Remembering Queen Elizabeth II
Last month Rutland remembered Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on what would have been her 100th birthday, with a moving community tribute in Oakham, honouring a lifetime of service with ceremony, reflection and local pride
Rutland came together last month to commemorate what would have been the 100th birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, at a community event hosted by the Lord-Lieutenant of Rutland. The day began at Oakham Library with a traditional ‘elevenses’ for mothers and toddlers.
At midday, a commemorative ceremony was held at the Queen Elizabeth II statue. The Lord-Lieutenant, Dr Sarah Furness, delivered a speech reflecting on Her Majesty’s life of service and enduring legacy, followed by the laying of a bouquet — a small tribute to a great life. After a prayer, those in attendance joined together in singing the National Anthem.
The ceremony also featured a heartfelt reading of a Queen Elizabeth II centenary poem, written and read by local resident Henry Dawe, adding a personal and reflective element to the proceedings.
A new sign was also unveiled during the ceremony, detailing the history of the statue and the county’s royal connections. Funded by Discover Rutland, it further enhances the site and ensures that the story of the memorial is preserved.
The Lord-Lieutenant said: “We gather today with gratitude and affection to mark what would have been the 100th birthday of our late sovereign, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Here in Oakham, at the first memorial statue of Her Late Majesty in the world, we stand not only before a work of art, but before a symbol of enduring service, duty and love of our country.”
A Tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on her Centenary Day
by Henry Dawe
Words can wound – they can be cutting, carping, curt and callous
But today they praise our much-missed lady of the palace
Here in our county town I offer Rutland’s grateful thanks
Amidst this sea of faces one more figure swells the ranks
I’m here to pause, I’m here to pay a tribute in these verses
And tributes, often sad, remind us of black ties and hearses
You find, in life, that there are people you’ll always remember
When their bright fire begins to fade you cling to every ember
You will them to keep fighting and you pray that they’ll hold on
We wished that for our kingdom’s rock but quickly she had gone
Yet all the while we’ve kept the vision of her face serene
Still the smile, still the warmth of our late lamented Queen
Back then we saw her passing – since then the passing of four years
Prompts us to recall the day our country cried a flood of tears
The sudden, sorrowful, sincere outpouring of emotion
Was fitting for a sovereign who had shown such rare devotion
My lines cannot do justice to that bleak and empty night
A nation so bereft without its precious guiding light
A land plunged into darkness and a pallor in her court
Just so unlike the many shades of colour she had brought
Steadfastly, though, we have soldiered on, as she would want us to
Naturally, she’d hate to think that we were permanently blue
But my task now is to express that we do not forget her
As monarch it is certain we could not have asked for better
Her days spent in our loyal service, hearing duty’s call
Seven decades on the throne, such a beacon for us all
Such a spirit, with such style, such a presence with such grace
To our minds forever close, in our hearts she’s pride of place
We see her on our screens, in books and in this noble statue
The lustre in her eyes means that you feel she’s looking at you
It’s true that she will stay with us, and our thoughts never leave
We accept that time moves on, yet Britain’s soul will always grieve
This day she would have turned 100, filling history’s page
Quite magical it would have been if she had reached that age
Nonetheless, at 96, she’d look proudly on her feats
Deeply moved she’d have been, seeing the mourning in the streets
The people of this country cherished her from Wick to Devon
We send her love and gratitude at her new home in Heaven.