Souvenirs - 69 years apart

For the Coronation, in 1953, all schoolchildren were given commemorative gifts which varied depending on the age of the child and the locality of the school. In Brighton pupils in junior schools got a book, Elizabeth Our Queen, while those in primary schools got glass tumblers. So I, then aged 12, got a book and my 7 year old brother got a tumbler. By some miracle the glass survived (probably because I pinched it - I loved glass even then!) and, of course the book remains in my bookcase to this day. There was a bookplate in the front of the book saying who gave it and we had to write our own names on it - so, interesting to see what my 12 year old signature looked like - see ‘extra’. I was fortunate to get a copy of the Platinum Jubilee book at the Church Garden Afternoon Tea Party. That now lives alongside the older one in my bookcase too.