FROM Darwen, through Blackburn, Accrington, Burnley, Nelson and Colne, the cheers of excited crowds welcomed the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when they made a Royal tour of our communities in 1955.

Thousands of people took to the streets to catch a glimpse of the young Queen and Prince Philip.

At one point in Burnley, where the coupled enjoyed lunch, the clamour of “We want the Queen” brought her to the town hall’s balcony to acknowledge their cries.

The couple had to make two further appearances before the noise died down and they could retire to enjoy buttered Morecambe Bay shrimps and iced melon, poached Tay salmon and a charlotte russe.

The band of the Loyal Regiment played a selection of tunes as the crowd grew ever larger to see the Royal couple depart for Nelson.

At the borough boundary, the Chief Constable of Burnley’s car drew aside as the county police chief’s vehicle led the procession to the town hall.

Bygones has heard recently from Ken Gofton, who told us he was among members of the RAF who lined the route to the town hall in Market Street. Ken said: “In February, 1955, at the age of 18, I had to do National Service in the RAF.

“After a week at Cardington, to be fitted with the uniform and to get the haircut, I was posted to Padgate for basic training.

“The squad I was with, instead of doing the normal squarebashing, were given special training to provide the route lining for the Queen’s visit to Nelson and Colne. I was involved with the Nelson contingent, and had a particularly good position, opposite the entrance to the town hall.”

The building was decorated in red, white and blue, with window boxes full of daffodils. And opposite, across the market hall, were the large letters ERII and bunting.

The report from the Northern Daily Telegraph told of 100 armed RAF men, lining the route from the town centre to the town hall, where the couple were welcomed by the mayor, Simeon Batty.

While in Nelson, the Royal couple also visited Malvern Mill.

There they talked to a number of workers, including Gordon Halstead, of Castle Street, who was weaving material for pyjamas, Herbert Dearden, who has worked in the cotton industry for 48 years, and Arthur Langfield, of Barkerhouse Road, who had been the mill engineer since it opened in 1913.

The couple ended their tour in Colne, leaving in the Royal train from the station, bedecked with floral arrangements. A mass of people surged into the yard as the Royal car pulled up as stationmaster W Tinniswood, wearing a red rose, waited to greet them.

Crowds gathered on station platforms all down the line to Blackburn, to watch the train as it raced through.

The guard was 57-year-old Arthur Symcox of Bridge Street, Colne. He had been a guard for 35 years.

1955 was an eventful year for the Royal Family. That year, Princess Margaret cancelled her plans to marry divorced Gp Capt Peter Townsend.