Hitchin Coronation Celebrations

By George! (and Mary)... Patriotic crowds pack the streets of Hitchin for exuberant coronation celebrations.

The blustery weather is no deterrent for the patriotic men, women and children of Hitchin, who throng the streets in their summery Sunday best to celebrate the coronation of King George V. Some appear to be more interested in the camera, still a relative novelty in 1911, than in the coronation festivities. Watch out for the intriguing crowd management techniques - including a bout of synchronised hat waving - led as much by the filmmakers as by the police.

Although the film records the coronation festivities of George V and Mary in June 1911, the opening titles suggest that this copy was re-released some 25 years after it was first made. Perhaps the turbulent constitutional events of 1936 - including the short reign and dramatic abdication of Edward VIII - was the trigger for a nostalgic look back at more stable times?