50 Years ago - A Golden Jubilee Occasion

On Saturday morning, 17th, November, 1951, H.R.H. the Princess Elizabeth, after completing a royal visit to Canada, "pro- ceeded to the dais opposite the Great Tower of Liverpool Cathedral, and at her request" the new bells of the Cathedral were rung out for the first time. Shortly afterwards, these bells were hallowed at a special service by Dr. Clifford Martin, then Bishop of Liverpool.

Among the ringers on that memorable occasion was a young man, a former cathedral chorister who had responded to the then Dean's request to become one of the cathedral bellringers, our own John Elsworth, who later came to make his home in Bunbury and to take an active part in the life of St. Boniface. Notably, he was for a number of years Tower Captain and was Church Warden from 1992 up to April this year.

On Saturday, 17th, November, 2001, the events of fifty years ago were relived - as far as possible - by the present Cathedral Ringers, who were requested to start ringing by the Queen's official representative, the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside. A little later, there was a special Choral evensong to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the hallowing of the bells, at which there was a large congregation of not only the Liverpool ringers but also of four invited bands of ringers from York, Leicester, Sheffield and the Ancient Society of College Youths (A.S.C.Y.) - all of which bands had been present half a century earlier.

To parallel the social event of fifty years ago, there was a dinner at the Adelphi Hotel, at which a message from the Queen's secretary was read out to the assembled guests.

An identical menu to that of 1951 was served, consisting of tomato soup, Lancashire hotpot, baked jam roll, and coffee. By modern standards, this seems rather frugal! But it represented the austere conditions prevailing in a city still recovering from the war.

Of the hundred plus people attending the dinner, just four ringers, including John, had been present fifty years ago.

John is still a member of the Liverpool Cathedral band of ringers, and is pleased that his son, David, present Tower Captain at Bunbury, has also become a member of the Cathedral band.

Both father and son have, of course, maintained and rung our own Bunbury bells regularly for the last twenty-five years.

(Thank you, John.)