On February 6, 1952* the Commissioner of Police circulated a memorandum to all District, CIB and Depot Inspectors;
“This memorandum deals with royal itinerary for Queensland, in skeleton form – policing of royal tour, with more particular reference to the uniform police section – rail transport arrangements – accommodation for police personnel – messing, sanitary, cleansing facilities, etc. – issue of bulk requisitions for rail travel in particular circumstances, and so on.”
The itinerary of the Queensland royal tour by their Royal Highnesses, Princess Elizabeth Duchess of Edinburgh, and the Duke of Edinburgh included stops in Brisbane; Toowoomba; Rockhampton; Gladstone; Mackay; Barrier Reef; Townsville.
Memorandum from the Commissioner of Police to all Inspectors of Police, dated 6th February 1952.
Image taken from the file of the Queensland Police Museum.
The transition from Brisbane to Toowoomba on Friday, April 25, 1952, involved 323 police personnel and 9 motor cycles. The Commissioner for Railways negotiated with the Queensland Police for second class rail transportation including the supply of meals at the Toowoomba Railway Refreshment Rooms. A first class sleeping car was made available for 14 Charleville police officers, and all motorcycles were transported back to Brisbane by rail.
Negotiations ensued about the numbers of police requiring travel from state-wide Districts, their allocation of tickets, sleeping accommodation including the provision of bedding, dining options, sanitary conveniences and the transportation of motorcycles.
Queensland Police Motorcycle Escort for Royal Visit, 1952. Photograph taken at the Police Depot, Petrie Terrace, Brisbane.
Image No. PM3473 donated by Diane Newkirk and is provided courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
Further police movements between Brisbane and Gladstone, by special train, included the transportation of motorcyclists and their machines. The train consisted of five, 30 berth, second class sleeping cars to accommodate 144 officers and stopped at stations in Gympie, Baddow and Bundaberg. The Gladstone Refreshment Room could seat 160 persons, with breakfast served at 8:00am, lunch at 1:00pm and dinner at 6:00pm. The police personnel were allowed to sleep in the rail cars on the night of Sunday, April 27, 1952, at a cost of 10/- per person.
Continued travel by Detectives, uniformed police personnel and motorcyclists by rail to Rockhampton, Mackay and then Townsville occurred smoothly and enabled round the clock policing to ensure the security of our Royal guests and their entourage.
Queen Elizabeth II is entering City Hall from King George Square during the royal visit in April, 1952, which occurred shortly after Coronation.
Image No. PM1844 courtesy of the Queensland Police Museum.
*Also the date of death of Princess Elizabeth’s father, King George VI. Elizabeth was proclaimed Queen shortly after.
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This information has been supplied by the Queensland Police Museum from the best resources available at the time of writing. The Police Museum is open 9am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 10am to 3pm on the last Sunday of the month (Feb-Nov) and is located on the Ground Floor of Police Headquarters at 200 Roma Street, Brisbane. Contact: E: museum@police.qld.gov.au
“FROM the VAULT – The Royal Visit, 1952” by the Queensland Police Service is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution (BY) 2.5 Australia Licence. Permissions may be available beyond the scope of this licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5/au/legalcode