Our respects on the death of the Queen Mother

 
When the Queen Mother was a child, she danced through the bluebell-carpeted woods on the outskirts of Worthing. In those long lost days before the Great War, the Goring Hall Estate was an Edwardian paradise, where golden fields of corn stretched down to the deep blue sea.

For children, hot summer days seem endless. Untainted by the stresses and diversions of adulthood, they play to their hearts' content without a care in the world. Almost a century ago, a pretty little girl with long flowing locks skipped through the fields with her friends in Goring. There was no traffic, and the sultry atmosphere was disturbed only by the sound of the sea lapping on the shore, and sweet birdsong from the towering trees which today form Ilex Avenue.

Now and again, huntsmen in scarlet coats would gallop across the glorious countryside, pursuing foxes as far as Clapham Woods. Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon, collecting wild flowers growing amidst the crops, probably stopped to wave at the blurred fusion of horsemen as they galloped by. She paddled in the shallows, beachcombed for shells, and collected pebbles, just as youngsters do now.

Elizabeth was a relative of Major Lyon, who owned Goring Hall, one of the finest country houses on the coast, and visited on a number of occasions. There remains to this day a stained glass window on the staircase which shows the family coat-of-arms. As she paused to watch ships in full sail gliding by on the sun-speckled sea, who could have predicted how her life, or the history of the nation, would unfold over the next century?

The Queen Mother never forgot her holidays at Goring, and in the twilight of her life stepped in to stop many of the great Ilex trees of her childhood being felled by Worthing Borough Council. Her private secretary, Sir Martin Gilliat, sent a letter to the council stating: "I have been directed by the Queen Mother to inquire of the relevant authority as to the necessity for the rather drastic step being taken. I feel sure that this will result in careful thought being given before the trees are felled." In the face of such public pressure from the matriach of the Royal Family, the council drastically reduced its culling programme, and the breathtakingly magnificent avenue was saved for future generations.

The Queen Mother was also much loved by the residents of Gifford House, the Queen Alexandra Home for Disabled Ex-servicemen in Boundary Road, Worthing. She became president of the home in 1953 and made regular visits over the decades, never forgetting a name or a face. She was especially fond of the late Les Longman, who had both arms and legs blown off in the service of his country, but remained a regular sight trundling around Heene Road in his motorised wheelchair. Both had a passion for horse-racing, and whenever the Queen Mother visited they exchanged tips. Les is no longer with us now, but I am told there is a small fountain in the grounds of Gifford House which serves as a memorial.

She made her first visit to The Gables, home of Gifford House, on May 23, 1934, when the Queen Alexandra Hospital moved from Roehampton. It was a gloriously hot day, and the main streets of Worthing were decked out with colourful bunting. The then Duchess of York arrived two hours before her scheduled visit and enjoyed lunch before embarking on a tour of the complex with the Mayor, Alderman H T Duffield.

But the event got off to a slightly acrimonious start when journalists, invited by Gifford House to attend, were barred from entering the home by over-officious gatekeepers. After several frank exchanges, the reporters were allowed in, but then stopped from accompanying the Queen Mother on her tour, or taking photographers of a tree-planting ceremony. The Sussex Daily News noted: "Consequently, much valuable publicity for the home was lost." Despite the row, the Duchess of York's visit was hailed as a great success, with members of the public donating £1,500 towards the £4,800 debt accrued by Gifford House in its recent move.

She wore a "lovely creation" of powder blue crepe-de-Chine, her favourite colour, with a blue picture hat trimmed with daisies. One newspaper wrote: "Worthing's sunshine was at its magnificent best to greet a very popular royal personage, the Duchess of York, the purpose of whose visit was to stimulate interest in the comparatively new institution in the town, the Queen Alexandra Hospital Home for Discharged Servicemen. This excellent institution, known as Gifford House, was for many years established at Roehampton.When it became necessary to find a new home, Worthing was selected, and The Gables in Boundary Road, so long the splendid residence of the late Sir Thomas Skinner, was chosen.

"There was a full response to the invitations sent out, and the lawns presented a very animated spectacle. Attendance must have numbered nearly 1,000." The Duchess of York commented on how fit and tanned the old soldiers looked in their new seaside home, and she bought some toys made by the residents for her two young daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret.

As the shadows lengthened, the Duchess left for Goodwood House, motoring slowly through the town with the Duchess of Richmond. She was accompanied as far as Goring crossroads by the Mayor and Mayoress and the Town Clerk. As she saw the signs for Goring, one wonders if her mind wandered back to those endless summer days of her carefree childhood, playing in Goring Woods?