Elaine found this Medallion among her souvenirs. It commemorates the coronation of King George V and Queen Mary on 6/11/1911at Westminster Abbey in London, England. We have no history of the item other than knowing that Elaine's Grandparents on her Fathers side, immigrated to this country in the early 1880s. Her Dad maintained a keen interest in England all his life and was a collector of such items. It "triggered" my doing some research on the successions to the British Crown. King George died on 1/6/36 and his eldest son ascended to the throne. However, he indicated his intentions of marrying Wallace Simpson, an American divorcee and abdicated the throne. His younger brother, George VI's coronation was held on 5/12/1937. I remember listening to the ceremony on radio. I was in the 7th grade and County examinations were held in Garland. I didn't have to take any that morning which accounted for my being home.
King George VI had married Elizabeth Browne-Lyon in 1923. They had two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret. He died on 2/15/1952. Elizabeth was born 4/21/1926 and married Prince Phillip 11/14/48. They had 3 children Charles, Anna and Andrew. Charles married Diana in 1981 and Prince William was born 6/21/82. His brother Harry was born in 1984. On 4/29/11 Prince William married Catherine Middleton.
By coincidence, Elaine's Grandfather William Flowerday died on 6/2/53, the day of Queen Elizabeth's coronation.
Elaine and I took a Globus Tour of England in the fall of 1994. Among our stops was the city of Liverpool, the home of the Beatles. We walked over to the dock. looked to the east, and thought about the fact that 101 years earlier, Elaine's Grandmother had disembarked from that port to come to America. I wish we knew more about the Medallion but it will remain a valuable keepsake.
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