Alan Hughes was at home in Failsworth when he heard news of the Queen's death. It was a bittersweet moment which brought back memories of a remarkable time in his life when he worked as a guardsman during the Queen's Coronation in June 1953.
Alan, 88, saw the Queen countless times during his year spent on National Service when, in a red tunic and bearskin, he patrolled Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London, the Bank of England and St James Palace.
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Speaking to the Manchester Evening News in March to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee he recalled the atmosphere during Coronation week, where thousands of people lined the streets of London and gathered outside the Palace to witness the moment of a lifetime.
He said: "The coronation was Tuesday. And we didn’t dismount guard until Wednesday afternoon. In those days, we did 48-hour guards. I saw everything first hand. These things stick in your mind.
"For the Coronation itself, because there were so many people, the other guards and I were inside the railings. It was raining and people had been camping down the mall for two days. The people that arrived late on Coronation morning took the space right across the mall, filling the road.
"A fter The Queen had been crowned, she did a tour of London. The guards and I were asked to stand in the courtyard when she came back.
"As she came back in, through the big centre gates, she gave us all a wave.
"There were six or eight of us stood in uniform, in our blue capes over our scarlet tunics, with other Palace officials.
"And then at night, the crowds, which were still there, a round the memorial and spreading down the mall, were singing 'Land of Hope and Glory’. That was a very, very moving experience.
When The Queen turned 90 in April 2016, Alan sent her a birthday card, detailing the duties he conducted during her Coronation. Six months later, he received correspondence from the Queen herself.
He said: "The Queen's birthday is on April 21, a day after mine. I had sent her a card for her 90th birthday- and in September, an envelope came to the door with a Balmoral stamp on it.
"It was a letter from The Queen, thanking me for the card and for the things I had done in C oronation year. I had it professionally framed."
Speaking on Friday Mr Hughes told of his sadness at the Queen's death. He said: "It's very, very sad news. She was a wonderful queen.
"I was born in 1934 and I've now seen five monarchs in my 88 years, but I don't think we'll see another on the throne as long as the Queen was for quite some time.
"It's a great loss for the country."
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