On Wednesday morning 14 September, I was on volunteer shift at the Minster. At almost 1 p.m. I was able to briefly join the queue in the Chancel to take Communion. That was important before my journey/adventure began. I then left for the walk-through town to catch the 15:05. I easily found a taxi on arrival in London, but the driver hadn’t a clue where the end of the Queue was. We eventually worked it out from our phones and by asking other drivers at the traffic lights. I eventually joined the end of the Queue at 19:20 at Clink Street near Southwark Bridge. The long walk had begun, and I quickly began talking with others in the queue especially two ladies from Derby. This early part of the walk was most pleasant in the warm evening sun, even with the constant pauses, enjoying all the tourist sights, lots of conversation, the beautiful views of the River Thames, and the various bridges as they came into view. Night fell and London looked spectacular all lit up, especially with all the reflections on the river. By midnight I had been given my security orange wristband, been shown where to find the bag drop-off zone (for my overnight bag) - in a very large marquee at Archbishops Park opposite St Thomas’ Hospital.
I re-joined the queue and finally began crossing Lambeth Bridge. As I reached the end of this bridge and turned right to join the first Snake just beyond Horseferry Playground I was delighted and proud to see members of Humberside Police on duty, all in short sleeve uniforms as it was still so very warm. The last opportunity for food and warm drinks appeared here. The atmosphere was different from here on. Armed police began to appear, people had now begun to get quite tired and were struggling with various aches and pains. I had taken an old-fashioned, stout, wooden walking stick planning to lean on it when the fatigue set in, which it did, but was a vital tool to aid my walking as I was struggling to stay on my feet for such a long time. We eventually moved into the second, significantly larger Snake. Everyone remained very calm and patient but were noticeably quieter and lots of people were now sitting on the stone floor along the embankment, resting. Every time the Snake paused, sometimes for lengthy periods, many people sat down where they stood in the Snake Queue on the thick plastic matting which was protecting the grass. Scouts began handing out complementary chocolate bars, muesli bars, and boiled sweets cheerily calling “good morning” as they went. St John’s volunteers were distributing 'space blankets’ and helping people who were feeling faint or who had collapsed. By 02:00 news had come through that a Guard had fainted on the vigil. Because of planned cleaning periods of the Hall, there would be an additional hour pause. By now some people were finding the waiting gruelling. Eventually, we arrived at the ‘hard security’ area where everyone had to surrender any items deemed a security risk into large bins. We then entered a large white tent lined with many rows of x-ray machines; each row manned by several police personnel. I was still in my purple Minster fleece jacket, so my volunteer lanyard ended up being x-rayed after I found it in my pocket. Eventually, I ascended the stairs into the Hall and turned to face the most amazing experience of my life. The blaze of colour from the centre of the room, and the sparkle of the many lights on the Crown and Orb, were startling. The long, slow descent down the stairs into the Hall gave me time to start absorbing what I was seeing. The peace, serenity, awe, the sense of being in the presence of someone, something great and very special, was profound. I walked up to Her Majesty’s coffin, bowed my head, and reluctantly moved on. I found it difficult to leave her.
As I left the Hall just after 04:00, almost nine hours to the minute from joining the queue, I thought that was the end of my experience but instead walked out to see the military rehearsal for Her Majesty’s funeral passing by. The sailors were pulling the pretend coffin, the huge horses were carrying the guard’s officers, and the band was playing beautiful, sombre marching music. I found a low wall to sit on to rest and to think about the previous several hours, something I continue to do. Eventually, I made it back to Kings Cross and safely home. I’m so very glad I made the effort to go to London. It was most challenging and testing at times in the queueing, but well worth the effort to experience those moments in the Hall.
