Fifty years ago exactly, on July 10, 1976, my Dad and I were among the 50,000 or so who lined the streets of downtown New Haven to see Queen Elizabeth II in her oh-so-brief visit. These are slide photos Dad took, which I scanned about 15 years ago.
And yes, I saw the Queen. He actually got a photo of it. The Duke of Edinburgh was on the other side.
I showed these to Dad. He said that what he remembers most was not only how hot it was but that the Secret Service agents were running at full speed alongside because the motorcade was moving that fast.
I’m sure it’s not the reason but across The Green, at the old Center Church, one of the regicides, John Dixwell, is buried. Dixwell and two others (Goffe and Whalley) signed the death warrant for Charles I. After the monarchists returned to power, they fled to the New World and hid out in New Haven. Dixwell remained in New Haven. Goffe and Whalley took off for western Massachusetts. None ever arrested, although that’s quite a story.
Dixwell, Goffe and Whalley are famous street names in New Haven.
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