Cllr Steve Dorsett represents Pyrford Ward on Woking Borough Council.
That was some of the tiring, exhausting, emotional, draining, joyous, uplifting, and stunning days of my life. One thing I’ll bear in mind for a lifetime. Cllr Josh Brown and I had spoken through the week about heading as much as London and becoming a member of “The Queue” in a single day on Friday/Saturday. Nevertheless, once we noticed that the queue had closed Friday morning at round 10am, this threw our plans into chaos. At round 5pm the queue had re-opened, however the queue tracker was exhibiting a time of 24 hours to finish it. We patiently watched the tracker over the following few hours. At 9pm it was exhibiting a queue time of 19.5 hours. A cellphone name and a few soul-searching later, we determined to get the ten.19pm practice out of Woking and, becoming a member of Josh’s accomplice, Jess, taking our possibilities. We arrived in Waterloo simply earlier than 11pm and acquired the Jubilee Line over to Southwark Park. After some pace strolling by means of an extended and snakey queue-line for a couple of mile, we reached the again of the queue at round 11.30pm.
After holding us in a non-moving pen for about 20 minutes, we had been lastly launched right into a queue-line which was shifting. For the following two and a half hours we walked backwards and forwards alongside the zig-zag queue line in Southwark Park. And this was the primary time we began to understand the “Spirit of The Queue” (trademark pending). We began chatting with these round us within the Queue, sharing tales and ideas concerning the Royal Household, the federal government, the world at massive, and our lives. A girl within the queue behind me it turned out, ran a rock choir, which was all of the encouragement I wanted to kick off a little bit of a sing-song. This was a pleasing approach to kill a few hours, however after a time I felt I’d seen fairly sufficient of Southwark Park. Lastly, at round 2am, we left the park, collected our wristbands and entered the promised land – the South Financial institution!
The subsequent few hours had been a mixture of highs and lows. Seeing a number of the areas round Tower Bridge, Metropolis Corridor, London Bridge, the Clink & Southwark Cathedral, for instance, had been beautiful. Getting caught in a courtyard for over an hour by the Thames, simply previous the Golden Hinde at 5am within the pitch black as we realized the queue had stopped attributable to a rehearsal for Monday’s funeral was powerful, chilly, and fairly depressing. There was nowhere to sit down down and there have been tears from some youthful queuers, and a few individuals had been actually struggling within the chilly – a few individuals fainted. Blasting previous the Tate Fashionable and the Globe because the solar got here up was exhilarating. Even higher – studying that you would use the loos on the Globe after a number of hours of portaloos was heaven.
Getting caught round Waterloo Bridge at about 7am when my legs had been on fireplace and we didn’t transfer for about 45 minutes was actually powerful. I thought-about going residence at that time; understanding I used to be subsequent to Waterloo station and will most likely be again in mattress inside the hour was a powerful draw. I used to be getting drained, I used to be in ache, and was beginning to really feel very low. Unexpectedly The Beatles’ “Let it Be” blasted out of the audio system of the Southbank Centre, everybody began singing alongside, the solar got here out and the queue began shifting once more. It was like a bolt of electrical energy ran by means of us and we ploughed on.
At 9.30am we had been lastly on the South Financial institution between Westminster and Lambeth Bridges, the Palace of Westminster trying magnificent within the daylight. By 10.15 we had been into Victoria Gardens. Then the well-known Snakes talked about all through the queue in hushed tones, as in the event that they had been the stuff of legends, had been earlier than us. Two hours of snaking backwards and forwards by means of the zig-zags in Victoria Gardens with nowhere to sit down down! Whoever considered ending the queue on this method have to be a contact sadistic. The final main hurdle to cross after an especially difficult night time. I had been awake round 27 hours by this level. Then….. abruptly…. we had been on the END of the queue. We needed to cross by means of safety and we had been there – Westminster Corridor.
I can’t have been within the corridor itself for various minutes. We climbed the steps and made our method down in the direction of the place her Majesty was lying-in-state. It was so silent, you would hear a pin drop. I couldn’t take a look at my pals, we three who had been marching collectively for 13 or 14 hours by this level. If I checked out them, I used to be so drained and emotional, I assumed the tears would begin. I stored my eyes on the crown and the usual laid atop the coffin. I made my method down and bowed to my Queen, somebody who had given her life for this nation and her individuals. It was a sensation I don’t suppose I can describe with any justice. However it’s a second I’ll always remember. As we left the corridor, the three of us hugged, discovered the closest bar, had a well-deserved sit-down and a beer, then jumped on the practice residence.
That was an expertise that’s tough to precisely put into phrases (though I’ve definitely given it a go). I believe you need to expertise it to know it. The friendships you make within the queue, the ache and agony everybody goes by means of – my again, shoulders, legs, ft, had been all screaming at me on the finish. The pure emotion of going by means of that and understanding everybody round you is feeling the identical. It actually is a pilgrimage, one which heightened the feelings all night time lengthy. Then while you step into the corridor, the burden of it, the historical past of it hits onerous. I’m so proud I used to be ready to participate on this journey.
There is no such thing as a denying I’m a bigger chap, so there was fairly a little bit of weight to pull round for 14 hours, and I used to be in lots of ache by the tip, however I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
I’ll end with a quote from French President, Emmanuel Macron, of all individuals, as I simply learn this and I acquired a little bit teary. I’m clearly nonetheless too drained and emotional…..
“To you, she was your Queen
To us, she was THE Queen”
Sure, sure she was…
