the Queen Visits Northern Ireland

Queen Elizabeth in Northern Ireland - A visit to Belfast. After a drenching rain, the sun came out.

BBC-London-Column-Sept.-1-1950.mp3

September 1, 1950 - BBC World Sevice - London Column - Gordon Skene Sound Collection -

September 1, 1950 - News from the other side of the Atlantic, seventy-one years ago today. Starting with a visit by the Queen to Northern Ireland. Three years since the territorial Army of Northern Ireland was established, the visit by Queen Elizabeth was to review the Army which had now grown to over 2,000 with some 500 youths from the Army Cadet Corps. She was greeted by a 21 gun salute and presented the colors to the 5th Territorial Battalion of the Royal Inniskilling Fusilieers and to the 5th Territorial Battalion of the Royal Irish Fusilieers.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of Australia was guest of Honor at a Dinner hosted by Clement Atlee, Prime Minister of Britain. Chief on everyone's minds was the situation in Asia, with Korea flaring up and nervous concern over French Indochina. Opposition leader Winston Churchill pledged support on behalf of Britain to defend Asia from communist influence, despite whatever differences there may be between the English speaking countries.

And Science met with Technology this day, as surgeons from all over the world converged on an operating room to witness one of the first surgeries for Cataracts and one of the first surgeries ever to be broadcast over closed-circuit television. An air of amazement spread over the viewing area as surgeons studied with amazement the intricate surgery which, up until now had been an impossibility. That and the fact that a television camera would capture all the minute details of the surgery had many voicing astonishment over both feats.

And that's a little of what went on in Britain, this first day of September in 1950 as presented by the BBC World Service and the news program London Column.




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