My bloody encounter with Her Majesty the Queen

A new week has started and Sunday was the sixth of February. What a very special day, as it was on February 6th 1952 that Queen Elizabeth II acceded to the throne, and on February 6th 2021 that Queen Milly created Cinnamon Cup Coffee here on the hive blockchain.

To celebrate the one year anniversary of Cinnamon Cup Coffee there is a posting contest on the topic: favourite anniversary celebration with a friend or family member.

One of, if not my favourite anniversary concerns the Queen and we shall see how the Royal Standard flag unfurls!

In 1952 the King, George VI was ill and has planned tour of the Commonwealth was carried out by his daughter, Princess Elizabeth and her husband Prince Philip.

Whilst in Kenya, they learned that her father the King had passed away on the sixth of February, which meant that Princess Elizabeth immediately became Queen Elizabeth II and they hastily returned to London, so she could fulfil her duties.

70 years! Can you believe that? That is how long she has been Queen, so this year is her Platinum Jubilee Year. Growing up she never thought she would become the Queen.

This is a mural in Belfast that I took a couple of years ago. In Belfast you either love the Queen, the monarchy and Great Britain or you detest them, depends which side you were born on. Me, well No Surrender, I am and was born a Unionist and on the side of the Queen!

Everything was to change in December 1936. Her uncle – King Edward VIII - abdicated which meant her father became King, and Princess Elizabeth (then aged ten ) was next in line to the throne.

Princess Elizabeth took her role seriously from an early age and Her Majesty’s life of duty and service began long before she took to the Throne.

So seeing her anniversary, it took me back some years, to when it was our schools 150th anniversary. Sir Walter Scott was one of the founders. I am sure some of you have heard of books and poems, If you ever get to Edinburgh do go climb up the Scott monument there are quite a few steps to go up as you can tell by the picture below!

Back to the school anniversary. I was ten and we were to have a special guest to come visit the school. Yes, non-other than Her Majesty the Queen was to be the special visitor.

The week before she was due to visit, we were all taught and made to know how to bow our heads properly as if we were being introduced to the Queen.

"Now boys, you do not speak to the Queen unless she speaks to you. You may answer her with Your Majesty, but you MUST only say it once."

"IF you have to speak again you say ma'am, but you say it like mam as in jam."

"That is very important. Boys do you understand?!"

Yes we did and for me it was very easy. My maternal grandfather (think old school bank manager!) believed that children should be seen and not heard, and that little boys in particular should not speak unless spoken to.

So I was sure that this would be piece of cake for me.

I practised the head bow, the handshake, saying Your Majesty and mam, I was ready to greet the Queen.

Bring on Her Majesty!

On the morning of the visit, I was in my form class, which was class 6B(N). There were two teachers with surnames starting with B. Luckily our class was B for Mr Benson. Mr Brownlee the other B was a vindictive b@*^%)£, and in today's world, he would have been locked up for child abuse!

What it meant, was that we would be doing crafts when the Queen would be visiting our class!

I was quite excited as I would be one of the three boys in our class that would be presented to the Queen. One of the boys was a day boy and the other was my friend Ally who was a boarder like me, and we were in the same boarding house.

Have you ever used balsa wood? We were making aeroplanes out of balsa wood.

Now then for your information, ten-year-old boys and craft knives do not go well together, well not for this little rascal anyway🤣 (Once a rascal, always a rascal @coquicoin )

I was slicing a little shaving off the balsa wood, and was being really good. Always cut away from you, they said. Okay, I was cutting away from me, the only problem was, is that I mistook my thumb for the balsa wood and sliced off part of it.

Auckland Museum CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

That picture is similar to what we were trying to make.

So lo and behold I cut my thumb, well more precisely chopping a hunk of flesh on the top of thumb just below the nail. As you can imagine I was not too happy, but I had uttered not a word of discomfort (one thing I learned at boarding school, never give the much older boys satisfaction at their bullying).

I didn't want to tell anyone, I did not say a word, and thought I would just wrap my thumb in my handkerchief. Thank goodness for Matron insisting on inspecting us before we went to meet the Queen that morning! By this time we were told the Queen was in the next classroom and so we would be next.

Luckily my cut and bloody thumb was on my left hand and I am right handed. My thumb was hurriedly wrapped in my handkerchief and then slid into my left trouser pocket.

You can do this Edward I thought, just put your hand behind your back.

It all went well, the Queen came in and spoke to the first boy.

Then she came over to my table, Mr Benson introduced me to the Queen. I duly bowed my head and shook her hand, and answered her question. Yes Your Majesty I am making a plane.

All I remember next was her saying, and do you paint it before you finish it, as she pointed to yes, bloody reddish blood spots on the wood! I can remember my teacher giving me a horrible glare.

She then said she was looking forward to hearing me sing as I was in the choir that would be performing for her at The Usher Hall later that night.

"Yes me too mam" I beamed at her, and then quick as you like she was out of the room and it was over. Mr Benson came back afterwards and demanded to know what had happened, so I pulled out my now red handkerchief and showed him my thumb.

This little rascal was given six of the best by Mr Benson, before being sent to the boarding house to see Matron, complete with a sore arse. My thumb was then suitably patched up by Matron. Luckily she was the kind variety, unlike the Matron of the boarding house next door!

Later that night we did go and sing at the Usher Hall for her.

Some years later, I was invited to one of the Queen's garden parties at Holyrood Palace, but I was working in the African jungle at the time and unfortunately unable to attend. I still see Ally from time to time and we never fail to joke about the Queen and my bloody thumb.

Whenever I see or hear the Queen I always look down at my left thumb which still has a faint white scar where part of it got sliced off!

This was a special anniversary that I am reminded of daily, how much more special could it get!

Thank you for reading and enjoy your week.

Thank you so much @cinnccf for your awesome community and hosting this post contest. Happy One Year anniversary and here is to the next one!