A Blyth man has described the day he photographed the Queen on the day of her coronation back in 1953.
Charles Wilson, now aged 87, covered the Queen's Coronation as a photographer for the Royal Mechanical Engineers magazine and took over forty pictures of the young monarch, Prince Philip and Winston Churchill on June 2, 1953 in London.
In a fascinating tale, he recounts how he ended up in position on the Mall as the Queen, then still yet to be crowned, passed by in her famous golden carriage and how the situation very nearly never came about, as well as how he only ended up with a handful of snaps after many of his negatives were stolen on the day.
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Speaking to the Chronicle, Charles explained how he first got into photography, with his interest beginning as a teenager as an apprentice dark-room photographer in Newcastle, and his journey to covering one of the most famous events of the 20th century.
He said: "At the age of 15 and 16 I was an apprentice dark-room photographer for Turner's of Newcastle. Just after King George died, I decided to go into the Royal Electrical Engineers for three years.
"When I got into the training, they did all kinds of tests but for the trade I wanted there was no such trade! By then, I was in up to my neck, for three years it seemed."
As part of his new role he was soon appointed as a clerk at the Royal Electrical Engineers Officers' Headquarters. By chance, Charles was typing out messages one day as part of his role, when a job advert piqued his interest.
"Amongst the messages I had to type out was to do with a photographer being wanted to take over a magazine photographer who was being discharged after 22 years. I applied for it straight away and did some vigorous tests and I got it.
"From then on I was photographing mainly those on officer courses who were coming in for sixteen weeks before being made lieutenants."
The photographs were taken for the Royal Mechanical Engineers magazine which was published to those stationed at home and abroad and his role initially involved taking photographs of tank mechanics and parades and also travelling down to London to cover Trooping the Colour and Remembrance Day ceremonies.
Charles describes how he ended up photographing the day of the Queen's Coronation for the Royal Mechanical Engineers magazine, giving a fascinating account of the day itself, right down to the weather!
He said: "The corporal was being discharged on the week of the Queen's Coronation and he told me we'd have to go to go to the War Office the night before and sleep in chairs there.
"He told me he would get up on the roof and that I should go out into the street and get whatever I could. We slept there until about 5 o'clock. I remember it was bucketing it down that morning.
"Eventually I got ushered to a wrought iron gate leading to Admiralty Arch."
In a twist of fate, Charles very nearly was refused permission to photograph the coronation. He explained: "There was a small opening with two security guards and one of them said to me, 'what are you doing?', to which I replied, 'I'd like to take some photographs for the army'.
"One security guard said 'no chance'. However, the other guard on the other side shouted to him, 'He's press!' as I had a press armband on. And so, they eventually let me through. "
"I went through and entered an area that had been made for the press. It was about six foot high and made of wood. I got in there with the other photographers and I was in a good spot.
"At about 11 in the morning, the rain absolutely stopped. Everybody was shouting 'hooray!' at this point."
In position on the Mall, Charles was then able to take over forty photographs including pictures of The Queen, Prince Philip, Princess Margaret and wartime Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
"I remember the whole route was lined by the Navy and the Marines," he says, recounting the scene on the Mall.
" The Queen came through with all of the Royal Family. I remember seeing Princess Margaret, and Winston Churchill come through.
"I got shots of it all very close up. As the Queen passed, the first picture was obscured but thankfully I had another sheet of film and I was able to get another quick one and I got her clean with Prince Philip - this was before she was crowned.
"We watched her being crowned in Westminster Abbey in the press bit and so I knew when she was coming back and got more pictures when she came around. In all I got about 40 pictures."
Sadly all that now survives of the forty-odd photographs that Charles took that day are a handful of pictures. He recounts that the majority of the snaps were stolen on the day of the Queen's Coronation itself with only those which were kept in his locker still here today.
"Just as I was being demarked, my dark room was robbed of all my possessions including all the photographic plates I had of the coronation. They took everything. Thankfully, I had four photographs in my locker and those are the ones you have.
"One of the rank apprentices took a photograph of me standing on the ledge facing the arches which I'm really glad I have also."
Reflecting on the day, Charles paid tribute to the Queen for her unprecedented 70 years of service to the country, describing her as an 'icon'. He said: "My wife and her dear mother loved the Royal Family.
"I think she's been a wonderful woman, to take on such a responsibility at such a young age after her father died and hold such an important role for so long makes her an icon for the country. I hope she lives some more years and I hope I live to see it.
Charles was discharged after three years of service on July 21, 1955. He moved back north to Fenham in Newcastle and married in 1959. His wife sadly passed away in 2012 and he met his second wife in 2014.
"After I shifted north I I did hundreds of weddings for companies such as Robertson's of Gosforth and Turners of Newcastle. I used to also do the Assembly Rooms whenever dances were on," he explains.
Covering the Queen's Coronation back in 1953 remains a real highlight of his life and career, however.
He added: "I've done such a lot, I've had a good life."
Charles' daughter lives in Dubai, where it has been arranged for the photographs to be shown on the world-famous ocean liner the QE2 which is now permanently docked there. Last year, his wife sadly died and Charles has now dedicated the photographs to her memory.
"The photographs will be shown in the Crystal Bar room on the QE2 permanently. They are dedicated to my wife as we were there last year on the QE2. There will be a three-night celebration for the Jubilee on the ship I believe.
He concluded: "I lost my second wife in March gone and I would like to dedicate the photographs to her."
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