In the town where I live there is a home for old people who cannot live in their own houses.
I saw a note in a shop window asking for visitors to come and talk to the old people as they sometimes were lonely.
I went and met an old lady called Betty and we had a cup of tea.
She told me that she was born in London. Her dad was always away from home because he was a sailor, so her mum brought her up on her own.
During the War when bombs were falling on London Betty was very scared. Her mum used to talk to her while they sat in the shelter. They would play a game called “wishes”. Betty would think of something lovely that she wished for and mum would pretend to grant her wish.
Betty remembered once wishing she was going to a Royal Ball with Kings and Queens, Princes and Princesses. Mum picked up Betty’s school ruler and waved it like a magic wand and said
‘Your wish shall be granted.’
Then one night near the end of the war Betty could not sleep and said that she wanted something to read. Mum said she would pop out of the air raid shelter and get some books from the house. But just after she went there was a huge Explosion. A flying bomb had crashed next to their house knocking it down and killing Betty’s mum.
Betty’s dad was at sea on his ship but came home for the funeral and said that as soon as he could, he would send for Betty to go and live with him.
It took some time but after the war, Betty got a letter from her dad saying that she could go to visit him in South Africa. The ship would take three weeks to get there but Betty could stay for as long as she wanted.
Eventually Betty got there and met her dad. He said that exciting things were happening in South Africa because the King of England George the Vll was there with his two daughters the Princess Margaret and Princess Elizabeth.
In a few days there was to be a grand ball on the King’s ship which was called HMS Vanguard. Then dad told Betty that she was to go to the Ball. They wanted some young girls to dance with the sailors. The gown Betty was to wear cost dad a fortune.
The boat arrived at the dock and took her and a lot of other people out to the big ship in the bay, HMS Vanguard.
Betty danced and danced with lots of handsome young men until it was gone midnight and Betty was getting too hot so she decided to get some and see if she could meet her dad who was working in the Wireless Room on the ship.
A sailor let her told her where to go but Betty was soon lost on the big ship. Walking around one of the decks she started to think of mum granting her a wish to go to the ball. Betty started to cry because her mum would never know that her wish had come true.
Then Betty saw a person leaning over the edge of the ship. She wore a sailor’s big coat over her gown and as Betty got closer she heard that she was sobbing too.
‘What’s the matter?’ Betty asked.
‘Oh, its all right I am just a bit scared!
‘What of? Betty asked
“Well I am Princess Elizabeth, I have to write a speech to celebrate being 21 years old, to read over the radio and I do not know if I can do it, I do not know what to say!’
Betty said, “Well you are not the only person who is 21 I will be twenty one on the 21st of April.!’
“That is the same day as my birthday.’
Betty said. “Perhaps you could talk about all the other young people who are going to have to be in charge in the future!”
‘That’s a good idea! Said the Princess.
Just then another younger girl came up to them, it was Princess Margaret she was really cross.
‘It’s alright for you! You will be Queen one day, everyone takes notice of you but no one takes any notice of me, they have just sent me to my room for being rude!
‘I’ll make them sorry!
Then Margaret left Betty and Elizabeth alone again.
‘She would make a better Queen than me, I am too shy. Margaret is not shy! Anyone would make a better queen than me. You, Betty would make a better queen. In fact you look a bit like me why don’t we swap?’
Betty said that she could not be queen, but it must be good to be rich, so rich that you could be like a fairy God Mother and grant people their wishes. Betty told her about the game betty and her mother used to play in the air raid shelter and that Betty no longer had a mother to grant her wishes.
Elizabeth said that her mother was always giving her good advice and that it must be horrible not to have a Mother.
Then Elizabeth said she would be Betty’s Fairy God Mother and they laughed. Betty said that Elizabeth would soon forget all about little Betty from London.
‘No I will not! You just wait and see!’
Well they said good bye and Betty went off to find her dad.
The next day Betty’s dad told her that the great mirror in Princess Margaret’s room had been smashed because she had lost her temper and he had to go and replace it before any one found out!
A few months later Betty heard the Princess Elizabeth read her speech on the radio. In it she said:
Princess Elizabeth’ s 21st birthday speech to the youth of the Empire,
broadcast from Cape Town, 1947
On my twenty-first birthday I welcome the opportunity to speak to all peoples, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak. This is a happy day for me; but it is also one that brings serious thoughts, thoughts of life looming ahead with all its challenges and with all its opportunity. At such a time it is a great help to know that there are multitudes of friends all round the world who are thinking of me and who wish me well. I am grateful and I am deeply moved.
I am thinking especially today of all the young men and women who were born about the same time as myself and have grown up like me in the terrible years of the Second World War.
Will you, the young people, let me speak on my birthday
as your friend? Now that we are coming to manhood and
womanhood it is surely a great joy to us all to think that we shall be able to
take some of the burden off the shoulders of the older people who have fought and worked and suffered to protect our childhood.
After a few months living in South Africa, Betty’s dad ended his work in the Navy and they moved back to London. Then, in November they got a Royal Invitation to The Princess’s wedding to Prince Phillip. It was a wonderful occasion in Westminster Abby and Betty was sure that the Princess looked at her as she walked down the aisle with the handsome prince on her arm!
Betty read everything she could find about the princess. In 1952 the Princess went on a safari holiday in Kenya in Africa. While she was a way her father died and she became queen. The Coronation was a wonderful day. All the schools were closed and lots of people had parties in the streets. Whole roads were closed and tables put out in the middle for the people to sit at!
Betty went to see the procession of thousands of soldiers, sailors, airmen and others march past and then the golden royal coach. With Queen waving out of the window, Betty was sure she saw her and waved!
Well Betty was married and soon had three young sons but then when her children were still very young her husband had an accident at work and then lost his job and could get no work. They could not pay for their house and were about lose their home. Men were coming the next day to throw them all out on the street. They all sat wishing for something to turn up then at ten at night, they heard a car draw up out side and a man came to the door and asked if Betty lived there. He went out again and then a woman with a cloak came in. It was the Queen of England – in Betty’s house!
She said, ‘All those years ago on HMS Vanguard I said that I would be your fairy God Mother Betty, so, how can I help you?’
So Betty told her about loosing the house.
She said that she did not carry money herself being queen, but said to the man with her,
‘James will you buy the House for betty tomorrow, please!’
‘Certainly Madame!’
So Betty and her husband lived in that house for many happy years.
Then they moved near here to live in the country.
That was many years ago.
Betty’s husband died a little while ago and her three boys are living in different countries all around the world.
Betty said that she did not think that she was going to live for long and she wanted to tell me her story before she died. So that I could tell others.
Betty said she was tired and must go to sleep now. So I left her.
As I went out of the home the Nurse said to me that Betty was a sweet old lady but her mind was going
“She thinks she once met the Queen of England.” The nurse said and laughed.
Just a few days later I got a phone call from the nursing home saying that Betty had died in her sleep and that her funeral would be next Tuesday.
They said it would be nice if I could go because they could not get in touch with her sons as they were in far off places so there would not be many people at the funeral.
I went to the funeral and took a bunch of flowers, the Vicar said what a nice old lady she had been and that at sometime in her life she had lived in London and then South Africa but in her last days her mind seems to have gone.
We went out to the grave yard and I put my flowers with the other bunch from the nursing home.
Then a row of three cars drew up and the chauffer got out followed by two soldiers in red uniforms. They had a huge wreath of flowers and marched in step to the grave side and laid the flowers next to the grave, one of the soldiers lifted a bugle to his lips and played the ‘last post’.
Then they saluted and returned to their cars. I went over to look at the flowers.
The note said:
“Thank you for your help,
when I needed it most.
Elizabeth R”
