A RECENT flashback photo, featuring young drummer boys from Parr, at a Festival of Britain carnival in 1951, brought fond memories rushing back for Brenda McLaughlin.

For it reminded her of the time when a special May Queen street-celebration was held to coincide with that momentous festival occasion, and her granny, Mary Ellison, at 83 the oldest person in Hammond Street, Parr, had the honour of performing the crowning ceremony.

Brenda, from Queen Street, St Helens, forwarded a photostat copy of a picture taken during that happy little side-street coronation. But unfortunately it was not technically possible to reproduce it (generally speaking, original pictures are the only ones suitable for publication).

However, I really enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere exuded by the images of the smiling queen and her bright-eyed retinue, in pretty white frocks and head-dresses, captured during an era of simple, and widespread, neighbourhood pleasures.

Brenda (nee Baines) who is included in that group picture and was 13 at the time, wonders if anyone can name the queen and her young attendants who will by now have passed forward into the grandmother bracket themselves.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.