The Dumbarton Castle Society
Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Elizabeth II
Statement by the Dumbarton Castle Society
It is with great sadness that the Dumbarton Castle Society acknowledges the passing of Queen Elizabeth II on 08 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle.
As we know, the late Queen Elizabeth and the royal family have long favoured Balmoral Castle and it's estates in Scotland since Queen Victoria took her first breathtaking views of the Scottish Highlands and decided to 'Haste ye Back' on many an occasion.
Elizabeth II first visited Dumbarton on April 16, 1953 with the Duke of Edinburgh, six weeks before her official Coronation on June 02,1953.
She was met at Dumbarton East railway station by thousands of local townspeople including over 5,000 local children, before visiting Dumbarton Castle where she was presented with ‘The Keys to the Castle’ by Major-General Alexander Telfer-Smollett . During this visit, in1953, she also launched HMS Britannia at John Brown’s Shipyard in Clydebank .
Queen Elizabeth was the first monarch to visit the town of Dumbarton since the visits of King George VI in 1937 and Queen Victoria in 1847.
She again visited the town with Prince Philip on 28 June 1965 when she was very warmly and enthusiastically received by the people of Dumbarton at the opening of the County Buildings, the then centre of local governance of Strathclyde Regional Council.
She was met with the same accolade as on her previous visit, with thousands turning out to get a glimpse of the Monarch, including thousands of school children, who had been given the day off to see the Queen.
On this occasion she visited the Vale of Leven District General Hospital and informally met with a number of medical, nursing and administration staff.
She also visited local factories including Westclox, Burroughs, and other factories in the Vale of Leven Industrial Estate, and the Singer factory in Clydebank.
The 1965 visit included a visit to Helensburgh to meet local dignitaries and hundreds of local people where she was also very warmly received.
The Queen launched the QE2 ocean going cruise liner on 20 September 1967 at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank with thousands of workers and local people in attendance. The construction of the QE2 was a major engineering feat by John Brown’s Co ,a local shipyard.
Lord-Lieutenant of Dunbartonshire, Jill Young MBE, said; “This is a time of great sadness for the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the County of Dunbartonshire with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.’’
Paul Neeson
Chairperson
The Dumbarton Castle Society