Rebecca A Withey: My Grandparents and the Queen – a reflection for the Platinum Jubilee

The jubilee bank holiday celebrations are just around the corner, and most people I know are planning to host or attend some sort of party to mark the occasion.

I admit I have neutral feelings about the Royals in general but in a strange sort of way, it feels like the Queen has always been a part of my life.

Whenever I see or talk about our Queen Elizabeth the second, I cannot help but think about my dear Nan and Grandad who are sadly now both departed.

My Nan (Dorothy) and my Grandad (Sydney) were very similar ages to the Queen – being born a year before and a year after – and it was a running joke in the family that whenever my Nan had her hair freshly permed she looked the spitting image of Her Majesty.

My Grandad served in the Royal Scottish Regiment, travelling across North Africa and Italy and he would often recount memories from his time in the war and how he served his country. I’m not sure whether he would have called himself a Royalist but he took so much pride from his time as a soldier and had incredible knowledge about history and the Royal Family.

 

My Grandad went slightly deaf when he reached his 80s and he sported a silver hearing aid (which matched his hair) and would make me giggle on purpose dramatically cupping his ears and leaning in close to try and hear something.

Grandad and I spent many an afternoon playing draughts and dominos together and I would sit intently listening to the war-time stories he would describe; how he got dysentery from filthy water in Egypt, how he went green from terrible sea sickness in Malta and how he and my Nan would write letters to each other every week for two whole years without seeing each other.

My Nan was the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She was also the easiest person to lipread, and the best cook. Like her own Mother she could rustle up ‘a meal out of nothing’ and I have yet to meet another person who makes an apple pie taste as sublime as she could.

Nan had a funny habit of clapping her hands together to get my attention if I couldn’t hear my name being called, something that I now do to my own husband (haha!) and she and Grandad never once made me or my sister – who is also deaf – feel different from the rest of the family in any way.

When my Nan met my late Father in Law, Colin, who was a profoundly deaf BSL user, it was amazing to see how gently and effortlessly she interacted with him, given that she couldn’t sign. She had her own home signs and gestures that we could understand, but she somehow managed to communicate with Colin and they formed a really sweet connection for the brief time that they knew each other.

In 2011 Nan and Grandad reached a special milestone of their own; their diamond wedding anniversary! One of the biggest highlights for them was receiving a personalised card from The Queen herself. My Grandad beamed from ear to ear as he opened the post and saw the card with the Queen’s image on the front. They were also interviewed by the local newspaper and held their Royal card in their hands with pride.

My grandparents were married the year before the Queen came to the throne, on a cold snowy day in January. My Nan remembered the day of the Coronation well and she described the excitement that buzzed amongst the community on that day as they listened to the news on the ‘wireless.’

She told me about the parties that took place with families and neighbours sharing food and drink outside. I even have a special Coronation memento book from back in 1952 that belonged to my grandparents.

Like the Queen, my Grandparents always looked immaculate and had an air of grace and politeness about them no matter who they met. Perhaps these were common qualities of those born in the 1920s, or maybe I was just lucky to have such wonderful grandparents.

There’s something very comforting about honouring tradition and for most of us celebrating the Jubilee, the Queen has been a long part of our traditions – whether its by watching her speech on Christmas Day, following news about the Royal family or just seeing how she influenced older family members.

I wonder what foods and drinks my dear Nan and Grandad enjoyed in the street parties back in 1952. I’m curious about who they might have been sitting by and what they wore. When I attend my local street party on Sunday 5th June, I’ll be raising a toast – not just for The Queen, but also for the memory of my grandparents who saw in and celebrated the Coronation 70 years ago with such gladness, glee and love.

Rebecca Anne Withey is a freelance writer with a background in Performing Arts & Holistic health. She is also profoundly deaf, a sign language user and pretty great lipreader. She writes on varied topics close to her heart in the hope that they may serve to inspire others.