suggestions were put forward for events but not all were accepted. Unlike the 1935 Jubilee event there wasn’t support for another fireworks display but a bonfire was deemed essential and a baby show was likewise dismissed. By the end of the meeting, they had a rough idea of what they were going to do and had split up the tasks and given responsibilities to the following sub-committees: –

• Carnival procession – all teaching staff plus Mrs. Farrington, Mrs. Nevill, Mrs. H. Jackson, Mr. S. Smith, Mr. C. Fox, Mr. J. Johnson, Mr. D. Johnson, Mr. W. Carthy, Mr. C. Brown, Mr. G. Quimby, Mr. H. Wright and Mr. B. Ratcliffe
• Adults’ sports – Sports Club Committee
• Childrens sports – British Legion
• Bonfire – Scouts Committee
• Torchlight procession – Scouts Committee
• Tea – perhaps not surprisingly this was made up of all the ladies as shown in the picture below although when this part of the event was reported in the newspapers credit was given to Mr. T. W. White, probably because the tea was held in Handsacre Temple

Over the next few weeks, the various sub-committees got together and sorted out all the events, obtained any necessary items and a timetable for the day was developed:

• 12.00 Carnival procession assembly
• 12.30 Judging
• 13.30 Start of procession
• 14.00 Adult sports
• 16.30 Tea
• 18.30 Prize giving
• 19.00 Childrens sport
• 19.00 Beer
• 21.15 Torchlight procession
• 22.00 Lighting of bonfire

The Secretary had undertaken to find out who within the parish were unemployed so that they could be given a free tea as well as a five-shilling voucher to spend at any of the local shops.

He was also tasked with contacting the Green Bus Company to get a bus for ferrying the children on the day and the company provided one free of charge although the driver needed to be paid. Prizes were to be given for various competitions in the form of vouchers which could be exchanged at the local shops who would then be reimbursed from funds raised for the event.

Before the big day there were plenty of things that needed buying and, apart from the coronation mugs which came from Johnson Bros of Hanley, it was local shops/traders who were the suppliers. Torches, streamers, flags and carnival hats were needed as well as all sorts of food for the teas. Amongst the suppliers were those who don’t appear often in written documentation because they were either very small or part-time traders. One of those was John Glenn who was a gardener who lived in Pike Lane. In the 1921 census he was a gardener at the Towers but by 1937 he was working as a gardener on his own account and supplementing his income as a general dealer and indeed a licenses dealer in tobacco. Thomas White ran a garage and forge having worked as a blacksmith and agricultural engineer but he also supplied general hardware, bicycles and in this case assorted cakes and sandwiches. Bill Goring was a butcher and he supplied the mutton – his invoice shows the sort of things that his customers often asked for like beef heart and tongue, mutton chops as well as lamb chops and calves head and feet.

The celebrations actually began on the Tuesday afternoon when every child attending the Church and Council Schools received 6d each from Mr. J. B. Taylor of “Highgate”, New Road and those attending the Council School also received a Coronation medal. The weather Tuesday night was windy with plenty of rain and the Wednesday morning was spent renovating the decorations. Prizes were awarded for the best decorated premises with the winners being Mr. Brown, Station Road, Mr. Conway and Mr. Collidge, both of Station View and Mr. Glenn of Pike Lane.

The fancy dress carnival assembled in Ricardia Field – now Dawes Close – and there were plenty of classes to be judged with the winners being:-

• Decorated vehicles: 1. Fair View; 2. May Queen and her attendants; 3. Mrs. Clark
• Decorated perambulator: 1. Joan Timmins; 2. Mary Evans; 3. Violet Simpson
• Decorated bicycles – adults: Nellie Johnson
• Decorated bicycles – children: 1. William Evans; 2. Betty Simpson
• Fancy dress – patriotic: 1. Sylvia Parker; 2. Louis Johnson; 3. betty Holdcroft
• Fancy dress – original costumes – adults: 1. Mr. W. Adkins; 2. Mrs. G. Farrington and Miss V. Leigh; 3. Mrs. H. Sharratt and Mrs. A. Conway
• Fancy dress – original costumes – children: 1. Edward Smith; 2 Roy King; 3. Anne Simpson
• Fancy dress – comic – adults: 1. Mr. J. Sidney and Mr. J. Simpson; 2. Mr. A. Parker; 3. Mr. T. Plant
• Fancy dress – comic – children: 1. Cyril Wright and Ernest Smith; 2. B. Greatrix; 3. Victor Carthy
• Ponies and riders: 1. Stanley Smith; 2. Eileen Carthy; 3. Stella Sharratt

Before the procession moved off the May Queen was crowned – Miss Irene Brindley – who in turn presented souvenirs to her attendants. After a speech by Herbert Jackson, Chairman of the Coronation Committee, everyone sang the National Anthem.

Arthur Simpson, Chairman of the Parish Council, mounted on a white horse, led the procession through the village to Handsacre sports field, followed by the Scout’s band and two jazz bands on decorated lorries, whilst a band formed by senior scholars also provided musical accompaniment.

The adult’s sports took up most of the afternoon somewhat cut short by heavy rain so prize giving was transferred to the Club & Institute where the May Queen presented the following prizes:-

• 100 yards open: 1. Mr. J. Osborne; 2. Mr. W. Hodgkiss; 3. Mr. H. Sharratt
• Mile walk: 1. Mr. J. Greatrix; 2. Mr. W. Hodgkiss; 3. Mr. C. Bannister
• Ladies’ potato race: 1. Mrs. Billman; 2. Miss D. Alldritt; 3. Mrs. Knight
• Tilting the bucket: 1. H. Hindmarsh and H. Sharratt; 2. I. and C. Bannister; 3. H. Rowe and H. Smith
• Married men’s handicap: 1. J. Osborne; 2. G. Timmis; 3. W. Smith
• Thread the needle race: 1. Miss Garner; 2. Mrs. Billman; 3. Mrs. Sharratt
• Leg of mutton: Mr. G. Conway
• Obstacle race: 1. H. Sharratt; 2. W. Smith; 3. H. Rowe
• Ladies’ novelty race: 1. Mrs. Billman; 2. Miss V. Downing; 3. Mrs. Conway
• Pilloe fight: 1. J. Greatrix; 2. W. Smith; 3. J. Binfield
• Tug-of-war six-a-side team: 1. W. Carthy’s; 2. G. Conway’s
• Greasy pole: H. Sharratt

Over 120 older people and unemployed were given tea at Handsacre Temple and those who were too infirm to attend were sent souvenir tins of tea instead. Whilst this was going on the children of school age were also being fed – at the Club & Institute – having been ferried there by the Green Bus. They also received a coronation mug presented by the rector and his wife. The underage children were presented with a coronation mug the following day. (If anyone still has a mug I would be happy to post a picture). After the children had finished their tea the British Legion supervised sports for them.

During the evening the older parishioners and the unemployed were given free beer at the Parish Hall provided by the Prior of Hawkesyard. Despite the continuing rain the Scouts and Guides still managed to form a torchlight procession through the village to the 25 foot high bonfire where the wife of the Chairman of the Parish Council, Ethel Simpson, lit the fire. The day finished with a carnival dance at the Club & Institute.

And the cost? £69 2s, including 1s for a lost bell.