Royal Wedding Peals

The Platinum Jubilee of our Queen reminded me of my early youth when I participated in two Royal Wedding Peals in honour of Princess Elizabeth and as he was then, Lieutenant Phillip Mountbatten, on the occasion of their wedding. The peals were Bob Major on November 21^st, 1947, on the semitone eight at St Margarets, Ernest Morris conducting; and Grandsire Caters on November 22^nd at St John the Divine conducted by Gordon Olliffe.

The names of some of the ringers may be familiar to older readers, Dorothy Udale who rang at the cathedral, Elizabeth Faulknell who came from Desford, Mavis Whitehead, daughter of Ted, John Bramley one time ringer at St Margarets.

Ringing at St Johns was Josiah Morris, father of Ernest, William ( Bill) Clarke, Leslie Stevens, a Welshman living in Loughborough, Jean Ward who married Gordon. Paul L Taylor rang in the St Johns peal. I had the pleasure of ringing one more peal with him, Yorkshire Majkor at Gilmorton on May 30^th 1952, conducted by Harold Poole.

To the best of my knowledge the only participating ringers still with us are Mavis, Jean and myself. I’m glad I kept my old battered and incomplete record of my peals as the names therein recall the faces of some long gone friends and acquaintances of days in Leicester some 74 years ago.

John Bennett